What it is

Where you come to feel like a French aristocrat.

What it isn't

A young, hip party scene.

What we think

The list of luxury hotels in Paris keeps getting longer, but the Bristol has invested deeply to remain a leader of the club. A $130 million renovation in 2009 added a new wing with 26 rooms and suites, decorated in the same classic style as the older rooms. The hotel's clean, airy open spaces balance out the fantastic, just-this-side-of-extravagant period styling: a recently re-vamped central garden and wide, modern bright hallways are a fresh and welcome pairing for the Louis XVI furnishings, 19th-century paintings, and toile wall coverings.

Le Bristol draws a prosperous crowd of dignitaries, executives, and discreet celebrities. Owned and run by the Oetker family for nearly four decades, the hotel is imbued with a sense of amiable hospitality—refined but never stiff—as epitomized by Socrate, a Burmese cat who lounges around the lobby. All 190 rooms and suites are individually designed in a delicate Parisian style, and by the cramped standards of the city, even the entry-level rooms are enormous. Guests may look out to the boutiques on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the iconic mansard rooftops of Paris, or the hotel’s huge flower-filled garden. At Epicure, the three-Michelin-star restaurant, chef Eric Frechon serves visually stunning haute cuisine that, like the hotel itself, has proven staying power.

You're here because

You love a grande dame hotel that’s kept herself up well.

The Moment

As the sun sets on Epicure’s terrace, the last bite of foie gras melts on your tongue as you admire the 1200sqm garden.

Restaurants & Bars

Epicure - French, chef Eric Frechon matchs terroir ingredients to astounding effect, three Michelin starred

114 Faubourg - French brasserie

Le Jardin Français - Afternoon tea and enjoy casual refreshments any time of day

Le Café Antonia - Breakfast, light lunch and dinner as well as afternoon tea and casual refreshments any time of day

Le Bar du Bristol - Classic club atmosphere, savor tapas and homemade cocktails

Hip, BAD – Bristol After Dark evenings on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

Location

Right on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, surrounded by designer boutiques (Hermès is a few steps away) and just up the street from the Élysée Palace.