BEST FOR A SAINTHONORÉ PILGRIMAGE:

Hôtel La Tamise, Paris

There are plenty of wonderful places to stay in the French capital, but for those seeking a quintessentially Parisian getaway, it’s hard to turn down this boutique hotel. A short walk from the Metro and surrounded by the city’s most magnificent attractions – the Louvre, Musée d’orsay, Jardin des Tuileries, Avenue des Champs-élysées and, naturally, fashion boutique Colette – La Tamise is itself steeped in the kind of enviable history other hotels can only aspire to. Originally a familyowned manor built in the mid-19th century, it was converted into a 19-room hotel in 1878, attracting British and American travellers on a post-university adventure. Later, it became a hotspot for the models of local couturier Madame Grès (her studio was just around the corner) as well as fashion legends like model Twiggy and photographer Patrick Demarchelier.

The hotel prides itself on having stayed true to its stylish and artistic roots – it’s equal parts traditional and modern, with velvet and tweed upholstery in the bedrooms and chic parquet floors and stained-glass window details throughout the lobby. Most rooms offer money-can’tbuy views of Rue d’alger and the Tuileries garden, some from a balcony, and the decor is exactly what you’d expect in this part of the world – luxurious, understated and the tiniest bit opulent (think brass finishings and a bathroom mosaic courtesy of artist Mathilde Jonquière).

The in-house restaurant serves up fresh, seasonal dishes, while the expertly curated wine list and pastries from nearby favourite Fauchon will ensure you’re so wrapped up in what’s in front of you that you’ll completely forget to check your phone for hours at a time. A place to kick up your heels and turn in at sunrise, this is not (but you needn’t wander far to find a vibrant bar or club worth visiting). It’s a drawcard for a different reason; it’s the place to live out your French fantasies, upon plush velvet chairs, drinking rosé from Provence and practising your langue française over duck foie gras and truffle ravioli. We all know those kinds of evenings are priceless.