Le Meurice

With its sensational views over the Tuileries gardens, this 19th-century palace hotel is unquestionably one of Paris’s grandest. Acres of marble and chandeliers provide the requisite sense of history, yet this is no museum piece; modern comforts abound, along with the odd surreal touch in memory of former habitué Salvador Dalí.

Don’t miss out on a meal in the gourmet restaurant – now in the hands of multi-starred chef Alain Ducasse – with wonderful cooking from his protégé Christophe Saintagne.

This is a dream location, between the dead-central Louvre and Rue St-Honoré – and the hotel manages to achieve a look of palatial splendour, while remaining completely unstuffy.

The gorgeous wood-panelled Bar 228 – named after the hotel’s address – serves up live jazz every evening, as well as some decadent cocktails.