PARIS, FRANCE – LE ROYAL MONCEAU

Hotel Website  |  Link to Book

I’ve been to Paris a number of times, but something about this trip made it feel like a completely new city. Jacob and I were invited by Le Royal Monceau — Raffles Paris to spend Valentine’s Day weekend in Paris, a dream stay. Le Royal Monceau is a beautiful luxury hotel just down the street from the Arc De Triomphe (another dream!), and the Parc Monceau.

Instead of having a plan this trip, our schedule was completely open. I’m convinced this is what made for the perfect Valentine’s Day weekend in Paris. We slept in, leisurely exploring the neighborhood around our hotel, sitting outside at cafés sipping coffee, strolling along the Champs-Élysées, and taking recommendations from friends for dinner. On a whim we grabbed a car to the Eiffel Tower just in time to see it light up, then left for drinks on the other side of town. Our trip was luxury and relaxation at its best, and it felt more romantic than any trip I’ve had in Paris to date.

Arriving at Le Royal Monceau felt like stepping into an exclusive Parisian abode. The property was completely re-imagined a few years ago by french designer Philippe Starck. Made to feel like you are stepping into a friend’s private art gallery, the hotel has a level of detail that’s unparalleled. Each day we noticed something new in our room that we hadn’t seen before! For instance, the bathroom is covered in mirrors, some of which have archival black and white photos behind them to create a unique reflection. The side tables have handwritten notes in French. The desk in our suite had a printed map of Paris.

Our room’s best feature though (besides the pink walls!) was the view from the balcony, which looked over the quintessential rooftops of Paris and directly at the Arc de Triomphe. We stayed in a luxury suite facing the street in front of our hotel, which gave us the best views. It’s worth requesting a room at the front if you can! We witnessed one of most amazing sunsets on our second night here while watching the Parisian cityscape light up. It was magical.

Each morning our ‘toughest’ decision was choosing to go downstairs for the elaborate breakfast buffet (featuring pastries from Pierre Hermé, Jacob swears it’s the best croissant he ever had), or ordering breakfast to our room so we could eat in bed. Of the three nights we spent here, my favorite was sleeping in until 11am and ordering eggs Benedict and fresh-squeezed juice for breakfast. Le Royal Monceau is incredibly accommodating, they have an entire gluten-free section and I felt truly spoiled getting to enjoy my guilty pleasure breakfast. Not to mention the macarons they left us (they gave me twice as many since they’re my favorite!).

One of the main reasons this trip was one of our favorites is that we felt we had no items to ‘check off’. We’ve already seen the major sights of Paris. I sent a few messages to friends (including those who live in the neighborhood) for recommendations, but other than that we truly didn’t plan a thing. It made for the most relaxed trip I’ve been on in years, and we discovered some incredible spots nearby our hotel and in new neighborhoods!

Here were some of the best highlights from this Paris trip:

• Shopping and people watching on the Champs-Élysées.
• Dinner at L’Atelier Ramey and wandering around the Sacre Coeur neighborhood afterwards.
• Having a delicious 4-course fixed meal at PiQUE NiQUE and walking along the Seine.
• Visiting the florist across from our hotel, the local bakery, and neighborhood cafés.
• Strolling down Rue des Martyrs, popping into boutiques and sitting for coffee at KB Cafeshop.
• Pink Mamma and Dépanneur lounge across the street. The area around these two restaurants is extra charming.
• Watching ‘Ratatouille’ in bed with a view of our own Parisian rooftops. When you spend as many nights away from your own bed as I do, it’s the little things!

This is the first time I’ve really felt the true romance of Paris. Nothing was forced, we enjoyed every minute and fell in love with our room and the staff at Le Royal Monceau who made our stay feel like a home away from home. There was so much to see in our hotel alone: a beautiful bookstore, art pieces, game room, mini theatre, fine dining — we didn’t feel rushed to go out because we enjoyed exploring the property itself. It was our first time experiencing Raffles Hotels, and I’d jump at the chance to stay at one of their hotels again. If you’re after a true treat and the contemporary Parisian experience though, Le Royal Monceau is the place to be.

Hotel Website  |  Link to Book Le Royal Monceau

Thank you to Le Royal Monceau Paris for sponsoring this post. As always, any opinions shared are my own.