Hotel Le Royal Monceau Raffles

Of all Paris’s palace hotels, the Royal Monceau has the most individuality – especially since designer Philippe Starck transformed it into a Hollywood vision of artistic Paris.

Going for culture rather than classicism, the hotel comes complete with a cinema, concept store, art bookshop, gallery and its own art concierge.

The 149 sybaritic bedrooms range from compact to colossal, decorated with eclectic furnishings and artworks – giant island beds, lose-yourself mirrored bathrooms and dressing rooms are made for romance.

The extra-long ground-floor bar creates a buzzy hub, backed up by French and Italian restaurants. Reserve for dinner at Il Carpaccio, a dreamy Florentine grotto setting for chef Roberto Rispoli’s wonderfully simple Italian food. As an added temptation, Pierre Hermé conjures up the desserts.

Don’t miss a trip to the luxurious in-house spa, with a 28m pool, hammam, sauna and exclusive My Blend by Clarins facials.

The hotel is in a great central location, too – on a Haussmannian thoroughfare, running between the Arc de Triomphe and Parc Monceau.