HÔTEL MADAME RÊVE

Post offices are – or at least used to be – inherently romantic places, and none more so than the central post office in Paris. Not only was it as vast and grand as any of the galleries in the

nearby Louvre Museum, it was also open 24 hours a day. Its closure for renovation seven years ago was an inconvenience that over time became a matter of consternation to residents. What would become of this beloved landmark? Alors. You should have seen the looks on faces of passers-by – the double-takes, the eyes widening in astonishment – when Madame Rêve,

which occupies a substantial portion of the post-office building, opened this past autumn. A seductive honeyed glow emanates from the discreet corner entrance. Through the windows of its ground-floor café are visible a stupendous space of boiserie panels, acres of golden velvet, a

forest of columns rising to 26ft-high ceilings. These tantalising hints of splendour are matched by the transcendent outlook from the hotel’s top-storey restaurant, La Plume. The rooftop terrace, directly accessible from the restaurant, is an ideal place from which to survey

a rapidly changing neighbourhood – one referred to as ‘the New Golden Triangle’. And perhaps most marvellous of all, a smaller version of that much-missed old post office has

reopened almost directly below. SK Doubles from about AED 1,840; madamereve.com