Hôtel Recamier

If there’s a common thread that runs through most of Paris’s big-name hotels it’s this: whether they’re centuries-old grand hotels or cutting-edge design experiments, they tend to announce themselves with some fanfare. For that reason we’re always partial to the soft-spoken, to Parisian hotels that buck the trend by providing a place to hide away, rather than a place to be seen — hotels like the newly renovated and revamped Hotel Recamier.

It’s located on the scenic Place St. Sulpice, one of the most pleasant areas on the Left Bank, right in the heart of St. Germain des Prés, home to a charming old church as well as a smattering of luxury brands. And the new Recamier is suitably small and intimate, to suit the neighborhood — there’s very little in the way of public space, and never a crowd in the lobby: just a breakfast room, a terrace, and 24 stylish, redesigned guest rooms.

There’s a different, subtle theme to each floor, from a modern monochrome look to an earthier, African-inflected style. All rooms, on any floor, are crisp, contemporary in an understated way, and above all exceedingly private — a feeling of seclusion is rare in Paris, and worth seizing when it presents itself. To that end there's no space wasted on a restaurant; the usual advice about the impossibility of going hungry in Paris applies here as well.

Please note: For selected weekends throughout the year, the hotel has a two- or three-night minimum stay requirement.