A Weekend at Le Bristol, Paris
They said, „turn your passion into your profession”. When I was a little boy, my dream was to find the best hotel in the world. While now still working on this dream, visiting luxury hotels to write about my experience, I know for sure: there is no such thing as THE best hotel in the world. What I found out though was that Parisian Palaces are very close to claiming this special title. At least their prices around the 2k euros mark for a standard room indicate that a hotel experience at a Parisian Palace is as good as a hotel stay can get. While I wouldn’t call myself an expert in Parisian luxury hotels, having stayed at the Peninsula, the Fouquet’s Barriere, the Park Hyatt and Le Meurice (which was quite close to the best hotel experience in my life), I have a very good overview of what is offered in the French capital. It’s true I am missing the Ritz, the Plaza Athenee, the Crillon, the George V and the Bristol. Fortunately, I recently had the chance to stay at the latter one and though not my cup of tea, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience not to be missed.
It was a November weekend when I was back in Paris to meet with a long-time no-see friend. Occupancies weren’t skyrocketing and I decided to give an old-school classic a try this time after my not-so-good-time at the Park Hyatt Vendome. Having never stayed with an Oetker Collection property, I was up for a special surprise. Quite low-key I arrived in an Uber and was friendly welcomed by a bellman in front of the main entrance of Le Bristol in Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. A whitewashed front desk was waiting inside and the front desk staff immediately began speaking using my last name which was impressive. They also knew the name of my friend who was staying with me. Check-in was super quick and within five minutes of arrival, we were already on our way to the Junior Suite on their top floor. Our Junior Suite was accessible via lift and another set of stairs, next door to the famous suite where they filmed the movie “Midnights in Paris”. Being situated at the far end of the hotel, we didn’t have any direct neighbors and also had two kinds of views: one towards the Eiffel Tower and the other overlooking central Paris and Sacre Coeur.
Just as one would expect it from one of the world’s best hotels, there was an array of welcome amenities: from a bottle of house champagne and a sumptuous fruit basket to pralines and homemade madeleines (the best we have ever tried). The interior design was typically Bristol-style just like a French countryside home and even though I appreciated this style for two nights, it will never become my kind of taste. Also, the bathroom had a quite nostalgic look comparing it to today’s hotel bathrooms. Unfortunately, the scent in the bathroom only supported the nostalgic feeling, but I have to say that I am not the kind of guest that would regularly stay at Le Bristol. Anyways the most important is that the furniture and bathrooms are in excellent condition and maintained with a lot of attention to detail. Overall the Junior Suite felt very comfortable and I truly had the feeling to be staying in one of the best hotels in the world. Besides the make-up table overlooking the Eiffel Tower, there were wardrobes on both sides of the double bed (that could have been a bit more heavenly) and a sofa on the other side of the room. Right next to the sofa was the access to the private terrace with two chairs – a plus for a city hotel and much needed to call this spacious room a Junior Suite after all.
Besides the mentioned special scent in the bathroom, I missed a more up-to-date toilet (Toto or Duravit washlet would be standard in this hotel category). Apart from these two minor issues, the bathroom was also very comfortable and the walk-in shower was spacious enough for post-dinner parties to be enjoyed with full-size Lorenzo Villoresi branded toiletries. There were also plenty of Bristol-branded products to take home as a souvenir of just having stayed in one of Paris’ best hotels. Sometimes I pay special attention to the return on investment, especially with hotels charging such high prices. Le Bristol definitely has a great selection of souvenirs to take home with: from the unique toiletries only available at the Bristol or the box of pralines to their unique green spring-scented perfume. Even the key hanger of the room key is available for purchase and is a very unique souvenir. Speaking of collecting moments, I have to mention my dinner at their one Michelin-starred restaurant 114 Faubourg. While not cheap either, their foie gras dish or the chocolate dessert was foodie heaven and I can only recommend spending an evening downstairs at this F&B venue, even if Paris has got so many other cool restaurants you should not miss.
Breakfast is served in either Café Antonia or the world-famous three Michelin-starred Epicure. When you have enough time, I recommend reserving a table at Epicure and enjoying the fanciest breakfast in the world inside or on the terrace overlooking one of Paris’ prettiest courtyards. Having been fortunate enough to book a bed and breakfast deal, we could order literally anything from the breakfast menu and spend more than an hour in breakfast heaven. Needless to mention that service was above par and the quality of the served breakfast dishes exceeded our highest expectations. On the second morning, I tested breakfast at Café Antonia, and while the quality was equally good, the atmosphere was busier and less relaxed and posh than at Epicure. Overall I recommend booking breakfast in your room when planning to stay at Le Bristol. Apart from the culinary offerings, the hardware is quite dated and limited. Their pool is spacious though doesn’t feel it fits into 2022 – so does the gym which didn’t make an inviting impression.
Would I stay at Le Bristol again? Considering the high price and the huge choice of other Parisian palaces, I would say no. On the other hand, it is the perfect place to embrace the old money style and spend money not being seen by anyone from the “outside world”. Le Bristol for sure is one of the most discreet Parisian palaces and fits a group of clientele that does not want to show wealth. Furthermore, you really have to be into the countryside style to like Le Bristol. Personally, the scents and interiors didn’t match my lifestyle at all so this would also be a reason for my not to return. Actually, as good and as unique this hotel is, I don’t see it in 20 years the same way it is existing now. I can’t think that the travellers of tomorrow are looking for this kind of hotel when travelling, but maybe I am wrong and taught the opposite.
I was a guest of the Oetker Collection and Le Bristol Paris for editorial reasons. However all the above written expresses my own opinion and has not been influenced.
