Le Boutique Hôtel

The phrase “design hotel” doesn’t mean quite the same thing in Bordeaux as it does in Berlin. The prevailing mood in this oenophile’s paradise is still a pretty traditional one — so when a hotel like Le Boutique promises design and luxury under one roof, it’s got a slightly bigger divide to span than the typical urban luxury boutique.

In fact Le Boutique has the matter of its immediate physical setting to contend with — namely an 18th-century townhouse that’s perfectly of a piece with Bordeaux’s 18th-century city center. The result, in the public spaces at least, is a rich blend of classic architecture, well-worn antiques, and mid-century furniture, an eclectic, visually stimulating mix.

Meanwhile it’s in the bedrooms that Le Boutique really flexes its design muscles. There’s nothing alienating, nothing severe, but it’s a look that would have been unthinkable in Bordeaux not all that many years ago. It’s a sort of well-accessorized minimalism — take a clean-lined canvas, add some distinctive design pieces and some thoughtful antique touches, and you’re in business. Add a wine bar, an absolute necessity in this of all cities, and you’ve got a perfect illustration of the boutique concept perfectly adapted to its setting. And don’t worry about the lack of a restaurant. What we say about Paris — that you won’t walk a block without passing some extraordinary eatery or another — goes double, or even triple, for Bordeaux.