Recently Travel +
Leisure released its annual World’s Best List based on readers votes. In this
issue we look at the five top scoring city hotels in Europe, which brings us to
Paris, London and Venice.
1. LA RESERVE PARIS
HOTEL & SPA
La Reserve Paris
Hotel & Spa is part of the same group that owns the similarly named city
resort near Geneva. In this case, with just 26 suites and 14 rooms located
between Rue du
Faubourg Saint-Honoré and Avenue Montaigne, you are a stone's throw from the
Champs-Elysées. However, this urban mansion has all the elegance of a 19th
century private apartment and the discretion that comes because the library, a
smoking lounge, and 50-ft. indoor pool are all reserved exclusively for guests.
Travel + Leisure
says, “Set back from the Champs Elysées and hidden behind a line of trees, La Réserve
is a modern update of a Haussmannian building. Guest quarters are plush but
clean-lined, with velvet headboards and jacquard wallpaper. Don't miss the
small but decadent spa, whose three treatment rooms are set around a
50-foot-long indoor pool.”
GRAND PALAIS SUITE
The 2,152 sq. ft.
Grand Palais Suite gives the feel of a private apartment from the Belle Epoque.
The suite pays tribute French heritage, with its authentic Napoleon III
furniture, its antiques collected over the years, as well as its historical or
contemporary works bridging the centuries. From the balcony, enjoy views of the
Eiffel Tower and the glass roof of the Grand Palais.
There are two large
lounge areas, two private bars, a wine cellar offering Grand Cru vintages, two
bedrooms, each with its own large dressing room, and a Carrara marble bathroom
featuring a bathtub with a view over the Eiffel Tower or the Grand Palais, an
Italian-style shower and twin vanity sinks. For more suites at La Reserve, click here.
2. THE PENINSULA,
PARIS
Situated at 19
Avenue Kléber steps from the Arc de Triomphe, The Peninsula is in walking
distance of the city’s famous monuments, museums and luxury shopping districts.
The Peninsula houses 200 rooms, including 86 suites. In addition to rooftop
private dining, you will find the forward thinking technology that is standard
at Peninsula Hotels.
Travel + Leisure
says, “When the Peninsula Paris opened (in 2014), it became an Instant Classic,
thanks to an incredible four-year restoration of everything from the gilding to
the trompe l'oeil frescoes. At the rooftop terrace and restaurant, beef tartar
with mint and braised veal are bested only by views of the Eiffel Tower.”
THE PENINSULA
SUITE
3. LE MEURICE, PARIS
Le Meurice combines
18th-century splendor modern comforts in what is a living work of art.
Travel + Leisure
says, “Philippe Starck’s public-space redo of this Paris institution, adjacent
to the picturesque Tuileries gardens—including the bar and
three-Michelin-starred restaurant—brought surreal new touches like a
refrigerator-cooled mirror that’s literally frosted, and three-legged tables
dressed in fancy shoes. All tradition wasn’t cast aside: Italian craftsmen were
brought in to restore the lobby’s green-and-white marble floors.”
BELLE ETOILE SUITE
At 3,229 sq. ft.
with a 2,691 sq. ft. terrace Belle Etoile Suite features a rooftop terrace with
panoramic city views, a dining area for private dinner parties for up to four
guests and includes as standard inclusions Krug champagne, Alain Ducasse
chocolates, Cédric Grolet pastry, and a fruit basket if you have the willpower
to not indulge. The four-bedroom duplex suite is on the top floor with Italian
marble bathrooms. The terrace has a 360° view including the Louvre, the Arc de
Triomphe, the Sacré Coeur, Musée d’Orsay and the Eiffel Tower. For more suites at Le Meurice click here.
4. AMAN, VENICE
A rare city
retreat for the group, Aman Venice is set in a 16th-century palazzo on the
Grand Canal and today is home to museum-quality collectibles including Tiepolo
frescoes, gilded ceilings and centuries-old leather wall coverings. There is an
Aman Spa with three treatment rooms including a menu of Eastern-influenced
therapies using Aman's signature chemical-free product. The fitness studio
offers sweeping views over the Venetian skyline.
Travel + Leisure
says, “Overlooking the Grand Canal, this magnificent hotel is housed in a
renovated 16th-century palazzo that retains some of its original frescoes and reliefs
in its 24 rooms including a Tiepolo ceiling fresco. Also named to the Top 100
Hotels in the World list, the Aman has a small spa, two dining rooms, and a
private garden, lending it the feel, said one reader, of ‘staying in a special
friend’s villa.’”
GRAND CANAL SUITE
5. THE LANESBOROUGH,
LONDON
Located at Hyde
Park Corner, The Lanesborough is home to the fine dining Céleste, a famous afternoon tea service, its
discreet Library Bar and one of London’s few cigar and lounges - The Garden
Room.
Travel + Leisure: “Anyone
who’s ever driven past the Lanesborough can’t fail to have noticed the hotel’s
handsome, Neoclassical façade overlooking Hyde Park Corner. And ever since a
2015 face-lift, that exterior grandeur is now matched by equally impressive
guest rooms and public spaces, including a state-of-the-art spa and a
Michelin-starred restaurant, Celeste. Each of the hotel’s 93 rooms and suites
has been painstakingly returned to its Regency-era glory, in a project that
employed 300 craftsmen and used more than 42,000 sheets of hand-painted gold
leaf. Given that T+L’s readers voted it their favorite London hotel for 2018,
the effort clearly paid off.”
THE PRESIDENTIAL
SUITE
With views of
Wellington Arch, The Presidential Suite can be configured for up to five
bedrooms and ranges between 1,755 sq. feet and 3,908 sq. ft. with the
possibility to sleep up to 14. With full and separate living room and dining
room, it is perfect for entertaining or business meetings that need to be
conducted with privacy. The Master Bedroom has a four-poster bed, walk-in
closet and a grand, lavish bathroom. A dedicated kitchen area provides separate
entrance for the butler, who is available
around the clock. For guests booking the entire suite, one of the hotel’s fleet
of chauffeur-driven cars is available as a complimentary service. For more suites, click here.