L'Eldorado

Worth getting out of bed for

Yes, Eldorado was the mythical lost city of gold, but the treasure you’ll find here is more organic: an exquisitely cultivated city garden with tall palms, perfumed with campanula, hydrangea, camellias and roses. It whisks you away from the bohemian bustle of the surrounding Batignolles quarter, which sits close enough to reach Paris’s most iconic sights via a short taxi or Metro ride, or leisurely stroll; but far enough to feel like you’re living in the ‘real’ Paris. It’s an interesting tangle of streets with enough to tempt you from your leafy haven. Close by is the Place de Clichy, a point where four arrondissements meet. Around here you’ll find arthouse intrigues at the Pathé Cinema and Cinema des Cinéastes, plus the No.Pi gig venue and L'Européen Theatre; and the Moulin Rouge is a short can-can away from here. And the show goes on with the Grande Happy Comedy club (40 Rue de Clichy), La Bruyère Theatre, Paris Theatre, and Mogador Theatre. The Musée de la Vie Romantique is set in Dutch painter Ary Scheffer’s 19th-century manor, where the likes of George Sand, Liszt, Delacroix and Dickens used to meet for Friday-evening salons. And there’s plenty of artistic life throughout the neighbourhood these days too, with the likes of Le Bal (a multidisciplinary space), Truffaut Gallery and Hyperstructure Arts (14 Place Charles Fillion). Less ‘lively’ but still interesting is the Montmartre Cemetery, which has some intriguing graves (including those of Stendhal and Zola). Or for less melancholic greenery, head north to the Parc Clichy-Batignolles – Martin Luther King (once part of the city’s Olympics bid), or west to Parc Monceau. Or sequester yourself away with a cocktail and a battered book in the hotel’s leafy hideout.

Local restaurants

The hotel’s restaurant is a contender for one of the area’s coolest – it’s certainly flamboyant enough to stand out. But the Batignolles heaves with eateries to try. Coretta (closed throughout August) is a cool modern space with equally forward-thinking dishes, such as tuna with beetroot ravioli, raspberries and za’atar; or grilled trout with marbled leeks, nori, apricot and smoked potatoes. Le Bouclard is somewhat more traditional, all wood and walls lined with knick-knacks, and a menu of onion soup, snails, chicken in tarragon and mustard cream, Chateaubriand, and Grand Marnier-soaked crème brûlée. And, Le Costaud des Batignolles is a quirky mix of art gallery and eatery, with paintings splashed all over the walls and sculptures propped around the dining space, and creative plates, too: salmon in a mango and saffron sauce with nashi pear; burrata with apple, vanilla-infused oil and truffle; seasonal Scottish scallops drizzled in hazelnut butter, with tonka bean.

Local cafés

At Place de Clichy, Le Petit Poucet is well positioned for people-watching. And, its menu has an appealing selection of small plats, burgers and croques, plus a hearty brunch. Wepler is a 19th-century brasserie with traditional interiors (leather banquettes, mirrored walls); come for oysters and seafood or to pick at charcuterie and cheeses. 

Local bars

Prop up the bar with an amaretto sour or chilled glass of rosé at nearby Le Comptoir des Batignolles, a friendly space where live music sometimes plays.