Rue de Seine, a street of art galleries, antique dealers and cafés, is home to this small four-star hotel in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, on the Left Bank of Paris. The Louvre and the Luxembourg Gardens are each about ten minutes' walk away, and the metro is four minutes from the door, so this is a Paris you'll mostly explore on foot. Behind the bottle-green shopfront, the look is an English country cottage: sage-green panelling, terracotta floor tiles, rush-seat chairs, patterned fabrics and lamps instead of overhead lights. It feels more like a private house than a hotel. For a first visit to Paris, you could hardly be better placed.
Step inside, under window boxes spilling greenery down the cream stone façade, and the lounge feels like a friend's sitting room. Sage-green panelled walls rise from terracotta hexagonal tiles, potted palms fill the gaps, and a carved fireplace with barley-twist columns sits beneath a wooden chandelier with branching arms. Breakfast is laid out here on sprig-patterned china, with croissants and fresh orange juice. In the evening, the honesty bar offers bottled cocktails with names like English Garden, and the staff can arrange airport transfers or a private driver.
If you'd like to wake up to the church that gives Saint-Germain its name, ask for the Saint-Germain Suite, an attic room with a sloping ceiling, a leopard-print rug and an oxblood lacquered coffee table. The Balcony Suite has deep navy walls and a balcony over Rue de Seine big enough for breakfast, and the Terrace Suite opens onto the courtyard; all three have freestanding baths. The six Tradition rooms face the front through tall French windows, with paisley-print wallpaper or plain warm beige and a shower, and two can be joined for a family of four.
You step out of the front door straight into Saint-Germain, with Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots a few streets away and the Seine within easy reach.
For outdoor space away from the street, book the Terrace Suite. Its terrace sits on the inner courtyard, framed by apricot paintwork and pots of flowers.
No restaurant, just breakfast and an honesty bar in the lounge. It matters less here than in most places, because Saint-Germain's cafés and brasseries are a short walk away.
Start with a recommended trip or create one from scratch
Hotel Aubépine can be booked with Timbuktu as part of a tailor-made France trip, rather than as a standalone room reservation. Start online, customising one of our recommended France trips featuring Hotel Aubépine or get advice and suggestions from one of our France specialists who will design the trip around your dates, check availability and handle every booking for you.
Stays at Hotel Aubépine start from around $190, or US$190, per person per night as part of a tailor-made trip. The exact price depends on your travel dates, room type and the shape of the rest of your itinerary. A Timbuktu travel specialist can give you an accurate quote for your dates.
Postcard-perfect architecture, world-class food and wine and all that unapologetic, effortless glamour.
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