Accommodations Worldwide

After reading “A Great Restaurant for a Splurge” (May ’04, pg. 52), I wanted to share some “Paris Hotels for a Splurge.” There’s no better city than Paris for splurging in style. While some travelers are trying to scrape up enough money for a trip, I know an equal number who figure you only go around once and may as well enjoy it to the hilt.

My trip was in November ’03. (2005 prices are also given.)

• Since we spend so much time in airplanes, I regard airlines as providing accommodations as well. I flew British Airways (800-AIRWAYS or www.britishairways.com) to London and onward to Paris in their Club World section.

British Airways’ Club World departure lounge provided full-meal, buffet-style service, and the food was delicious. Also, at any time during the flight, passengers could “raid the larder” and help themselves to an array of snacks. This enabled me to maximize in-air sleeping time. The Club World seats reclined to a flat, bed-like 6½ feet.

British Air’s Arrivals Lounge in Heathrow offered a sumptuous breakfast as well as private showers with dressing rooms. I arrived in Paris well fed, well rested, refreshed and ready to enjoy the city.

• In addition to its resplendence, the Four Seasons George V (31 Ave. George V, 75008, Paris, France; phone 33-01-49-52-70-00, fax 01-49-52-70-10 or visit www.four seasons.com) is one of the world’s friendliest hotels. From the moment I entered, everyone appeared to know my name.

As I was escorted to my room, the maid waited by my door to help me unpack and perhaps assist with making spa appointments. Both the palatial living room and bedroom were papered in sun-gold damask and peppered with imaginative floral arrangements.

The George V demonstrates the most meticulous attention to detail and guest comfort I’ve encountered in 77 countries. Luxurious bed linens assure sweet dreams; Bulgari toiletries in marble baths pamper. But the hotel’s staff is the George V’s greatest asset; they go above and beyond their assumed duties to provide exceptional service. This is Paris and Parisians at their best.

I stayed in a superior suite at €1,600 per night. There were wonderful package deals. (2005 packages start at €695 [$900].)

And even by Paris standards, the food was outstanding.

It’s no coincidence both Andrew Harper and Zagat have named the George V one of the top hotels in the world. Everyone should stay here at least once in a lifetime. The Champs-Elysées is conveniently nearby.

• For those to whom “Paris” means “shopping,” Le Faubourg (15 rue Boissy d’Anglas, 75008, Paris, France; phone 33-01-44-94-14-14, fax 33-01-44-94-14-28 or visit www.sofitel.com) is temptingly around the corner from rue Faubourg-St. Honoré.

The character of Le Faubourg is elegant sophistication. The sleek, contemporary interior of this former 18th-century townhouse and 19th-century building is welcoming. Bathrooms are well lit, and amenities are thoughtful. Breakfast was excellent, and the library off the main lobby provides a snug refuge for a drink. David Bowie and Placido Domingo are habitués of this chic paradise. (2005 prices, €235-€2,200, or $305-$2,853.)

• If you want a private maison, the Left Bank’s Hotel l’Hotel(13 rue des Beaux-Arts, 75006, Paris, France; phone 33-01-44-41-99-00, fax 33-01-43-25-64-81 or visit www.l-hotel.com) makes you feel like the sole guest.

Oscar Wilde lived here (guests can stay in his suite). I opted for chanteuse Mistinguett’s suite, a salmon-pink Deco fantasy with platform bed and beveled mirrors. The Mistinguett suite cost €528. (2005 room prices run €265-€545, or $344-$707.)

The hominess of l’Hotel is evident in its cozy bar and dining room, but a spectacular feature is its below-ground Roman-style swimming pool and circular Moroccan lounge bedecked with a sumptuous array of pillows. Lit with lanterns resembling candles, the pool may be used by appointment only. Don’t worry if you’ve forgotten your bathing suit, no one will interrupt your skinny-dipping.

• Finally, for old-fashioned Paris, L’Hotel Ambassador (16 Blvd. Haussmann, 75009, Paris, France; phone 33-01-44-83-40-40, fax 33-01-42-46-19-84 or visit www.hotelambassador-paris.com) is an establishment one might hope to discover in London, only with more panache. Classic, traditional, masculine colors — no gilded froufrou here.

Rooms are enormous, about three times the size one would expect in Europe. My deluxe room cost €450 per night. (In 2005, rooms are €360-€555, or $467-$720.)

Service was beyond impeccable, and the staff was charming. When I needed to take my camera to a repair shop, although I speak French, the concierge still sent someone from the hotel to accompany me. For a visit to a very obscure museum, rarely open, another amazing concierge was able to locate the curator and arrange an appointment for me.

Although I’ve stayed in a range of accommodations on previous visits to Paris, staying in these extraordinary facilities made this particular sojourn my most memorable. It enabled me to meet people I wouldn’t have encountered in ordinary tourist hotels, and it provided outstanding value and experience. Sometimes, you do get what you pay for.

— J.T. CUNNINGHAM, Delmar, NY

In January ’05 I paid €50 ($65) per night for a single room with private facilities at Hotel de Champagne (168 rue du Faubourg, St. Denis, 75010, Paris, FRANCE; you can book at www.hotels-paris-france-hotels.com/hotels/2star/under70html). Coming from the Charles de Gaulle Airport, you take the train to Gare du Nord, walk out the front entrance, turn left and on the first street make a left; it is about the third building across the street.

• The area is loaded with restaurants. Even though the neighborhood is in a typical rundown train station area, in the restaurant in the Terminus Nord, right across the street from the front entrance of the station, there are well-heeled Parisians dining.

The seafood is fresh and superb, with a large variety of huîtres (oysters). Twice, I had six of them as starters (included in the menu special), then turbot prepared extremely well with vegetables, as well as a half liter of wine, for €25 ($32 ).

• Facing the street from the front of the Terminus Nord, go left and at the first corner left again and the Taverne des Flanders (8 blvd Denain) awaits you. For under €10 ($13), including wine, they have several choices of mussels. I had them with Gorgonzola cheese and they were out of this world.

— JACK HUTTER, Knoxville, TN

Hotel Erasmus (Wollestraat 35, 8000 Brugge, BELGIUM; phone 32 [0] 50 33 57 81, e-mail info@hotelerasmus.com or visit www.hotelerasmus.com) — centrally located one block from the Belfort (landmark belfry tower) on the square.

The staff was very helpful and friendly during our 3-night stay in April ’05. The facility was clean, recently refurbished, and rooms were generous-sized and had hair dryers. The rate during our stay was €120 ($159) per night for a double room including breakfast. Credit cards are accepted.

A bar and restaurant and an elevator are available.

— JUDY ARRANTS, Benicia, CA

We spent nearly three weeks on a self-planned driving tour of northern ITALY in November ’04. November was an almost perfect time for our trip: the weather, except for a hot day at the beginning and occasional rain, was ideal and there were few tourists. The downside was that the euro was climbing against the dollar and hit all-time highs during our stay.

Our (flexible) criteria for this trip, our 10th to Italy, was that we would spend a minimum of two nights in each city (except for the night prior to our return) and that our drive from one city to the next would be no more than 150 miles. This enabled us to arrive during early to mid-afternoon, giving us “tourist time” in both the departing and arriving cities on that same day.

We chose to go to Bergamo and Mantua in Lombardy, Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna, Spello in Umbria, Poppi and Lucca in Tuscany and Camogli in Liguria.

Since our Alitalia flight (indifferent service, close seats, lousy housekeeping and poor food) from New York arrived at Malpensa Airport at 8 o’clock in the morning, we looked for a close spot for our first stop so we could take it easy and rest.

We picked up our car, a new Peugeot 407 on a short-term lease ($1,329 for 18 days) from Auto France (www.autofrance.net), at the Malpensa Airport and drove to Bergamo, 58 miles by Autostrada (toll freeway), which fit the bill.

• We stayed at the Hotel Excelsior San Marco (Piazza della Republica 6, Bergamo, Italy; phone 035 366111, fax 035 223201, e-mail info@hotelsanmarco.com or visit www.hotelsanmarco.om).

We had a commodious room with a double bed, a shower, and a balcony with a great view. It cost $235 per night and included the best breakfast of our whole trip. Rates at this hotel were less on weekends. All the hotels we stayed at offered some form of parking, usually with an extra charge.

Bergamo is a prosperous, business-like city divided into the Cittá Alta (Upper Town) and Cittá Bassa (Lower Town). Cittá Alta, accessible by funicular or bus, is the Old Town, enclosed by walls and containing the major cathedrals and other principal sites.

The Cittá Bassa is more of the present-day commercial area, but it also has a wonderful museum, the Accademia Carrara. It was within walking distance (like everything else) of our hotel, which was located at the edge of Cittá Bassa with a glorious view of Cittá Alta. We had never stayed in Bergamo but would certainly do it again.

• After two nights in Bergamo we drove to Mantua, where we stayed three nights at the Albergo San Lorenzo (Piazza Concordia 14, Mantua, Italy; phone 0576 220500, fax 0576 327194 or e-mail hotel@hotelsanlorenzo.it) — $210 per night.

We had visited Mantua before and were familiar with the city and the hotel, which had the most comfortable room of any we stayed at on this trip. As in all of Italy’s smaller cities, everything is within walking distance. We enjoyed a “Titian to Caravaggio” exhibit at the Palazzo Te plus a Salami Fair in the plaza in front of our hotel, among many other things.

Readers who have questions or who would like restaurant recommendations for the places we visited can e-mail us at edithstreet@comcast.net.

— PETER RUGH, Berkeley, CA

Peter describes more hotels next month.