A real eye-popper
This vivacious hotel is exquisitely crafted and superbly located, making it a fabulous addition to Paris’ highend hotel scene, writes Steve McKenna.
The hotel
Le Grand Mazarin, in Paris, France.
Check-in
Named after a brilliant diamond that was owned by French kings and emperors, Le Grand Mazarin is the first Parisian offering by Maisons Pariente, a family-owned operator with upscale retreats in other glamorous parts of France like St Tropez and Meribel. Maisons Pariente has chosen a smart central location, just off the Rue de Rivoli, around the corner from Hotel de Ville (City Hall) in Le Marais, a charming Right Bank enclave brimming with picturesque cobblestone lanes, LGBTQ+-friendly bars, cafes, boutiques and cultural draws.
The look
While its creamy exterior blends into the French capital’s dominant colour palette, it’s a different story inside, where vibrant hues and eclectic decor evoke the flamboyance of Louis XIV’s chateaux.
Designer Martin Brudnizki masterminded the interiors, collating antiques from flea markets along with bespoke furnishings, fabrics and artworks. Especially eyepopping is the basement’s wellness zone, with a fresco of Narcissus above an indoor pool. This space also boasts a Jacuzzi, hammam and spa treatments.
The room
The creativity in the hotel’s public areas pulses through the 61 rooms, which range from 20-square-metre “classics” to familyfriendly interconnecting duplex suites with views of Paris.
Overlooking an interior patio-winter garden featuring dreamy wall panels by Spanish artist Sofia Pega, our 30sqm deluxe room has several striking touches, notably a canopy with a tapestry of a rural idyll above our queen bed. Other handy amenities are the room’s electric curtains, the Toto toilet (with its toasty seat) and the fragrant Diptyque products in the separate mustard-tiled shower room.
Food and drink
Quirky yet cosy, Boubale is Le Grand Mazarin’s street-level bar-restaurant.
Breakfast here has a Gallic flavour, with the likes of pastries, French toast and charcuterie, but for lunch and dinner the cuisine embraces the Ashkenazi Jewish heritage of both Le Marais and Jerusalemborn, Michelin-rated chef Assaf Granit.
Attracting Parisians and hotel guests alike, his dishes have eastern European and Middle Eastern influences, such as beef cheek goulash with Hungarian paprika and gnocchi. Downstairs, there’s a speakeasystyle bar with live DJs.
Out and about
Le Marais is ace for wandering, windowshopping and people-watching, and you’ll find intriguing artefacts in elegant old mansions-cum-museums like the Picasso Museum or the splendid (free) Carnavalet, where Paris’ engrossing history is explored.
Beyond the neighbourhood, the Pompidou Centre, the Louvre and Notre-Dame Cathedral (reopens to visitors in December) are all within a 15-minute walk.
The highlight
The hotel’s attention to design detail, from the dainty leaf-shaped ceiling lamps to that stunning mural above the pool.
The lowlight
You’ll want to savour Le Grand Mazarin. It’s lovely and you’ll be paying a fair whack to stay here. But Paris is your oyster, so you’ll want to be outside as much as possible.
The verdict
Exquisitely crafted and superbly located, this is a fabulous addition to Paris’ high-end hotel scene. Nice staff, too.
The essentials
Rooms from €520 (NZ$942) a night. 7 Rue de la Verrerie, Paris, France. See: legrandmazarin.com