World > Europe > France > Ile-de-France and Paris

L'Hôtel

COST: $$$$

<p>Small and opulent (when Oscar Wilde died here in 1900, legend has it that his final words were, “I am dying beyond my means”), L'Hôtel sports 20 rooms, each with a different theme—leopard, Italian Baroque, Japanese pagoda—but all tastefully over-the-top. Expect red brocade walls, floor-length silk draperies, oversize tassels, and ornate patterns covering every surface. Once the site of Queen Margot's Pavillion d'Amour, the current 18th-century structure has a stunning spiral staircase topped with a domed skylight and cozy niches near the bar, making this one of the Left Bank's most romantic hideaways and an A-list destination for an aperitif, dinner, or tryst. </p> <p><strong>Tip:</strong> Upon check-in, book a time slot for the private two-person pool and steam bath in the hotel's grotto-like Gallo-Roman cellar. </p> <p><strong>Room to Book:</strong> The Apartment, for its private terrace; for a tariff that's less astronomical, ask for one of the smaller Bijoux rooms, which still offer all of the hotel's characteristic opulence.</p>