A small, secret and stylish boutique which is a discreet sanctuary from the excitement of Paris
Ssssshhhhhh can you keep a secret? We want to let you in on a hush-hush boutique hotel that prides itself on its anonymity – and for good reason too.
The world is full of secretive places and in the hotel business, secret usually means ultra -luxurious. Hotels like this are hard to find (for obvious reasons) and it’s their confidentially that is part of the allure – and the reason why they can charge so much. Unfortunately, like most mere mortals, we can’t keep a secret for long and we just had to reveal one of our favourite hotels in Paris. This hotel prides itself as being the ‘ultimate secret’ in the boutique hotel business, known to insiders alone. Say Bonjour to Hotel Dupond-Smith.
IDEA
The concept behind this hotel is to offer a tailor-made stay in the lap of luxury, where all the wishes of guests are met.
LOCATION
Whether it’s fashion, culture,food or even hotels, Paris certainly lives up to its trend-setting reputation. The super trendy Hotel Dupond-Smith can be found tucked away on the cobbled streets of Le Marais, which is one of the most stylish districts and arguably one of the best places to stay in Paris.
Often referred to as “Old Paris” this district feels anything but old and is undoubtedly one of the most ‘hip’ neighbourhoods in Paris. Brimming and buzzing with activity, Le Marais is an inexhaustible maze of crooked lanes and cobbled streets, boasting trendy boutiques, lively bars, cafes, restaurants and art galleries galore that cater to even the most exacting tastes. However, as stylish and vibrant as Le Marais is, it manages to maintain a laid back attitude that makes all visitors feel welcome – in other words if you’re not trendy, don’t worry as you won’t stick out like a sore thumb.
STYLE & ATMOSPHERE
Occupying a typical 17th-century Parisian townhouse, Hotel Dupond-Smith sits quietly on a side street. If you were to walk past the outside of the hotel, you wouldn’t blink twice as apart from a small plaque on the wall, it’s almost featureless. However behind the doors of number 2 rue des Guillemites lies a luxury hotel that is a cut above all the rest. The inconspicuous façade of the hotel only adds to its secretive feel, emulating the exclusivity of a members club. On the inside, the hotel is a haven of refinement and although we hate to use such a clichéd term, it feels like ‘a quiet sanctuary amongst the bustling rues and avenues of Paris’.
From the moment you arrive, you already know that your stay will be a good experience. The lobby of the hotel is exceedingly clean, comfortable and well-appointed. The delightful receptionists have a great command of English (handy if your French is a little rusty) and being such a small hotel with a grand total of 8 rooms, they know who you are which makes you feel instantly important – something that you will never get in a big hotel. The friendly, welcoming staff are happy to help answer any questions you have about Paris without making you feel like a burden. They will even book you a table for dinner and suggest the best things for you to do in the area – who needs a travel book when you can get a first-hand insider’s guide to the city?
The décor of the hotel is a strange amalgam of styles. In the lobby the art work on the walls looks slightly oriental. The whitewashed walls wouldn’t look out of place in a Scandinavian home. Lamps hanging from the ceiling are vaguely similar to modern Chinese lanterns and there is an accord of taste and quality that gives it a French air. However, it’s the combination of beautifully designed furniture and expensive materials that fuses the hotels different styles together and it’s this creative flair that gives the hotel a luxurious feel without being ostentatious. This is a hotel that is fashionable, but with an atmosphere that is more secret hideaway than show off.
ROOMS
Rooms at the Dupond-Smith are everything that you expect a luxury boutique hotel room to be and more. Imagine a small, elegant luxury hotel apartment (minus a fully functioning kitchen) with comfortable furnishings, high quality fabrics and designer furniture and you will begin to get an idea of what the rooms are like. Like many boutique hotels, Dupond-Smith enlisted the help of some leading architects to design the rooms (Anne Peyroux and Emmanuèle Thisy in this case) and given the meticulous attention to detail and the comfortable yet elegant interiors of all the rooms, this was a wise choice indeed. Everything in the rooms scream quality and even the curtains, which are often an overlooked element, have been thoughtfully selected for each room.
Playing on the hotel’s conspicuous nature, the rooms are named after famous aliases and ‘noms de plume’ such as Alan B. Smithee, James Jewels and Mojo Risin, giving a playful identity to the hotel. They are fitted with all the amenities that you could wish for. If you’re gasping for a coffee after a day of exploring, then the Nespresso machine in each suite will give you your caffeine fix. The mini bar is fully stocked and the bathroom has lavish offerings of Diptyque products. The towels are as plush as puffy clouds and the bathrobes are made of supreme quality cotton. One of our favourite things about the rooms are the modern and luxurious free standing bath tubs. You’ll want to just dim the lights, fill the bath with bubbles and hang the ‘Do not Disturb sign’ on the door as soon as you arrive. Oh- and the beds are ridiculously comfy as well!
Some of the private suites offer the additional surprise of a balcony overlooking the rooftops, However, it’s not quite the balcony that Carrie Bradshaw has in “Sex and the City” – the one where the view of the Eiffel tower is so amazing that she squeals and jumps up and down for joy. Nonetheless, although you don’t get much of a view from the hotel as it’s not in prime sightseeing territory (the real attraction here is the copious options of good places to eat and drink nearby) the balconies are still absolutely lovely and the perfect place to sip champagne in Paris.
FOOD
A buffet breakfast is served downstairs all day until 4pm and is a delicious and impeccably neat affair. We realise that neat isn’t often a term used when describing a breakfast buffet as often they are a free-for-all. However, at The Dupond-Smith, every croissant, muffin and fruit bowl is carefully placed on the sides with the utmost care. In fact, the presentation of the buffet is so well done that you feel a little bad about messing up the painstakingly arranged display. And if you want to lie in (after all you are on holiday) you can arrange to have a breakfast tray brought to your room.
There is no restaurant on site but who cares? You’re in Paris, the home of some of the world’s very best restaurants. If you’re looking to eat locally then you don’t have to wander far from the hotel as Le Marais has a generous peppering of restaurants and you’ll soon spot many contenders – the hard part is not finding somewhere to eat, it’s choosing where. If you’re after some traditional Parisian fare Café Louis Phillippe comes highly recommended and if you’re looking for good food, cocktails and a lively atmosphere then La Panfoulia is a trendy restaurant a mere stone’s throw away from the hotel.
WHY BOOK?
For the perfect Parisian hotel experience.
The Dupond-Smith is the Parisian hotel fantasy – a fabulous find with exclusively elegant suites, beautiful bathrooms and a healthy dose of je ne sais quoi, located in the heart of Paris’s oldest and most visually stunning quarter which happens to be just a hop, skip and a jump from wonderful restaurants, cafés and a Metro station that will take you anywhere in the capital.
IDEAL stayed as a guest of Dupond Smith. For more information and to book visit: hoteldupondsmith.com
