Exploring Paris is sort of strange for me. You know when you grow up somewhere, you feel like you know the place intimately. I always like travelling with others when I go back to Paris, seeing it through their eyes brings back some of the enchantment of the place… As a native Parisian I sometimes find it hard to see the magic of Paris. To me it is a city where you can get your heart broken, fall hard and party harder, but it isn’t the magical place my international friends see. Of course, there is a certain romance in the air, when the night falls and the lights come out, when you walk down to the Seine and watch the Eiffel Tower glisten silently or when you climb onto a rooftop to take in the entire city, separated from its chaos.
This is how my stay at the Peninsula Paris started: perched on the roof of the hotel, at L’Oiseau Blanc, enjoying lunch in good company while admiring the Eiffel Tower and flocks of birds flying around it in ballet formation. I always feel a little lost when I stay in a Parisian palace as most of them are located West of the city, in an area I’ve never spent much time exploring, deeming it either too posh or too touristic. Sure, I know the area a little, having spent some evenings driving there on my Vespa in a contemplative mood, but I don’t know it as intimately as the rest of the city, so being there can sometimes be unsettling. It is home, but not really.
The Peninsula, with its gilded dining rooms and marble hallways did a good job at making me feel at home. Despite its grand architectural features, swanky corners and shiny surfaces, it truly felt like I had arrived home. Perhaps it was because of the friendly manner of the Peninsula staff, or because the atmosphere felt extremely serene, but being there felt great. “Well duh, you were in the five star hotel, of course it felt great!” I hear you say but I am going to stop you right here as I don’t feel at home in every palace I visit. Sometimes, I actually feel irrepressibly alien. Especially in Paris. There is definitely something in the air at the Peninsula Paris, I have been trying to put my finger on it, I can’t quite define it yet, but I will tell you this: when I arrived in my room, everything fell into place. I knew where I wanted to sit and write, I found my way to the window for a daydreaming session and as I sat in the bath reading the newspaper I forgot where I was for a second. This is true magic.
In room welcome treats
The view from L’Oiseau Blanc
Lunch at L’Oiseau Blanc
My room & room service
Around the hotel
Drinks in the yurt
Dinner at Lilli’s
Chocolate making workshop
Japanese Afternoon Tea in Le Lobby
The entrance on Avenue Kléber
Last but not least: a car from the hotel’s fleet. Sets the tone!
Mademoiselle Robot was a guest of the Peninsula Paris Hotel. With thanks to Eurostar for taking us to Paris in style.