Mandarin Oriental Lutetia, Paris

Ever since its 1910 opening during Paris’s Belle Epoque, the Lutetia has always been on the of the city’s most luxurious hotels. In fact, it was first conceived to offer the well-heeled clients of the nearby department store Le Bon Marché an elegant place to stay after arriving for their shopping spree from the newly opened Gare d’Orsay. The hotel’s distinctive silhouette is now an artifact of the era, just when Art Nouveau was giving way to Art Deco, and something of a landmark in the neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. The interiors are equally chic after the hotel emerged from a four-year renovation in 2018 looking better than ever, with contemporary guest rooms that deftly reinterpret the century-old style, a new subterranean spa and swimming pool, and the original frescos on the ceiling of Bar Josephine revealed and fully restored. The beautiful hotel bar is joined by restaurant Le Saint-Germain, whose specialty is the plat du moment, a one-of-a-kind culinary creation for each individual guest. Meanwhile Brasserie Lutetia is both a neighborhood favorite and a destination unto itself, with a well-positioned, all year-round terrace that is perfect for people-watching.