Paris in High Style

Just before I left Brussels, I asked the concierge at the Sofitel Le Louise to set up a spa appointment for me. Our next stop was a very elegant hotel in Paris, and I felt like I needed to freshen up my look. I stepped into a spa just across the street next to Cartier. Learning I was there for a manicure, the attendant looked at my travel-worn fingernails with their chipped polish. "Oooooh. Ooooooooh. I say no more," she intoned in accented English, and discreetly left the room. I knew I'd made a wise choice.

I was, after all, booked at Le Meurice in Paris that night. After a short (1 hour and 15 minutes) train ride using our Eurail passes, we took a cab to Le Meurice. Outside the stately building, doormen in top hats helped us with our suitcases into the sumptuous lobby, designed (as are all the interior spaces) by Philippe Starck, who drew inspiration from Salvador Dali. And what a neighborhood! Right across the street from the hotel were the Tulleries, and a few blocks down, the Louvre. Le Meurice is central to everything and quite delightfully Parisian.

• Review of Le Meurice
• Photos of Le Meurice
• Photos of Paris

^{Image of The Gastronomic Restaurant at Le Meurice in Paris courtesy Kayak}