Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain: a love letter to literary Paris

This article is part of FT Globetrotter’s guide to Paris

Some visitors to France’s capital, with their expectations so high, develop an affliction known as “Paris Syndrome”: crushing disappointment when the city turns out to be more reality than Instagram. The cure lies in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the postcard-pretty Left Bank neighbourhood in the heart of literary Paris. The Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain, a beautiful hotel around the corner from the area’s famous cafés, Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore, is where such sufferers should stay.

The hotel opened last year following a serious renovation (sensitively stitching together three 17th-century listed buildings), a change of ownership and a total revamp. Designer Didier Benderli has cleverly maintained the individual character of each structure while creating a modern, sophisticated and cohesive offering, from its cosy library to its Impressionist-inspired fireplace lounge and throughout the 47 rooms and suites.

Lodgings are generously sized, comfortable and well appointed, with parquet flooring, loads of light and high ceilings. The custom-designed furniture is beautifully made; I often found myself admiring the chairs and wood cabinetry in the rooms and bathrooms, and the intricate details in the joinery. Bedding is thick and plush, pillows come in the thousands and I liked the toiletries from local brand Codage so much that I took my leftovers home.

Drawing both visitors and locals alike is the haute-bistronomy (brasserie dishes elevated with Michelin-worthy technique) at in-house restaurant Les Parisiens, named in homage of Dubliners by James Joyce, who lived at the hotel’s address in the early 1920s. Under the purview of chef Thibault Sombardier, the menu is not only delicious but its nostalgic notes also will make you smile. The vol-au-vent — a fish pie with shrimp, mussels and monkfish wrapped in puff pastry — was delightfully ’70s, yet refined, comforting and seriously satisfying.

The theatrical cocktails are a blast at the adjacent James Joyce Bar, an intimate, wood-panelled space with creative mixology inspired by the head bartender’s travels, such as the fresh and herbal Thailand made with peanut butter-infused vodka, pineapple, coriander syrup, lime and kaffir- lime leaf.

Below deck, the basement once housed a legendary cabaret where the singer-songwriter and poet Léo Ferré began his career; today’s guests descend the classé (listed) stone steps to find a well-equipped gym, spa and plunge pool — the construction of which required carefully excavating 13 tonnes of rock. This was an unexpected treat, especially for a Parisian hotel of this size. The Relaxing massage was genuinely one of the most soothing I’ve experienced. 

• Good for: Chic, modern luxury in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, once a hub for 19th- and 20th-century artists, writers and philosophers

• Not so good for: Hipsters

• FYI: It’s impossible to walk for more than a minute in Saint-Germain-des-Prés without stumbling into a tempting pâtisserie or chocolatier

• Rooms: 47 rooms including 10 suites

• Double: From €350

• Website; Directions

Niki Blasina was a guest of Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain.

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