Last June 28, 2011, Mandarin Oriental Paris finally opened its doors to the City of Lights.
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| Beside the hotel, is DSquared2 and Ports! |
Very strategically located too-- it's at the very heart of the upscale shopping district of Paris on rue Saint- Honoré, just minutes from Place Vendome and the Tuileries Gardens. Yes, we're talking 1 minute walk to Gucci, Chopard, Bvlgari, Goyard, about 2 minutes from Colette, Miu Miu, and Chanel, and just about 5 minutes from the Hermes flagship store!
The Mandarin Oriental, Paris is an 8- storey
hotel in a 1930s listed building with a beautifully landscaped garden indoor--
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| The outdoor garden just behind the lobby, accessible through glass doors |
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| The lobby and the garden |
I was impressed when I first walked into the hotel lobby. I love that this hotel has retained some kind of quaintness and familiarity, and is very east- meets- west. I think Parisian elegance married with Oriental refinement would accurately capture the overall feel of this hotel.
There are 138 well- appointed rooms and suites, and these rooms are quite possibly among the most spacious in Paris. The rooms were very impressive, averaging 40sqm in size.
The 39 suites include 7 duplex suites as well as a 350sqm.- sized suite, the Royale Mandarin. The suites are huuuuge! They even have a separate sitting room and some have their private terraces that overlook the indoor garden!
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| Your own terrace!! |
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| Makes you want to jump right in! |
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| Separate sitting room |
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| Huge toilet! With bathtub :) |
And now, let's talk restaurants! There's Bar 8
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| That U shaped bar is made from a 9-ton single block of brown marble from Spain, if I remember correctly |
Then there's Sur Mesure par Thierry Marx (executive chef and F&B director), very intimate restaurant for 40 people
And then Camelia, which is an all- day French restaurant revisited by Thierry Marx
I love that the interiors remind me of camelia petals. It gives you that feeling that you're dining inside a camelia bud!
I think one of the best features of Mandarin Oriental Paris is this: The Spa. This fills up 900sqm of space, on TWO levels...
Go through this sphere and you hear a gong, reminding you to leave all the tension and worries behind. As you enter the spa, you will instantly become at peace! I don't know why but I got that feeling once I crossed the sphere :)
And then of course, there's nothing more impressive than an indoor pool in Paris!
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| 14 meter long pool too! It's NOT a kiddie pool for sure :) |
One thing I noticed about the Mandarin Oriental Paris is the sufficient supply of natural light which makes the hotel very light and airy, almost- ethereal. It is Paris' oasis of gentle tranquility. So if you plan on heading to Paris for the first time and don't really know where to stay, I highly recommend Mandarin Oriental Paris. Service is unparalleled, rooms are big and comfortable, and the hotel itself is right at the heart of where all the beautiful things (ahem: shopping) are :)
For more information about Mandarin Oriental Paris, visit
www.mandarinoriental.com :) Staying at the Mandarin Oriental will ensure that your visit to Paris is a relaxing and positively memorable one!
x
TheBagHag
