Reviewed by Tom Bell
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HOTEL LE SAINTE-BEUVE - REVIEW
The salon at the front is delightfully warm and welcoming, a magnet for guests passing through. There are Ionian pillars, balls of rose petals, beige sofas, smart red armchairs and a big marble fireplace where flames fly in winter; you can saunter up, pluck a log from the wicker basket and pop it on. A perfect example of a fine owner-run Parisian hotel, where you feel at home the moment you walk through the door: Monsieur is charming, his staff are caring, bedrooms are crisply elegant and spotless, the price is spot-on.
Jean Pierre, who ran the Brasserie Balzar in the 5th arrondissement, bought the hotel 10 years ago, but is still a mine of knowledge on local restaurants; staff will book tables, supply maps (and umbrellas just in case), so don’t come to diet. You’re down in Montparnasse, off the south-western shores of the Jardin du Luxembourg, so you can walk off any excess amid glorious formal gardens. |
