Destinations

Hotel Saint-Paul-Rive-Gauche ***

Valerie Benigno, Directrice d’Hébergement de Hotel Saint-Paul-Rive Gauche, recalls receiving a large envelope postmarked from the UK. Inside was a huge porte clef to room 12. “It was a heavy, old fashioned key,” Valerie says. “Probably 50 years old.” We are in the sitting room which has a large bay window, Haute Epoque furniture, and a crimson bio ethanol-fueled fireplace. The room’s exposed stone walls were a part of the foundation of defense that surrounded Paris at the time of Philippe Auguste. The key, a more recent artifact, was among the effects of an elderly gentleman, and his son was returning it to its rightful home on rue Monsieur le Prince.

Judging from the massive guest book, visitors’ attachment to Saint-Paul-Rive Gauche has been an ongoing affair. When John Hawkins, a Brit, married into the French hotelier family during the second world war, servicemen found a rare English speaking haven and often stayed for weeks. Some of those guests, now in their 80s, have returned. Franciscan monks lodged here, likely in the 17th century. This sense of a sanctuary remains, a feeling of peaceful homecoming that begins when you enter the lobby and are greeted by 15-year-old Sputnik, the hotel cat.

I looked hard for snafus. I found none. Saint-Paul-Rive Gauche is impeccable in its attention to historic detail, comfort, and cleanliness. The red hallway rugs, embossed with fleur de lys, are immaculate, the banisters polished, the hallways are papered and stenciled. There are freshly laundered curtains in gauze, wide plaid or striped high quality cotton. (The same chambermaids have worked for this family for nearly 20 years.) Each of the 31 rooms is distinct in décor and warmth. Each has its particular charm: a tapestry, hand painted wallpaper, a trompe-l'oeil, a flowerbox of geraniums. Except for the two new ground floor rooms, all the rooms have oak beams, and most have high windows. The ground floor rooms face an enclosed courtyard, which has two flower-filled Anduze vases and decorative laurel trees.

Room 13 is one of the most romantic with its four poster, wrought iron bed and tapestry headboard, beamed ceilings, and the de rigueur French windows (double paned to ensure quiet). In room 35, there’s a fresco of Sputnik perched on a bookcase. The bathrooms are impeccable; one has a Jacuzzi. The towels are standard, not lush, but who’s complaining when the hot water is instant, and there are Roger & Gallet soaps by the sink?

My top-floor room 53 (the lift goes to the fifth floor where the owners once lived) feels like an enchanted attic with its beamed slanted ceiling. Garret windows overlook rooftops that are cast in amber as the sun sets. Every room has the requisite nod to modernity: flat widescreen TVs, wi fi, and a handy mini bar (essential for cooling une bouteille or deux). The hotel offers laundry service, but there is a laundromat directly across the street.

But most astonishing is the breakfast room. Descend several winding stone steps and you enter a vaulted stone. In deference to a striking bit of antiquity—an ancient well set into the stone—the hotel was once named Hôtel du Réservoir. The breakfast buffet is sumptuous by Continental standards: fresh croissants, yeasty rolls, all sorts of breads, thick jams, fresh fruit, yogurt, cheeses, herbal teas, and coffee.

If you can bear to leave this gem, step outside and enter the heart of the Latin Quarter. Order an espresso at any cafe near the Sorbonne, which is at the end of the street, and you might overhear a discussion of analytical geometry and where to find the best bakeries (Chez Mulot at 76, rue de Seine, and a little boulangerie on Rue de l’Ecole.) Or head straight for the Luxembourg Gardens, a four minute walk from the hotel, if you don’t get sidetracked by the San Francisco Book Company that sells English language books, randomly and rather seductively stacked for browsing.

Getting There

Metro Lines 4 and 10 station Odéon or Line 10 station Cluny-la-Sorbonne
RER : station Luxembourg (Line RER B) or station St Michel-Notre Dame (Line RER B and C)
Bus : 21, 27, 38, 58, 63, 70, 84, 85, 86, 87, 89, 96

Nearby Arts

Odeon Saint Germain is a district known for its theater and galleries. A few samples:

• Theatre Europe at Place Odeon.
• Carré Saint Germain art galleries and galleries on Rue Jacob, Rue de Seine and side streets.
• Musée Luxembourg has ongoing expositions and cultural events, and a comprehensive medieval history of France is a feature of the Musée Cluny.

Nearby Restaurants

Bypass the slew of Japanese restaurants that line rue Monsieur Prince. This is Paris! Enjoy lunch or dinner for 20-35 Euros at any of these splendid eateries:

• La Mediteranee, 2, Place de l’Odeon, offers fresh seafood, intimate dining, super desserts (01 43 26 02 30).
• La Bastide Odeon, 7, rue Corneille, serves high quality, typically Parisian cuisine ( 01 43 26 03 65).
• Bouillon Racine, 3, rue Racine, is a gorgeous 1906 Art Nouveau restaurant ( 01 44 32 15 60).

Nearby Attractions

• The Sorbonne and its specialty schools L'Ecole de Médecine and L’Université Paris Descartes.
• The Luxembourg Gardens.
• L’Eglise Saint Germain, the oldest church in Paris dating to the 6th century, built to house a relic of the True Cross brought from Spain in 542.
• Le Panthéon, a neoclassical abbey now the burial place of kings.
• For great sightseeing, take Bus 27 to the Louvre.

Nearby Shopping

Marché Saint Germain Mabillon is a covered food and clothing market. You will find an assortment of boutiques on rue de Rennes and herbs and potions at Les Herbes du Luxembourg, rue Médicis near the Gardens. For just about everything, walk over to Bon Marche, the huge department store on rue de Sevres.

Hotel Saint-Paul-Rive Gauche

If you wish to reach Sputnik directly: Sputnik.thecat@orange.fr

43, rue Monsieur le Prince 75006 Paris
Tel : +33 1 43269864 - Fax : +33 1 46345860
E-Mail: contact@hotelsaintpaulparis.com

Rates (Euros): 154-298 seasonal range

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