Luxurious, bewitching, inspiring, spell-binding… Our selection of addresses is aimed at pleasure and ideas ! From absolute essentials to wonderful surprises, new experiences to enjoy and share.
A new chapter begins for Le Felix Faure, now known as "Felix" at the creative initiative of Jean Valfort and Jean-François Monfort, founders of the Panorama Group. In spectacular theatrical decor signed Studio Pano x B3 architects, guests have a ball with generous cuisine crossing the border with Italy. As a bonus, a speakeasy bar with a separate entrance. Nice. 12, avenue Felix Faure. (www.felixdenice.fr) © Loïc Thebaut
From December 18th to January 6th, the Hôtel Arev will be transformed into a fairytale setting with its enchanted forest, chalets with tasty burgers and fondues, and an exclusive Christmas boutique. On December 25th and January 1st, a festive brunch will be proposed by the restaurant The Strand, while New Year's Eve will plunge you into the elegance of 1960's glamour. Saint-Tropez. 8, Chemin des Vendanges. (04 22 54 20 90)
Interior architect Michael Malapert has invited Californian vibes and street culture to this new urban hotel with 102 rooms and suites. Here, yellow, pink and celadon green rub shoulders to create a sparkling Californian atmosphere. For dining, head for Pamela’s, for lunch, dinner, or enjoying drinks while working... Guests are treated to great classics "made in the USA" with non-stop service. Nice. 26, rue Smollett. (04 93 89 18 88)
A star feature of Provençal traditions, the thirteen Christmas desserts are a highlight of year-end festivities. At the heart of the Luberon, star-rated Chef Xavier Mathieu, owner of Le Phébus & Spa, reinterprets this gourmet institution. A great chance to rediscover this address for esthetes with the Chef's generous, creative and rousing cuisine, on a constant quest for new associations to tempt the tastebuds. Joucas. 508, route de Murs (04 90 05 78 83)
Until January 4th, on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, Le Chalet de la Ponche Invites you to share a tasty fondue in enchanting decor blending Tropezian elegance with the conviviality of the mountains. Its comforting menu is comprised of cheese fondus - also proposed in a version with truffles -, accompanied by starters to share, "dentelles de charcuterie" from Chez Dauzet, grenaille potatoes, mesclun salad. Saint-Tropez. 5, rue des Remparts (04 22 47 09 00)
Mer & Coquillage no longer exists, welcome to L'Italien de la Belle Epoque ! Chef Mathieu Poiriet with his star-rated know-how remains at the helm, delighting guests with cult Italian recipes based on the finest ingredients. Here, pasta made daily on the premises is the star on the menu (a splendid "cacio & pepe"), along with other trans-Alpine delicacies such as spinach "gnudi", ricotta, gorgonzola. All savoured amidst chic retro decor with wood panelling, moulded ceilings and a 100% Italian playlist !
Nestling on the peaceful Rue de Mulhouse, this must coffee shop is very chic with its terrazzo floor, wooden counter and colourful benchseats. At the helm, Rémy, accompanied by his adorable bulldog Albert, features on his menu excellent coffee sourced from roaster Loutsa : his "latte frappé" is a knock-out ! To quell hunger pangs, tasty sandwichs and enticing little gourmandises. Rem's coffee shop, 3 rue de Mulhouse, Paris 2. Open Tuesday to Friday from 8.30am to 6pm, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6.30pm.
The pastry chef at Hémicycle awarded a Michelin star, Aurora Storari takes over the first floor of the restaurant each weekend to offer a handful of lucky guests a menu of a different kind. In her "dessert dining", she has fun with all kinds of products and techniques, mixing seasonal fruit and vegetables, and treating the tastebuds in ten amazing dishes. To be relished at least once in your life ! Held on the 1st floor of the Hémicycle restaurant, 5 rue de Bourgogne, Paris 7 (Fridays and Saturdays at dinner only). 01 40 62 98 04. www.hemicycle.paris
In decor inspired by family homes, Michel Puech (Cézanne, Pastis) celebrates nostalgia and good taste in his new restaurant nestling on Rue Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Biche offers a real picture-postcard of the French meal in an atmosphere recalling Sundays in the country. On the menu, ultra-comforting, traditional dishes such as onion soup, bone marrow, cordon bleu, veal blanquette... Enticing desserts include an addictive chocolate mousse ! Biche, 129 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, Paris 8. 01 53 89 83 73. Open all day Monday to Friday and Saturday evenings.
Christophe Loue, the king of panettone, has turned his attention to Proust's special treat containing all our childhood memories in a classic pastry. Proposed in two versions, the madeleine signed Christophe Louie has crisp edges and a delightfully soft heart. With its subtle notes of orange blossom and delicate vanilla glazing, the classic version is supremely comforting, while the one with pistachio takes us to distant horizons. Simply enchanting. Christophe Louie boutique, 12 rue Dupetit-Thouars, Paris 3. Open Tuesday to Saturday from 8.30am to 7.30pm, Sunday from 10.30am to 4pm.
In the vibrant Fairmont Monte-Carlo, the Lobby Lounge restaurant perfectly embodies the hotel's refined philosophy. The kitchen brigade excels in preparing classic French dishes and proposing retweaked Italian recipes. All with a stunning panoramic view of the sea. Each week, reserve your table for the Cha Cha Cha Sunday lunch, a "churrasqueira" (braised chicken in Portuguese style), from 12.30 to 3.30 p.m.
Famous for serving one of the best Italian "pestos", this Genoese institution founded in 1939 and renowned worldwide has opened an address in Monaco with Riccardo Giraudi at the helm. In the Principality, the menu pays tribute to mainstay dishes bearing his signature, further enriched by contemporary offerings by Chef Thierry Paludetto.
Recently inaugurated beneath the sunof Marseille, facing the sea and its islands, the Roy René restaurant prepares generous platters of shellfish and seafood including superb red spiny lobsters from the Caribbean, snow crabs and a wide selection of oysters from Cancale and the Mediterranean. The ideal seasonal address !
After Lille, Lyon and Bordeaux, the team of Le Splendido has created a restaurant brimming with colour in the first arrondissement of the Phocean City. With decor inspired by the world of retro circuses and the extravagant atmospheres of Transylvania, this off-the-wall trattoria then stages on its menu the loveliest pirouettes "made in Italia", joined by a few twists between land and the southern sea. Worth dsicovering !
An elegant destination nestling between the nature park of the Luberon and the Gorges du Verdon, La Villa Castellane offers 61 rooms and suites as well as a Nuxe spa in a noble, 19th-century residence, once the hunting lodge of the Marquis de Castellane. As for dining, the restaurant magnifies the flavours of traditional Mediterranean cuisine. The bonus ? The restaurant's wine cellar where unmissable French "grands crus" rub shoulders with an insider selection of local wines.
Duck pâté pie, cabbage stuffed with "foie gras", saddle of lamb rubbed with paprika… At the Molitor brasserie, Chef Grégory Gbiorczyk awards a place of honour to French gastronomy while tweaking it with a fine modern touch. Excellent, including desserts proposing treats such as a little gem of a tart with vanilla from Madagascar and a "forêt noire" you will be delighted to see back on a menu.
Head for the basement of the Public House, the most "UK" brasserie in Paris, to discover its new speakeasy. Velvety and cosy with fitted carpets, subtly clad walls, leather and tartan, Divine House borrows the codes of British elegance. On the programme, a list of divine cocktails signed by the Venning brothers, founders of the famous Three Sheets, a London bar ranked among the world's finest. So smart.
Make way for talent ! The first restaurant of Chef Youssef Marzouk (formerly of Le Ritz, Le Tout Paris at Le Cheval Blanc, Aldéhyde in Le Marais), proposes French cuisine enhanced by the panache of his travels and his Tunisian roots. Precise and flavoursome, his dishes spiked with herbs and spices include a memorable lamb prepared in two ways. Superb to the end, featuring a signature dessert revisiting After Eight with smoked dark chocolate tweaked with a herbaceous note. Not to be missed !
Undoubtedly today's most spectacular address. Laurent de Gourcuff and his Paris Society (Maxim’s, Bonnie, Maison Revka) make an even bigger splash by stepping foot in the legendary Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild. The magic of a setting that applauds the vibrant impact of an era and invites you to dine in luxurious decor of spellbinding dimensions : three salons with marble fireplaces, XL carpets, couture curtains, and the finery of chandeliers. A big "Wow !" and a big "Oui !"
Sleeping on the 5th floor of La Tour d’Argent in a splendid suite with an enchanting view of Notre-Dame and the Seine… A dream ? One which is fulfilled by the new formula "A Night facing Notre-Dame" and includes, among other things, lunch in the gastronomic restaurant and an exclusive "Silver" experience. A little luxury worth its weight in gold !
