Paris – Hotel Esprit Saint Germain

This is part one of my series in Paris and Budapest. For the remainder of the series, please see below.

Paris – Hotel Esprit Saint Germain
Paris – The Marais, Le Bon Marche, Le Comptoir du Relais
Paris – St. Germain, Hermes, L’Avant Comptoir
Budapest – Four Seasons Gresham Palace
Budapest – Andrassy Avenue, Onyx
Budapest – Taste Hungary
Budapest- Christmas Markets, Bock Bistro

Today I wanted to start sharing with you some of our trip to Paris and Budapest a few weeks ago. I loved our time in each of these cities…even if it seems as if the cold has followed us home to California! Our first stop was Paris, which is where I’ll be starting as well, with a hotel review.

While we were in Paris, we stayed for the first time (for me) on the Left Bank – specifically in the 6th arrondissement, in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. I loved the area and in the future, would return to stay either in the same area.

Our hotel was one that came highly recommended by a few friends- the Hotel Esprit Saint Germain. There are only a few five star hotels in the area (and almost none of the “big” brands, like Four Seasons or Mandarin), and Esprit is one of them (another famous one would be Relais Christine). Esprit Saint Germain was located in a lovely little neighborhood, right next to Maje and a few minutes walk from Pierre Herme.

One of our favorite aspects of the hotel, and why we ultimately decided to stay, was its concept of a “home away from home”  – complete with a cozy dining room, sitting area and complimentary drinks and snacks all around the clock. As someone who has in the past experienced the frustration of returning to my hotel, only to be told at the bar that a simple Coca Cola was a staggering 12 euro (I’m looking at you, Le Meurice), I was very happy with the idea of complimentary drinks around the clock, with several lovely rooms to choose from.

The beautiful seating area, with a fireplace and comfortable chairs so you could sit and chat with friends and family for as long as you wanted. It was never crowded.

Loved the details of various leopards, including these pillows!

Across from the living room was the dining area, where we had breakfast each morning.

Each morning there was a small but varied breakfast buffet laid out, with cheeses, meats, cut fruit, yogurt, breads and pastries. You could also order hot cooked foods and we usually would add an omelette each morning (made with fresh organic eggs!).

As I mentioned earlier, we loved the concept of the complimentary bar and snacks, and we would frequently stop in to have an espresso, tea or champagne before heading out, and after dinner. On one evening, we even just brought in some casual sandwiches to eat and the staff gladly laid out some plates and napkins for us. On another evening, they made us fresh and delicious hot chocolate – Angelina’s couldn’t have done it better!

Apart from the eating area, there was also a small espresso/tea/water stand in the living room, as well as a complimentary mini bars in the rooms. Perfect for providing refreshments at any hour of the day and especially after a walk outside in the cold.

Our room was on the 5th floor – a Prestige level room, with a private terrace. It was very cozy and had the fantastic detail of a vaulted ceiling with wooden beams – very unique. Though our room wasn’t large, even with our luggage and shopping bags (that began to accumulate in greater quantity during our stay) strewn about we still had enough room to move around comfortably.

The bathroom had a full shower and dual sinks, and came with Etro bath amenities.

Our favorite part of the room though, was the private terrace that was immediately accessible through a set of glass doors.

The terrace was beautiful and had a small table with chairs. Even in the late November cold it was a beautiful place to take some coffee or tea, and I could imagine sitting out there for hours in the spring and fall.

The view was wonderful – overlooking the rooftops of Paris and the St Sulpice church.

So beautiful, and we loved stepping out each morning to enjoy the view.

Overall, I would recommend the Esprit Saint Germain and we really enjoyed our time there. Our favorite aspects were definitely the terrace, the beautiful living and dining rooms, and the concept of hospitality. It was such a convenience to not have to stop by for bottled water or coffee on the way home as we knew it was freely available in the hotel. Very unique, especially in Paris. The location was also fantastic.

If you are used to larger rooms in Paris, I would highly recommend booking at least the Prestige level accommodation or above (which would be the suites). Our Prestige level room was still a bit smaller than even the “normal” level rooms at Park Hyatt and George V that I had previously stayed in, so if you are accustomed to more space, I would definitely make sure to book the right room in advance, especially as rooms at the Esprit are limited and get booked up.

In my next travel post, I’ll be covering more of our time in Paris – thank you for reading along!