In Paris, ENTREE discovered five-star luxury at the lovely Le Montalembert on the Left Bank.  Located in a Haussmann building circa 1926 in the, just a 10-minute walk from The Louvre, this intimate and fashionable hotel offers air-conditioned, sleek guestrooms and a top-notch restaurant and bar. The level of personal service is superior. No wonder we saw so many famous faces like Bella Hadid and Chiara Ferragni swooping in and out of the front door.

With a tucked away, discrete reception, the elegant Montalembert feels more like a private apartment building than a boutique hotel. It is polished and well-turned-out in a retro palette of navy and yellow, with beaucoup sleek wood and marble, and a few original features for that extra soupçon of charm. The hotel retains much of its Art Deco-era style. All 50 guest rooms were updated in 2017 with smart and chic decor, and some upper-level suites open to balconies with partial Eiffel Tower views. We especially like the updated, vintage cage lift.

Guest rooms and suites at Hotel Montalembert are stylish and truly express a Parisian spirit. We felt embraced in a precious cocoon, transported to a chic and indulgent universe. A sublime play of materials makes reference to classic luxe atmosphere: precious woods, aged brass, bronze medallion with patina, orange and yellow leather for the seats or wild silk for the curtains. Original artwork adorns the walls. Each room is equipped with a flat-screen TV (framed like a work of art) with satellite channels. Modern Carrara marble details abound. Our beautifully lit room with views overlooking classic Parisian buildings was the perfect respite at the end of the day.  Our king bed was the best with bespoke bed linens and careful thought was given to the hotel’s exquisite French toiletries. 

Hotel Montalembert offers a 24-hour reception desk with a concierge service and free WiFi is available throughout. This is a non-smoking hotel. The Montalembert is close to all the best Rive Gauche action, galleries, dress stores, antique shops and some superb restaurants – although the hotel’s own is worthy of your affection – it is ideally placed for a break in this most alluring of cities.

The Montalembert restaurant is currently open for lunch only. A beautiful “aprés-ski” themed terrace will open as of December 1 sure to attract the jeunesse dore. The Montalembert Bar was there for us to provide attentive service and the very best Negroni the city has to offer.

We have heard the hotel’s fine dining restaurant, soon to open again, is excellent for dinner with a menu that changes monthly. The Montalembert restaurant offers unique gourmet taste experiences based on the freshest of products to suit the appetite of the moment. The chef is creative with innovative subtle scents and flavors matched by an attractive cellar, a daring decor and a very Parisian atmosphere, favored by locals. For starters, are told the foie gras with fig confiture and a Caesar salad with smoked salmon are both parfait. So is shrimp coconut satay and supreme farm chicken au pot, tempting the chorizo cod fish with butternut puree and confit tomato sauce. They are perfectly prepared and crisply served. Next time we’ll order the Black Angus beef with chimichurrui sauce. Of course, we will have to do order the chocolate fondant, too. Glasses of wine are a reasonable 14 euros. Meals and drinks can be enjoyed on the terrace when the weather is salubrious. A cozy library with fireplace and small patio serves a delightful afternoon tea. Breakfast is served daily at Hotel Montalembert in the hotel’s breakfast room or in guests’ rooms upon request. Breakfast is an extravagant affair with freshly baked croissants and house-made jams of fig and framboise. 

Montalembert Hotel Director Madame Laurence Guinebretière oversees every detail of the hotel including the hotel concierges extraordinaire Hugo and Pascal who are always ready to source hard to come by reservations at restaurants of the moment, like Giraffe or Ralph’s. A very special thank you to Matthieu at the front desk who graciously coordinated our pre departure COVID tests conveniently at the hotel, and we were handed later that day an envelope with everything we needed for our flight.

This is an extraordinary find, a hotel inspired by writers & artists alike. The first 5-star boutique hotel on the Left Bank, The Montalembert stands out for its literary dimension and its chic and intimate atmosphere. Metro Rue du Bac is located 700 feet from the hotel and offers direct access to Montmartre. The property is a 15-minute walk from the Luxembourg Gardens, a 7-minute walk from the Orsay Museum and a 10-minute walk from Le Bon Marché Shopping Center. Massage and treatment partner for the hotel is provided by Maison Flamel, www.maison-flamel.com/en/

Hotel Montalembert is one of B Signature Hotels Resorts, one the most outstanding hotel collections in Paris, a family group that’s on the move, with four other impressive hotels in the heart of the City of Light:  Hotel Vernet, Hotel De Sers, Hotel Bel Ami, and Hotel Edouard 7. Anne Jousse, Plus hotels in Brittany and St. Barth. President B Signature Hotels & Resorts, strives to create much more than first-rate hotels and resorts, but memorable experiences through the prisms of art, destination, quality service, gastronomy and wellness. www.bsignaturehotels.com. Needless to say, even on our last night the Montalembert continued to surprise us: arriving to our room on the final evening we discovered that our guest room door was festooned with ribbons with a  farewell “adieu”!  Located at 3 Rue de Montalembert, in the glorious 7^th arrondissement. www.hotelmontalembert-paris.com.