Ah Paris! Last year Silvia and I were lucky enough to visit Paris twice and staying at Fauchon L’Hotel every time we visited became a tradition. In fact, we were planning at least one more trip to Paris for 2020, which included a stay at our lovely Parisian home away from home but we all know what happened to everyone’s 2020 travel plans! Sigh. Oh well, hopefully next year but in the meantime, we are sharing our experience staying at this amazing hotel and we hope it inspires you to try it out on your next visit to Paris.
When planning a luxury stay in Paris, one is spoiled for choice with so many wonderful and opulent options available in this beautiful and timeless city. We discovered Fauchon L’Hotel by chance – I was researching hotels in Paris online and came across an article with top Parisian hotels on The Telegraph website. Seeing the familiar luxury tea and delicatessen brand piqued my interest (who else remembers the now-gone Fauchon café in the Dubai Mall?) as I did not realise the brand owned a hotel of the same name. The beautifully designed rooms and the perfect location within a walking distance from practically everything we wanted to do in Paris sealed the deal for us and we booked it.
The below review is of our second stay at Fauchon end of August 2019. This is the first post in our Suite Life series where we will be reviewing suites at the best luxury hotels in the UAE and abroad. A separate article on the things to do in Paris if you only have 48 hours there will follow soon.
Arrival and check-in
The hotel is just over half an hour ride from Charles de Gaulle airport. Our driver had no problem finding it, even though the hotel is a very recent addition to the hotel scene in Paris as it opened its doors to guests in September 2018. The hotel is housed in the iconic Haussmann building with Café Fauchon just around the corner from the hotel entrance.
The check-in process was smooth and efficient as usual. Unfortunately, the cosy waiting area with the fireplace was busy when we arrived but here are some photos from our previous stay below. We were the only people checking in back then so we had the lounge all to ourselves – it felt very private. While the hotel staff is processing your check-in, you are offered an elaborate signature mocktail and Fauchon macarons, along with some Fauchon tea or coffee on request.
Every time we come to this hotel, we immediately feel welcome and enjoy the excellent service every 5-star luxury hotel should provide to its guests. Bravo Fauchon L’Hotel!
The suite and amenities
After the check-in process was complete, we were shown to our room which was a lovely Junior Suite with a cute Parisian balcony overlooking Boulevard Malesherbes. Please note that not all rooms have this view so make sure you check this when booking to avoid disappointment. On our previous visit we stayed in a Superior Room which also had a beautiful view of Boulevard Malesherbes, it is also highly recommended.
The suite is decorated in the brand’s signature colours and features large bright windows and a Parisian balcony, a spacious hallway with a generous wardrobe, a super comfortable bed (unfortunately, there was no twin bed option available), a desk, a lovely seating area and a marble bathroom. At 35sqm it is smaller than the suites we are used to in the UAE, but it did not feel cramped at all.
One of the most unusual features of all rooms is the hotel’s complimentary mini-bar Fauchon Gourmet Bar which is actually a tall cupboard stocked with the brand’s sweet and savory snacks. It gets replenished daily so you will have some items left over to take home with you if you wish. Our favourites goodies are mini madeleines and a black olive tapenade – so delicious!
The Gourmet Bar also houses a tea and coffee station – we absolutely love Fauchon teas, especially Afternoon in Paris which sadly we can no longer enjoy in Dubai after the closure of Fauchon Café in Dubai. If you are a tea aficionado like us, you can always ask for extra teabags of your favourite tea to be delivered to your room. We always ask for Afternoon in Paris as what other tea can be better to enjoy on an afternoon in Paris! If you take your tea or coffee with milk just ask the housekeeping and they will bring some fresh milk for you.
In addition to the cupboard full of treats, you will also find a selection of Fauchon macarons in your room.
Our favourite feature of the suite has to be the cute dainty French balcony of course! Our trip was in late August so the weather was perfect for having breakfast on the balcony while watching the world go by. This has been one of the most cherished moments from staying at the hotel and we are hoping to stay there again in the near future. This small balcony is not meant to have furniture on it as it is too narrow but you can squeeze a chair or two to enjoy some tea al fresco.
Another nice surprise was to find out that every Fauchon L’Hotel room includes the famous Dyson hair dryer! Silvia and I tried it during our first stay in May last year and there was no going back to regular hair dryers after that. If you have long straight hair like ours you will be amazed by how much easier and quicker this hair dryer makes the whole hair drying process. It definitely lives up to its hype in our eyes. Apparently, it does not suit all hair types though, so testing it while staying at Fauchon is a safe option before buying. After having the opportunity to test it out, both Silvia and I fell in love with this hair dryer and we both got our own.
The marble bathroom is decorated in grey tones and has both a tub and a shower and is well stocked with lovely Carita bath products.
Sleep quality
The bedding is very high quality and very comfortable for a great night’s sleep. We loved the cute eye logo embroidered on the duvet covers. Despite the hotel’s location on a busy boulevard, there is no traffic noise coming from the outside so you are guaranteed a peaceful night.
In addition to the bedding being marshmallow-soft, the Fauchon robes and super soft slippers are of excellent quality too. In fact, Fauchon slippers are the best hotel slippers we have ever tried!
Dining at the hotel
We did not opt in for breakfast at the hotel as we wanted to explore in the mornings and the Gourmet Bar contained more than enough for a quick breakfast to go with our morning coffee. However, we did try the hotel’s restaurant for some light dinner and we were very pleased with the dishes.
We don’t like heavy dishes so we always go for lighter options. Grand Café did not disappoint – both our chosen dishes were very good, especially the white asparagus. We also tried some refreshing mocktails.
If the complimentary macarons and the sweet delights from your Gourmet Bar do not satisfy your sweet tooth, the Grand Café downstairs has a great selection of colourful Fauchon sweets to choose from.
The location
One word – perfect! The hotel is located in the sophisticated 8th Arrondissement of Paris, which means that places like the Louvre, Opera Garnier, Place de la Concorde any many others are all within a walking distance. We walked everywhere, even took a stroll all the way to Rive Gauche, and did not feel the need to take a taxi at all. And if anyone is wondering, yes, I was wearing heels like in the photo above to do all this walking. I’m proud to say that not once did I give up and jump into a taxi!
Value for money
The cheapest rooms at this hotel are priced approximately EUR 450 (nearly AED 2000) per night*, depending on when you are staying.
On both stays in May and August last year we managed to save over AED 1000 (approximately EUR 230) per night using a combination of discounts offered by our favourite hotel booking websites and travel benefits offered by some banks. In our opinion, given the hotel prices in Paris and the discounts we had, the value for money was excellent. We are planning to write an article with useful tips on how to stay at top end hotels and save money soon so stay tuned!
Final thoughts
As highly experienced travellers in the area of luxury hotels, Silvia and I know right away when we see a gem of a hotel and Fauchon L’Hotel is definitely one of them. We loved everything about it and there was nothing that we would want to change. If you are looking for a modern and vibrant luxury boutique hotel at one of the best addresses in Paris, Fauchon L’Hotel is definitely for you. We can’t wait to be back again!
*At the moment of writing the rooms at Fauchon L’Hotel on the hotel’s website are priced starting at EUR 360 per night excluding taxes for stays in January 2021.
