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Le Meurice was built in 1815 as the first palace hotel in Paris. It sits across from the Tuileries Garden, and is a stone’s throw from The Louvre and Musée des Arts Decoratifs.
Recently, the property tapped interior designer Charles Jouffre to oversee the refresh of the hotel rooms, along with the creation of the new Pompadour Suite. Featuring a solid oak Versailles parquet, Regency-style wood paneling, hidden doors, a Louis XV fireplace, cornices, chandeliers, rich trimmings by Maison Declerq, and lots of velvet, the new designs simply scream luxury.
“When the hotel’s general manager asked us to oversee the interiors for the hotel rooms, she requested we use velvet for its qualities of resistance and aesthetics, whether it be for sofas, armchairs, or cushions,” says Jouffre.
Philippe Starck was also brought in to update the interiors of the common spaces, like the restaurants Le Meurice and Le Dali (pictured above), Le Bar 228, and the Galerie Pompadour, while Alain Ducasse was assigned to run the culinary concepts.
So naturally, we paid a visit to the property in June, in order to check out the 160-room hotel. Here’s what we did during our first 12 hours in Paris.
9:10 am
Arrive at the hotel. It’s too early for the room to be ready, so we enjoy freshly-baked goods (a croissant tower!), strong coffee, and fruit at the sumptuous, two Michelin-starred Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse off the lobby. It looks like a room out of Marie Antoinette.
11:30 am
Get into our gorgeous suite overlooking the Tuileries Garden. Unpack in this 800-square-foot room, decorated with rich fabrics, touches of gold, and marble and Louis XVI-style furniture.
12:45 pm
Head out for the day—no rest for the weary. (Jetlag tip: Don’t lay your head down even for a minute, or you won’t get up again—power through.) Lunch at old-school French restaurant Allard on the Left Bank for roast chicken, escargots, frisee aux lardons, and—of course—coffee and chocolate cake.
3 pm
Head out to local, off-the-beaten path museums like the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Musée Jacquemart-André, and Musée Maillol for a cultural fix.
5 pm
Next up is a much-coveted appointment with famed colorist Christophe Robin at his salon. I’ve been waiting to get my color done for months because I was so excited to see the master in Paris.
7 pm
Back at the hotel to unwind after a long day. Visit the luxurious Valmont Spa for a quick run on the treadmill. Make note to come back for a massage another day, and then head back to the suite to get ready for dinner.
8:30 pm
Head out for the night. Tonight, we are dining at Rech, a seafood restaurant, which is a nice walk across the Seine from the hotel.
11 pm
Back to Le Meurice to crash. It’s been a long day, and we can’t wait to hit the massive bed, which is decked out in Garnier-Thiebaut linens and Mühldorfer pillows. Do we have to leave?
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