Castille Paris

It doesn’t get much more central than this for a Parisian hotel, around the corner from the Ritz, just off the Jardin des Tuileries, the Champs-Elysées, and everything that’s anything on the Right Bank, big and small — including Coco Chanel’s original atelier, which is still right next door. The setting is right for a classically Parisian hospitality experience, and the Castille doesn’t disappoint on that score.

We don’t mean “classically Parisian” as a euphemism for something like “cramped and frilly” — the Castille’s rooms are generous in size, and after a 2005 refurbishment there’s a clean contemporary edge to the décor, a certain simplicity which complements the patterned textiles, the 18th- and 19th-century artworks, the marble baths and the historic black-and-white photos of the city.

The restaurant, L’Assaggio, gives a focal point to the subtle Venetian influences that run through the Castille, and centers around a patio which offers sheltered al fresco dining in the summer months. There’s a fitness center and a bit of meeting and events space as well — the Castille isn’t quite a fortress, but it’s more self-contained than many Parisian hotels. Add the many charms of its privileged location and it’s hard to think of anything that’s missing.