Boscolo Lyon

You know we’re fans of small-scale boutique hospitality, but we’re not closed-minded about it — there’s a time and a place for a proper, full-scale luxury hotel. One of those places happens to be Lyon, specifically the Presqu’île, the narrow peninsula between the the Rhône and the Saône rivers, in the heart of one of France’s biggest cities. Here you’ll find the luxury hotel you’re looking for, with just a hint of a surprise: for within this heritage building, which is classically, unmistakably French, Boscolo Lyon’s interiors come with a subtle Italian accent.

It’s as much a matter of the approach as of the specific design choices — soft, organic colors and materials are part of it, but there’s also a sense that the Boscolo is untroubled by the lively contrasts of century-old architecture and up-to-the-moment furniture and interior design. There’s a certain minimalist precision to the rooms and suites, but in no way are they anything less than luxurious — visual discipline and tactile pleasure are by no means mutually exclusive. Angelo, the restaurant, is explicitly Italian, complete with fresh pasta and with mozzarella and olive oil imported from Italy. And nowhere is the dual French-Italian heritage more apparent than in the Grand Salon Sous Verrière, whose signature cocktail is a Champagne-based Campari spritz....