If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.
Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (EUR313.64), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.
Haussmannian on the outside, and botanical-meets-ballroom on the inside, Château des Fleurs is the heir to the legendary Bal Mabille, a magical garden party which gathered the Parisian elite to dance the night away. Gone are the 19th-century merry-go-rounds, floral garlands, and chandeliers twinkling among the trees, but the joie de vivre of these enchanting evenings very much remains (along with a few horticultural hints, like the hotel’s plant-painted stained-glass windows). The rooms are a modern take on the hotel’s art deco heritage, and many overlook the designer-strung Champs Elysées – which is where you’ll spot fellow fabulously-dressed guests, perusing for their next pair of dancing shoes.
Please note that the hotel is polishing its final look and some images are renderings of the ensemble.
Noon, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Prices
Double rooms from £295.96 (€345), including tax at 10 per cent. Please note the hotel charges an additional local city tax of €10.73 per person per night on check-out.
More details
Rates exclude breakfast, but you can order from the Parisian and Continental menus (herbal teas, coffees, fruit juices, baguettes and pastries with homemade butter, honey, and jams) plus à la carte options for €34 each.
Also
There are two specially-designed rooms for guests with mobility issues, in addition to a stair-lift at the entrance.
At the hotel
Lounge, charged laundry service, and free WiFi. In rooms: Bluetooth speaker, TV, minibar, tea-making kit, coffee machine, and organic Château des Fleurs bath products.
Our favourite rooms
Discerning design lovers will delight in every Belle Époque-inspired inch of the sumptuously styled rooms and suites, which are all dripping in vintage eye-candy. We can’t resist a bedside bathtub, though, making the Corner Junior Suites (on the second, third and fourth floors) our must-book. Soak up the tree-lined, Haussmannian architecture from the window-fronting rolltops, with views which are sure to elicit a few ‘ooh là làs’.
Poolside
Bijou but breathtaking, the indoor plunge pool is a romantically low-lit, red-and-white-tiled affair beneath curving archways in the hotel’s spa.
Spa
French wellness brand Omnisens is behind the hotel’s naturopathic spa menu, which ranges from Japanese Kobido facials and lemon-meringue-pie-scented massages to light-therapy masks and anti-ageing rituals. There are two treatment rooms (which can be combined for couples’ treatments), a sauna, and stylish fitness room in the hotel’s lower levels.
Packing tips
Lean into the vintage aesthetic and pack your favourite pre-loved designer finds. Anything fringed, beaded, or with tassels will have you matching the interiors (in a good way, we promise).
Also
We’re a little bit in love with the bathrooms here – the wine-red ceramic tomette tiles are handmade, surrounding scallop-edged glass which will soon have you snapping some robe-clad mirror selfies.
Pet‐friendly
Small, well-behaved dogs are welcome to stay in any room here for free. Just let the hotel know when booking. See more pet-friendly hotels in Paris.
Children
All ages are welcome, and families can spread out in the various interconnecting room options (or over several floors in the Duplex Junior Suites).
Cosy up on the L-shaped sofa by the fireplace for the most intimate seat in the house.
Dress Code
A touch of theatricality, à la French stage actress Sarah Bernhardt.
Hotel restaurant
Though it might be tempting to keep your eyes on the beautifully-dressed, Korean-inspired dishes at Oma (the Korean word for ‘mother’), we have two words for you. Look up. The restaurant’s mirrored, bobbin-studded ceilings are quite simply spectacular, which reflect burnt-orange fringed cocktail chairs, glitzy gold tables, and the statement terracotta-marble fireplace from every eye-pleasing angle. Chef Ji-Hye Park describes herself as a generous cook, drawing on her childhood cuisine when creating the East Asian-infused menu. The fiery Mulhué (a Korean-spiced raw-fish broth) is a must-try, followed by the poached peach (slathered in mascarpone, and dusted with verbena petals and black sesame seeds).
Hotel bar
Château des Fleurs once played host to lavish garden parties (organised by dancer extraordinaire, Monsieur Mabille), and its botanical-themed bar goes back to these roots. Sip elderflower apéritifs, orange-blossom spritzes, and hibiscus champagne beneath petal-shaped light pendants, crafted by mixologist Julien Quettier at the rose-pink marble counter. There’s also a refreshing sans-alcool selection of fruit juices and farm-grown nectars by Patrick Font, plus organic softs and floral mocktails sprinkled with French herbs.
Last orders
Breakfast is from 7am to 11am, lunch from noon to 3pm, and dinner from 7pm to 10.30pm.
Room service
Make the most of round-the-clock room service if you’d rather dine in your dressing gown.
With the Arc de Triomphe as its Golden Triangle neighbour, boutique hotel Château des Fleurs is tucked at the top of the Champs Elysées in Paris’ prestigious 8th arrondissement.
Planes
International arrivals will fly into Charles de Gaulle Airport, whereas domestic travellers have the option of Orly. Both airports are a 45-minute drive away, and the hotel can organise private transfers from €170 one-way.
Trains
The Eurostar terminal at Gare du Nord is around 30 minutes by car, or you can take the train (Line B) to George V station changing at Châtelet Les Halles – then it’s a two-minute walk to the hotel. Private transfers by car from Gare du Nord can be arranged (from €110 one-way).
Automobiles
Driving in Paris is almost never a good idea, except when part of a longer French road trip. There’s valet parking at nearby Indigo George V (starting at €60 a day).
Worth getting out of bed for
Although the elegant 8th has become more popular with tourists than locals in recent years, the glitzy Golden Triangle makes a glamorous base from which to explore the City of Light. Even if shopping isn’t top of your to-do list, there is plenty to draw the eye during strolls along the Champs Elysées, with its work-of-art window displays. The iconic avenue is also home to the Grand Palais, and the fashion-filled exhibitions of the Musée Yves Saint Laurent (closed on Mondays) can be found on nearby Avenue Marceau. Château des Fleurs is a seven-minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe, and a 15-minute metro ride from the Eiffel Tower. Paris’ many museums and art galleries are also just a short Metro journey away on line 1, including the legendary Louvre. The creatively-inclined can unleash their inner artiste at the Musée de la Marine, which runs various workshops including watercolour classes, stained-glass painting sessions, and an introduction to illumination (the art of illustrating manuscripts, which is less mediaeval – and more fun – than it sounds). Continue your art trail by taking a turn about the Parc Monceau, the beautifully-kept gardens which inspired several Claude Monet works (and other Impressionist artists who painted there en plein air).
Local restaurants
Beneath a scallop-edged, claret-coloured awning on the picturesque Place des Ternes (a 10-minute walk from the hotel), La Lorraine is a seafood-serving brasserie with buckets of old-world charm. Freshly-caught crabs, lobsters, langoustines, and shrimps are displayed over ice for you to personally handpick your fish dish, brought to you by black-suited waiters who whisk oversized oyster platters between patterned banquettes at the back and the teal-tinged bistro chairs out front. Tucked behind the Champs Elysées, Apicius is a veritable urban oasis with flower-topped tables dotted around blossoming gardens. The three-course lunch menu (available Monday to Friday) is a delectable way to spend a sunny afternoon, while soaking up some style inspiration from the surrounding impeccably-dressed diners. On the right bank’s 16th arrondissement, Château des Fleurs’ sister property and Smith stablemate Saint James Paris (under 20-minutes’ walk away) boasts Michelin-starred Bellefeuille, a botanically-styled restaurant with a dressed-up conservatory feel, where chef Julien Dumas handpicks seasonal ingredients from the hotel’s organic vegetable garden.
Local cafés
Arguably one of the prettiest tea rooms in Paris, the café at Musée Jacquemart-André is as much about the pâtisserie as it is the private art collection – which you’ll get a sneak peek at without needing to purchase tickets to the museum itself. On the corner of rue Royale and Place de la Concorde, Café Lapérouse is every bit as elegant as its Instagram feed will lead you to believe. Baskets of buttery croissants and brioche with dainty jars of jam and honey, colourful bowls of berry-sprinkled granola, and freshly-squeezed juices will start your day the Parisian way (not forgetting a frothy café crème, of course).
Local bars
In the heart of the Golden Triangle, Les 110 de Tailleventis staffed by an affable army of sommeliers who know everything there is to know about French wines, down to the very last drop. There are over 100 wines by the glass to choose from, which can be paired with an assortment of cheeses, charcuterie, and rich pickings like beef carpaccio buried in black truffle shavings. Trendsetting speakeasy bar Experimental Cocktail Club now has a few addresses around the city, but it’s tough to beat the atmosphere of the original on rue Saint Sauveur. The whole idea is based around trying cocktails you’ve never had (or heard of) before – hence, ‘experimental’ – and it’s best to come early because this place is packed night after night.
Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this made-over art nouveau mansion in the Golden Triangle and unpacked their beautifully-boxed macarons and limited-edition perfumes, a full account of their outrageously chic city break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Château des Fleurs in the 8th arrondissement…
Oh, to be present at the party where the polka and can-can were (supposedly) first danced. Château des Fleurs is an ode to the open-air balls which had the 19th-century’s most fashionable Parisians dancing in the boulevards which now surround the hotel, including the Bal Mabille – which soon gained a rather scandalous reputation. Listen carefully to Puccini’s La Bohème lyrics, and the Mabille is described as a setting for ‘sins of love’.
No longer an eyebrow-raising establishment, the mansion has been given an ever-so-chic make-over – courtesy of the Quintana Partners, who we’ve come to think of as the hotel’s Barcelona-based fairy godfathers. Drawing on the floral patterns, gentle curves, and nature-inspired silhouettes of the art nouveau style, the designers waved their magic wand over the rooms, suites, spa, and restaurant for a top-to-bottom transformation. Accent chairs with trailing tassels, and fluted, fringed lampshades are in keeping with the vintage vision, as is the predominantly pastel palette with pops of mustard, sage-green, and rust-orange. And although you shall no longer go to the ball, you can certainly stay past midnight (swapping glass slippers for the fluffier, comfier kind and ball-gowns for bathrobes).
