Off Paris Seine

If you’ve ever felt that Paris could do a bit more with its river, OFF Paris Seine is the hotel for you. Occupying a gently bobbing twin-hulled barge moored to the Left Bank, alongside the Gare d’Austerlitz in the 13th Arrondissement, it’s certainly one of a kind — and while most cities could use a fresh perspective on the hospitality world, Paris in particular has been long in need of something new.

It’s partly intended as something of an advertisement for relieving excessive urban density through waterborne living, and in that respect it’s essential that OFF feels cozy rather than cramped. It’s also a partnership with the hotel group behind Paris’s Hotel Crayon, so there’s some tradional hospitality expertise at work as well. To put it simply: what could come off as little more than a novelty is instead a tasteful, stylish, and remarkably comfortable hotel. On the water.

The standard rooms make some concessions to the premium placed on space, but the suites very quickly spread out into proper luxury territory. The seafaring feeling is subtle — the Seine isn’t exactly a rushing rapid — but it’s present all the same, thanks to the low-angle views of the river and the gentle motion of the boat. It’s perhaps best experienced above decks — there’s a summer terrace with a plunge pool, as well as a bar that serves signature cocktails, wines, tapas, and local bistronomic dishes, while mingling with the locals, for whom the charmingly unique setting of OFF Paris Seine is a particularly attractive proposition.