Travelog: Mandarin Oriental Paris

Last June 28, 2011, Mandarin Oriental Paris finally opened its doors to the City of Lights.

Beside the hotel, is DSquared2 and Ports!

Very strategically located too– it’s at the very heart of the upscale shopping district of Paris on rue Saint- Honoré, just minutes from Place Vendome and the Tuileries Gardens. Yes, we’re talking 1 minute walk to Gucci, Chopard, Bvlgari, Goyard, about 2 minutes from Colette, Miu Miu, and Chanel, and just about 5 minutes from the Hermes flagship store!

The Mandarin Oriental, Paris is an 8- storey hotel in a 1930s listed building with a beautifully landscaped garden indoor–

The outdoor garden just behind the lobby, accessible through glass doors

The lobby and the garden

I was impressed when I first walked into the hotel lobby. I love that this hotel has retained some kind of quaintness and familiarity, and is very east- meets- west. I think Parisian elegance married with Oriental refinement would accurately capture the overall feel of this hotel.

There are 138 well- appointed rooms and suites, and these rooms are quite possibly among the most spacious in Paris. The rooms were very impressive, averaging 40sqm in size.

The 39 suites include 7 duplex suites as well as a 350sqm.- sized suite, the Royale Mandarin. The suites are huuuuge! They even have a separate sitting room and some have their private terraces that overlook the indoor garden!

Your own terrace!!

Makes you want to jump right in!

Separate sitting room

Huge toilet! With bathtub 🙂

  And now, let’s talk restaurants! There’s Bar 8

That U shaped bar is made from a 9-ton single block of brown marble from Spain, if I remember correctly

Then there’s Sur Mesure par Thierry Marx (executive chef and F&B director), very intimate restaurant for 40 people

And then Camelia, which is an all- day French restaurant revisited by Thierry Marx

I love that the interiors remind me of camelia petals. It gives you that feeling that you’re dining inside a camelia bud!

I think one of the best features of Mandarin Oriental Paris is this: The Spa. This fills up 900sqm of space, on TWO levels…

Go through this sphere and you hear a gong, reminding you to leave all the tension and worries behind. As you enter the spa, you will instantly become at peace! I don’t know why but I got that feeling once I crossed the sphere 🙂 

And then of course, there’s nothing more impressive than an indoor pool in Paris!

14 meter long pool too! It’s NOT a kiddie pool for sure 🙂

One thing I noticed about the Mandarin Oriental Paris is the sufficient supply of natural light which makes the hotel very light and airy, almost- ethereal.  It is Paris’ oasis of gentle tranquility. So if you plan on heading to Paris for the first time and don’t really know where to stay, I highly recommend Mandarin Oriental Paris. Service is unparalleled, rooms are big and comfortable, and the hotel itself is right at the heart of where all the beautiful things (ahem: shopping) are 🙂

For more information about Mandarin Oriental Paris, visit www.mandarinoriental.com 🙂 Staying at the Mandarin Oriental will ensure that your visit to Paris is a relaxing and positively memorable one!

x
TheBagHag

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