Le Meurice review: the 'Versailles of today'

Pitched prominently on the famed Rue de Rivoli in the heart of Paris, Le Meurice is the ultimate destination for those who like their opulence dialled right up to eleven. 

Established in 1835, the Dorchester Collection hotel offers exactly this, radiating an air of unadulterated luxury and grandeur. Everywhere you look the sumptuousness is extreme, from the décor to the food to the rooms, making you feel as though you have been granted entry to a palace and regardless of the level of finery you have arrived in, also that you might be slightly underdressed for the occasion.

Why stay here?

The hotel sits right smack bang next to the Tuileries Garden, with the Louvre Museum just a stone's throw away and the Eiffel Tower just off in the distance. But even though you are deep in the centre of this grand old city, with tourists milling frantically all around, Le Meurice feels like an unexpected oasis from all that bustling energy outside.

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It is this discreet allure, amid the madding crowds, that has attracted the high and mighty since the hotel flung open its doors in 1835. Here you are at one with Paris, but you are also floating just above it, as a monarch might, greeting the crowds from their balcony (though this is a country, of course, that celebrates guillotining its king, so do bear that in mind when you arrive). 

Once you have checked in and flung open your own windows, that feeling becomes all too literal. Many of the rooms face directly onto the street, giving you a commanding view out towards the Seine and beyond. But the most charming thing about Le Meurice is that it offers a direct historical link back through the Belle Epoque and beyond while also projecting forward to the Paris of the future. A stay within these walls is an immersion into France's most gilded bygone eras, but with bold modern twists.

Rooms and suites

Le Meurice's rooms have long taken inspiration from the grandeur of Louis XIV's celebrated Palace of Versailles. Consequently, even the word "room" doesn't really seem sufficient for the lodgings within. Even at the most affordable level, these are massive suites, multi-room chambers and even self-contained apartments. Currently in the process of being renovated, those that have been made over skate a fine line between classicism and modernity with remarkable grace, under the watchful eye of two young designers, Margaux Lally and Luc Berger, who between them have come up with the new design. 

And their theme? Interior design studio Lally & Berger has chosen the "Versailles of today", which, to them, means deploying the finest traditional French craftsmanship, including bespoke furniture and wallpaper, but with contemporary tweaks and technologies. To this end, the rooms are all fitted with tablets that allow you to order whatever you need to your room or book a spa treatment with a few swipes. 

But the real star of the show remains the astonishing views out across Paris. Lean out your window in the street-facing rooms and you feel as though you can trace your fingertips along the banks of the Seine, touching the Musée d'Orsay, Place de la Concorde and the Arc de Triomphe as you go. 

In terms of the accommodation on offer, the gem in the crown is unquestionably the astonishing "Belle Etoile Suite", which takes up the entire top floor of the hotel and includes four bedrooms, Italian marble bathrooms, a Jacuzzi overlooking Montmartre (because why not?), a vast space for entertaining, and a private terrace which offers panoramic vistas across the whole city. If you have money to burn, almost all ways of immolating your cash would be worse than a night in this entirely refurbished and now faintly astonishing room. 

Eating and drinking

Many visitors come to Paris in search of the very best food on the planet. After all, the Michelin Guide itself originated in France and no city in Europe has more Michelin stars than the French capital. 

And if you have come here for fine French food, there is no need to even step outside the front door of Le Meurice. The "culinary journey" that is being "curated" by acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse in the hotel's main restaurant is a true celebration of the country's best cuisine, reinterpreted through the chef's own ingenious lens. A meal at the two-star Restaurant le Meurice Alain Ducasse is a sequence of meticulous compositions – this is unselfconsciously haute cuisine, so prepare yourself for full Gallic razzle dazzle. 

In contrast, Restaurant Le Dalí offers a more relaxed experience – even though it sits beneath the most fantastical canvass imaginable, a hand-painted ceiling created by artist Ara Starck, daughter of Philippe Starck. The food is understated classics exceptionally rendered, with the option of local cheeses and some more trompe l'oeil Cédric Grolet delights to finish off. The restaurant also practises a farm-to-fork philosophy, promising that at least 95% of its ingredients are sourced from our local suppliers, which is nice. 

Bar 228 next door is all dark wood and leather. Truly the armchairs look as though they could swallow you whole. As compared with the light open spaces of the hotel's two restaurants, the bar feels intimate and enclosed. A great spot to unwind with a flute of champagne and feel as though you have just sealed a deal to become the new face of some major fashion house.

Things to do

Le Meurice's location puts you right in the middle of most of Paris's most notable spots. A short walk brings you to the front door of the Louvre – one of the world's hotspots for artistic treasures, not to mention one of the world's truly great collections of pilfered relics. Thanks in large part to Napoleon Bonaparte who, as he crossed Italy in 1796, seized works by Antonio da Correggio, Raphael, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and more. So, you know, at least he had a good eye for art.

The Seine River, just a stone's throw away, offers leisurely cruises daily, so you don't even need to use your feet to see the city's landmarks, which unfold along the river's banks. The Tuileries Garden, right out the front of the hotel, is one of those city parks that feels like the soul of the city. Everywhere you look there are locals, jogging, playing boules, having impromptu parties or pulling up the moveable public chairs to admire this fountain or that sculpture. 

And if you happen to have brought your bow tie and designer jewels with you, a performance at the Opéra Garnier is just a short distance away. Lavish architecture, world-class performances, what's not to like?

The verdict 

Le Meurice is more than just a place to rest your head; it's the embodiment of the city's ebullient history of luxury and excess, with a very well observed mixture of tradition and modernity. The palatial interiors, strategic location, and the commitment to gastronomic excellence make it pretty hard to fault, though obviously all this magnificence comes with a hefty price tag. But there are plenty of hotels that offer expensive luxury, just most of them don't come close to Le Meurice's effortlessness and grace. 

Arion McNicoll was a guest of Le Meurice and the Dorchester Collection. Double rooms start from €860 (£744/$906) per night in low season; and from €1,100 (£952/$1,159) in high season. 228 Rue de Rivoli, Paris, 75001, France; dorchestercollection.com 

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