A weekend at La Reserve, Paris
Fabulously opulent, unapologetically glamorous and boasting a gastronomic dining experience to please even the fussiest epicurean (aka ME), La Reserve is synonymous with the City of Lights. If you’re looking for an antidote to the rest of Paris, rather than an extension of it, this stunning five-star favourite just off the Champs-Elysées will be right up your street.
No city in Europe has as much of a stirringly romantic atmosphere at nearly every luxury property you encounter than in Paris. So when the Michel Reybier hospitality group opened La Reserve in 2015 in this luxury-saturated city, many wondered what this new outpost could add to the already plentiful hotel mix. It turns out - a lot. The group’s portfolio is small but with a big reputation - often linked to its famous spa offering - and loyal following. There are currently five La Réserve properties - One in Switzerland, and four in France.
A fond favourite of the fashion jet set, La Réserve fills to the brim with the most trendy during the city’s fashion weeks in Autumn. The setting – in a cosy corner of the City’s most high-end district, opposite the Jardin des Champs-Elysées, a stone throw from the Grand Palais, and close to an array of other sites and shopping districts – the location could not be better.
Step past the elegant doormen, caps raised, through that bright red door, and into a lobby where gold gilt mirrors beam at you as you walk past, chandeliers suspended from the ceiling, and an utterly dreamy opulence hangs in the air. This place is Napoleon dynamite, a quintessential piece of Haussmannian Paris. The building’s history was built for the Duc de Morny in 1854, the year after Haussmann started taking the city down and putting it back up again. It is a nod to the Hauss-era - unobtrusive and smart on the outside, audacious on the inside. There are 26 suites and 14 standard rooms. The whole brims with a sense of place, weaving the capital’s rich artistic heritage into a background that is unashamedly luxurious.
Source: Condé Nast Traveler
Our Suite
Our room… our ROOM! Where does one begin? I was handed a card to the Presidential Suite upon checking in, and ushered upstairs by our two personal butlers (on duty around-the-clock, might I add). Despite the close proximity of the Marigny theatre to the hotel, the real show is here: each suite is an amazing stage where Parisian life is played out in every detail of the suite. We were given a tour of the gargantuan apartment, to the walk-in wardrobe (which also had a fully-kitted weights set), separate en-suite toilet, bedroom, and main living room.
Think deep velvet interiors, soft rugs, silk throws, damascene brocade and floral banquets. The room is also adorned with handpicked antiques (a touch I loved), a private bar, herringbone-patterned wooden flooring, a spacious boudoir dressing room… and my favourite bit. A wine fridge stocked full of Grand Cru wines and champagne. Result.
The bar also comes with a fabulous range of cocktail ingredients and crockery - so you can have it shaken, stirred, or both right in the comfort of your own bedroom. Also being a crockery weirdo, I did have a nosy at the wine glass brand. Riedel - another tick.
A nespresso machine is also included, fully kitted with premium capsules and dainty cups to enjoy on the balcony with, THAT view.
A 5* welcome wagon
The epic Carrara and Turquin blue marble bathroom comes fully fitted with a round top bathtub, an Italian-style shower as well as his and hers vanity sinks. Amenities are Reybier own-brand, which quickly found their way into my bag.
From the higher floors, enjoy the perfect view point to experience the repertoire of the most famous Parisian landmarks: the Eiffel Tower, the Grand Palais glass roof, the spires of Notre-Dame in the distance - these views are paramount along the balcony that borders the entire suite.
Facilities
The facilities are substantial, given the intimate size of the hotel: there's a 52-foot lap pool, a gym with personal trainer options, and a spa offering treatments using Nescens-Swiss products. The stunning Duc de Mornay Library - exclusive to hotel guests in the morning - houses 3,000 books and comes with a cigar lounge for those wanting civilised conversation and a night cap in the later hours.
Source: Condé Nast Traveler
Dining
The hotel offers an array of splendid dining options, most notable being two-Michelin-star Le Gabriel by Jérôme Banctel, and the more casual La Pagode de Cos. Le Gabriel interprets classic French fine dining with influences around the world, whilst La Pagode de Cos, also helmed by Jérôme, reinvents classic French favourites. You can enjoy the latter in the hotel’s idyllic courtyard or in the grandeur dining room - both are terrific.
Dinner at La Pagode de Cos
Dinner at La Pagode de Cos
Breakfast at La Pagode de Cos
Breakfast at La Reserve is served either in the comfort of your own suite, or downstairs at La Pagode de Cos. Being one to enjoy people watching whilst I have my morning coffee, we opted to have our dejeuner in the restaurant. Options range from an American, European, or Continental breakfast. All come with a fabulous French coffee and a big pastry basket, obviously.
Thoughts
La Reserve is very much the city’s happy place - and now it is mine too. With all the luxurious benefits of a larger hotel, but the personable feeling of staying in a private maison, this is a place you'll want to come back to again and again. The service is warm and genuine, two words not usually used to describe Parisian hospitality. It really was an exceptional stay, and genuinely intend to stay at this gem of a property every time I visit the City of Lights from now onwards.
Thank you to Laura, Sophie and the entire La Reserve team for making my stay so memorable.
Address: 42 Av. Gabriel, 75008 Paris, France
Book your stay HERE.