LA DEMEURE MONTAIGNE

It takes a certain level of confidence to arrive in Paris’ Golden Triangle, among the Chanel boutiques and urban palaces such as the Four Seasons and Hôtel Plaza Athénée. La Demeure Montaigne – a

newcomer from the Frontenac Group that has three hotels nearby – does so with sly whimsy. There are feather-flower chandeliers, jungle wallpaper and ginkgo-patterned carpets throughout the 93-bedroom address. Soft jazz and the delicate scent of powder filters up from the subterranean spa – a future-forward draw, with its quartz-walled

pool, hot baths, steam room and cabins with heated tables for massages using marine-based Thalgo products. Back upstairs, a Carrara marble hall leads to a stately billiards room that exudes cosy

chic, with its fireplace, circular granite bar and Pop Art portrait of French philosopher Michel de Montaigne. The restaurant, L’Envolée (Flight), is in a dramatic glass atrium, above which soars a bird

mobile by sculptor François Lavrat – a sort of metaphorical challenge to chef Grégory Réjou, who sharpened his knives alongside

Alain Sanderens at the nearby Plaza Athénée; for dessert try the candied clementine and poached pear with tonka-bean cream. For all the sense of a hush-hush retreat, there are landmark views – in

apartment 605 and suite 608, king-sized beds face wrought-iron balconies with views of the Eiffel Tower. There’s a floral femininity to

most rooms, with reliefs of birds and fauna, and TVs are discreetly positioned behind dressers or ornate wall mirrors – all of which suits

the overriding feeling of discovering a hidden treasure. SL Doubles from about AED 1,500; lademeuremontaigne.com