jctrav

I used OneFineStay in Paris once and had a great experience. The location and large 3 bedroom apartment were perfect since it was a family stay, and much more than we could have got in a hotel unless we were to spend considerably more. I really prefer it to Airbnb - you won't have someone cancel on you last minute, they have a staff member meet you at the apartment so you don't have to worry about crazy instructions/keys not being where they're supposed to, very responsive service pre and during stay, etc.

They have a few nice added touches too, like stocking the kitchen with basic goods and anything you might want if you pre-order it, nice toiletries, etc.

chinmoylad

AirBnB do now own Luxury Retreats but AirBnB itself is still very much a gamble in terms of selecting properties. Haven't seen La Reserve on Luxury Retreats though (and I don't check AirBnB often enough to have noticed it there).

OneFineStay's properties are much better curated and vetted. It's also Virtuoso.

Of course you get the occasional stunning property on AirBnB too but I'd say the average property on OFS is several notches above. OFS just needs to expand their footprint to various cities...

scented

My first impression of the RW Crillon.... wow! Truly stunning... will comment more in depth soon.

offerendum

Not directly Paris but did a report of Auberge du Jeu de Paume Chantilly.
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/28963662-post2.html
Good option outside Paris.

Will post my report of Shangri-La soon.

DSI

I'm curious to hear your thoughts. We did a 30 minute tour and saw a few rooms of Crillion.

I'm still not convinced that the Paris luxury offerings are in the hotels as much as Airbnb, but perhaps I was just totally underwhelmed at the MO.

I have now seen or stayed at almost all of the 5* hotels in Paris and the only thing I really, really liked was the elevator at Le Bristol. None of the breakfasts or coffee is as good as what a good cafe has and they are all small, and I don't see myself springing for a presidential suite anytime soon.

Maybe it's Onefinestay for me next time?

DavidO

My daughter stayed in a One Fine Stay apartment. I wouldn’t call her apartment luxurious, but it had a great location and attractive price ... if you bring 3* expectations, you’d be satisfied.

Obviously they have higher-end, more expensive apartments.

Here’s her review: http://travelhorizons.ourismantravel...ndeed.html?m=1

bhrubin

We used points and had a wonderful stay at the Prince de Galles for free. The breakfast was fine. The bar and restaurant were fabulous. I prefer the Vendome area (and have stayed often at the Westin Vendome and Park Hyatt) but much preferred the Prince de Galles as a hotel.

We visited the Crillon and that's the one (and just about only) Palace hotel where we'd most likely spend money to stay. We loved the new design. We loved the rooms and suites. We liked the bar. We love the location.

We visited the Peninsula and had an amazing lunch at its L'Oiseau Blanc restaurant. We love the room and suites even though they don't quite remind us we're in Paris. But we loved the Crillon and its location more.

We did love that Le Bristol elevator. But we'd never stay there.

I want a proper hotel. I want/demand excellent air con. I want top drawer service. I want 24/7 room service. I usually prefer a sense of place--but depending on what I'm paying, I can sacrifice that to save money. AirBnB is a wonderful option for others, but it just won't cut it for us in most circumstances we can imagine. Heck, just the thought of relying on a private apartment/home's air con terrifies me to my very core.

MikeFromTokyo

I can’t imagine ever staying in an “Airbnb” as I too need a proper hotel with all of the services. Spa, in room dining, restaurants, bars, concierge etc... And I have friends who have had bad experiences with airbnb.

While I am tempted by Hotel de Crillon, I have actually decided never to stay anywhere other than le Bristol any longer. The service blows me away, and I actually love the decor and the design of the hotel.

Loyalty also of course pays off. So I find that if one hotel suits me perfectly, staying there every time results in even better service and room allocation/upgrades.

I still like to dine at various other hotels when in a city like Paris. That allows one to experience other properties even without staying.

I look forward to a meal at l’Oiseau Blanc, based on many recommendations, but cannot ever imagine paying to stay there when I have easy access to the best Peninsula properties much closer to home. The same goes for MO Paris, in my opinion.

chinmoylad

Have you visited La Reserve yet?

vuittonsofstyle

IMHO, the best breakfast in Paris is at la Réserve - à la carte and with an incredible tasting menu which is gluten & dairy-free, but quite delicious. It is one of the few city hotels that actually thinks creatively about breakfast.

bhrubin

This is an oxymoron to me. I'm so scared.

jmann2380

This thread has been very helpful in planning my wife's 30th birthday trip to Paris. A dream of hers! Going to be tough to top our Honeymoon trip this past May to the Aman's in Bali but I'm trying.

So far we have (4) nights at the Park Hyatt with free nights, but paid the difference to upgrade to a Park Deluxe Suite. Then a train to St Emilion for (2) nights at the Hostellerie De Plaisance in a Panoramic Deluxe Room. Final (3) nights are back in Paris and we splurged on La Reserve after an excogitating and exhaustive search. Booked the Premier Junior Suite for the view and have been ensured by @chinmoylad that we will be in for a surprise on arrival.

We are very excited for La Reserve. We wanted something intimate but authentic and really wanted an amazing view our last nights in Paris. We loved the Aman experience, especially Amankila and are hoping this will be as close as we can while visiting Paris.

I'll be sure to post our thoughts after our trip; it's only a little over 3 weeks away.

bhrubin

Fabulous! Let me also tell you now how wonderful the Hostellerie de Plaisance will be. My TripAdvisor review from 2011:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...Aquitaine.html

Their concierge also assisted us in securing visits and tastings at many of the famous Chateau and estates in the region.

You will love it. Can't wait to hear all about it afterward.

offerendum

I choosed the Hotel because it had a very good offer. They grant a guaranteed upgrade from a Premium Room (1100 € at time of booking) to a Deluxe Suite (1600 € at time of booking). Combined wit a 3 for 2 Promotion a paid around 730 € per night in a Deluxe Suite including breakfast. Good price for Paris.

The hotel is the transformed palace of a member of the Napoleon-family. So it´s not wrong to call it „palace-hotel“ as you can see from outside.




By the way some words about location. Absolutely perfect if you like to visit Eiffeltower or the great Musée Guimet. Otherwise there is not much in the direct nighborhood, most sights require a taxi. A metro-station is right in front of the hotel, but it´s not my cup of tea.

The Lobby is not very big but also historic and with a lot of marble.



Concierge desk:


Lounge-detail


Staircase


The first floor is home of some historic rooms:





The hotel offers also a small garden:




We were told the hotel is famous for its Eiffeltower-views (I knew before…) and asked if we wonna see a suite with such a view. They showed us a Duplex-Suite with view.




My company wasn´t impressed by the room layout and found it relative small. Indeed I was also surprised that it should be 20 sqm bigger compared to our Deluxe Suite. Bathroom and closet were the same as in the Deluxe Suite. I asked how much the extra charge would be per night, it was 800 €. Is it worth it? Don´t think so. I denined and took the Deluxe Suite.

Our Deluxe Suite was in the 5th floor and from the window in front of it you also had a nice view:



The living room was relative small as the entrance and guest-toilet.





Welcome treat (Champagner isn´t so interesting form e)


The bedroom was similar to the bigger guest-rooms and good sized. The bed was comfy.



Between bathroom and bedroom was the closet


Bathroom was classical with TV (no programs) in the mirror, separte toilet, 2 sinks and shower. Only problem was, that the water at sinks and shower needed very long to get warm.




The suite offered also 2 balconies




One word about valet parking. First 40 € per night in Paris seems to be relative reasonable. But you have to know they don´t have a garage and simply park your car in front of the hotel were it stands all the time. One evening we came back and I mentioned my car wasn´t locked. I don´t know what others think, but in my little word you lock cars, especially if they aren´t yours. So I talked very friendly to the doormen that „I prefer my car locked“ and asked him please to do it. 30 minutes later I had a look from the balcony and it was still open. OK, perhaps he thought I did a joke. So I called Concierge but got the Service Center. This is a really weak point of the hotel as they alsways try to connect you. I experienced better in the past. I told her my story and she said she would connect me to the doormen. Unfortunately she wasn´t able to arrive him. She offered me he could tell him to call me back. I denined as I wanted to take a bath and asked her simply to tell him to lock my car. She completely ignored my request and said again the doormen would call me back. I thought I didn´t hear correctly. I told her now in a clear voice that I don´t need a call, she should simply tell him to lock my car, it can´t be so difficult. After a few minutes the car was indeed locked. Fortunately this was the only service-problem.

The hotel also has a very nice SPA were they offer some dried fruits.


The pool is beautiful done and while it has no whirlpool and the water is not really warm, you can take a relaxing time.


First morning we took breakfast during roomservice. Of course it was included, otherwise you pay 68 € for the American breakfast. Really a proud prize:





Breakfast at the main-restaurant is offered as a buffet at 58 € per person. Also one of the more expencive offerings I know. The buffet has very few choices (3 dim sum, 3 kinds of chees, some bread, fruits, salmon) and you can order eggs. At 116 € for 2 persons simply a bad joke…..






P.S. Only the table with the fruits and cereals isn´t on the pictures…..

In the evening we got always some cookies or Madelains – nice. They also gave us fruits.



Nice birthday-cake


I tried all 3 Restaurants. I will post detailed reports later.

The Shangri-La is surely a nice hotels and the place to be if you are after views. Also it´s a nice historic building. As you can expect in Paris every extra is totally overpriced and breakfast is mediocre for a 5 star hotel and a shame for 58 €. Location is far from perfect for sightseeing but still not bad. If the price is attractive I would stay again even if I´m not in love after my stay.

bhrubin

Thanks, @offerendum, for the wonderful review.

The Shangri-La isn't that far from the Ave George V where the FSGV and PdG are located or from the area by the Peninsula. So anyone considering those potentially could consider the Shangri-La if those views are of importance.

The price you got for your suite was pretty good for Paris. Well done!