Le Royal Monceau Raffles Hotel, Paris, France

The Le Royal Monceau Raffles Hotel in Paris is situated on Avenue Hoche, in the heart of the famous Golden Triangle, minutes away from the Champs-Elysees and Arc de Triomphe.  

Built in 1928 and one of Paris' venerable properties, the Le Royal Monceau recently underwent a huge 500 million Euro renovation and was re-opened in October 2010 by Raffles Hotels and Resorts.   Philippe Starck, reknown for his unique and imaginative designs and concepts, was commission to do the designing and it was renovated in the spirit of the 1930's.  

The hotel boasts a contemporary art gallery, a bookstore, a 99-seat cinema (with oversized chairs that resemble air plane seats - in true Philippe Stark fashion, 98 of these seats are grey and one is red), a cigar bar, an art concierge and the largest pool in Paris. With the renovation, the Le Royal Monceau is now on the same playing field as The Ritz, The Crillon and the Meurice Hotels in Paris.

This whole hotel is a work of art and Philippe Starck has done a wonderful job of fusing the old with the new.  The impression is that every piece of furniture, every material used, every decorative item and everything that was put into the hotel, was selected with much thought and consideration, without cost being a factor.  

The doormen at the Le Royal Monceau come adorned with tail coats and top hats, right from Ascot!

Not everything in the hotel is new and one of the things that Philippe Starck kept, was the antique collection of chandeliers that were all over the hotel.  He then gathered these chandeliers and put them together in a cluster, creating a stunning source of magnificent light and crystals that dazzles the ground floor.  

Some of the original building was kept in tact - in particular the brick wall near the staircase that was uncovered under layers of false walls during the renovation.  The was a wonderful discovery and really gives character to this part of the building.  The stained glass windows are also a nice touch and the light from these windows showcases the beautiful old bricks.  

Wooden animals at the base of the staircase provide a touch of nature in the hotel.

The hallways to the rooms are very modern with lots of stripes.

Studio Room

Designed with an artist's studio in mind, our room was gorgeous.  There were details everywhere!  From the acoustic guitar (a standard feature in every room), to the painted door, to the written anecdotes on the lampshades, to the unusual flower vase on the wall, to the white stone-topped oval table, to the map of Paris (under the glass top of the desk) with anecdotes of must-see places in Paris highlighted by Philippe Starck himself, to the beautiful glass light fixtures from Murano, to the large mirror that also served as the television.  Everything was to marvel at!  Even the placement of the furniture was interesting, with the bed in the middle of the room.  

To match our gorgeous room, the bathroom was equally spectacular and four times the size of our bathroom at home.  The white-on-white design with stainless steel fittings and mirrors all around (with the exception of a large window that allowed a lot of natural light in) was breathtaking.  There was a huge bathtub, a rain shower, his-and-her basins and a separate toilet stall.    

Our room had a lovely view overlooking the inner courtyard with a small garden.  

We had a wonderful 6-night stay here and we were very grateful for the opportunity to experience this level of luxury.

Some nice touches

The hotel provided some nice treats that we were not expecting.  We arrived in Paris very early in the morning and when we got to our room there was coffee, fruit and freshly baked croissants and cakes waiting for us.  

Then on David's actual birthday, a cake was delivered to the room.  We still aren't quite sure how they found out it was David's birthday, but we were obviously very appreciative of the kind gesture.  The cake itself was delicious - chocolate with raspberries and macarons.  

David's birthday macaron

Not knowing that the hotel would be delivering a cake, I bought David a giant macaron for his birthday from a beautiful bakery which had an array of different flavours.  Needless to say, we enjoyed the chocolate cake and macarons over a few days, as there was way too much sugar for one night.  Our healthy eating went out of the window for those few days.

The lobby lounge with a dazzling bar
The lobby lounge is filled with chairs and tables, accented with flowing curtains that give a feel of intimacy.  Philippe Starck has included one of his favourites - a huge communal table (that can accommodate up to 16 people) that is adjacent to the gorgeous bar.  

Inner courtyard with the pool below
The pool itself is 85 foot long and is the largest ever created in any Parisian palace.  Unfortunately on the day we visited the pool to take photos, there was someone very important using the facilities, so we were asked not the take any photos.  All we can say is that the pool area is a stunning white paradise, that offers a peaceful retreat for anyone visiting.

Tour 

One of the benefits of working for the hotel is that you get to see more than most guests.  David got a tour of the hotel, which included a look at some of the other rooms and suites.  Needless to say, they did not disappoint.  All are very luxurious and beautifully decorated. 

Restaurants

The hotel has two restaurants, a contemporary French restaurant called La Cuisine and an Italian restaurant called Il Carpaccio.  We had dinner at La Cuisine the first night we were there and the food was amazing (unfortunately we didn't have our camera with us).  The restaurant itself was also a work of art and just gorgeous.  Philippe Starck commissioned  a group of contemporary artists to hand paint porcelain plates and these are displayed on one side of the restaurant in tall vitrines.  The walls are adorned with photographs and prints that Philippe Starck personally selected and there is nothing common about the displays.  The ceiling was one of the most impressive features of the restaurant.  Artist Stephane Calais was commissioned to work on the La Cuisine's ceiling and he took it from a stark white canvas, to something that resembles a piece of modern art with colourful geometric shapes of all sizes.  

On our last day in Paris, we had lunch at Il Carpaccio.  Like La Cuisine, this restaurant is also a work of art, although a little more understated.  Designed as part grotto, part solarium, there are seashells embedded in all the walls, the ceiling and the chandelier.  The seashells create a stunning effect, especially when in a cluster.  The food was also excellent at this restaurant, David had risotto and I had a vegetarian lasagna.  The meal was a great way to end our stay at this spectacular hotel.