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HOTEL VICTORIA PALACE, Paris, FranceLocated in a small, quiet corner of the 6th arrondissement, between Saint Germain des Prés and Montparnasse, is the beautiful and elegant Victoria Palace Hotel. Built in 1913 and owned by the same family since 1930, recent renovations have put this hotel in a class of quiet and unpretentious luxury.
I had not been a fan of the Montparnasse district, preferring actually to stay in the artistic area of St. Germain des Prés, the area bounded by the Seine, Boulevard St. Michel, Boulevard St. Germain, and Rue Bonaparte, with tiny winding streets filled with art galleries, artists' homes, world famous cafes, clubs, and brasseries. This trip, however, offered me the opportunity to visit Victoria Palace, and while I still prefer the activity of the other end of the quarter, I found that I could adapt very easilyto such elegant surroundings.
You enter the hotel into a marble-clad walkway flanked on either side by "salons." In France, your hotel room is considered your "bedroom," and the "salons," or "livingrooms," are where you visit, rest, read the paper, have a drink. (This is one of the reasons that so many hotel rooms in France are so tiny... it's just a "bedroom.") Both salons are done up in opulent Victoriana; to the right as you enter is a room of sumptuous reds, with several cozy seating arrangements and a bar. To the left is a room with light floral fabrics reminiscent of Victorian-era Liberty designs on the walls, chairs and draperies; a warm and inviting fireplace is operational in the winters.
Directly ahead is the reception area, where each guest is greeted with a warm smile by a professional team of porters and receptionists. Only after midnight are there less than two people manning the front desk.
When my daughter and I checked in we were treated with courtesy and charm. The staff was friendly without being cloying, professional and efficient without being cold or brittle. This is the perfect balance for a hotel striving for a good mix of both business and leisure travelers.
To the right of the reception desk is a large breakfast room which faces an interior courtyard. There are two elevators for guests' use.
The building itself is U-shaped, with two sides facing the large courtyard; many of the front-facing rooms have balconies or terraces. Because Rue Blaise Desgoffe is quiet and not a main boulevard, the front rooms are most attractive - bright and sunny, not noisy, with a view to some Parisian activity.
Until the renovations started the hotel had 110 rooms. It now has 67. The owner has taken some of the smaller rooms and expanded them, making large junior suites and luxurious marble bathrooms.
The "new" rooms have made extensive use of fabrics by Suzanne Houlès and Lillièvre. The walls, draperies, and furnishings are coordinated in fabrics of vibrant hues. We were in a room that was predominantly yellow, but the same fabric treatment was used in tones of blues and reds as well.
The new bathrooms are large and make ample use of carved marble. Some of the renovated rooms have kept the original French marble in the baths, but all have new tubs, toilets, sinks and countertops. The chrome gleams, hot water is plentiful, the showers are wonderful, and the tubs deep and luxurious. Most of the bathrooms have the toilet in a seperate closed-door "cabinet."
All rooms also have a refrigerated mini-bar, color cable television with multi-language channels, air conditioning, fluffy terrycloth robes, and evening turn-down service with chocolates on your pillow. Many non-smoking rooms are available as well.
We loved the breakfasts offered by the hotel. Most mornings we would have it brought to our room; a pot of French coffee and hot milk, a pot of cocoa for my daughter, an array of fresh breads, croissants, butter, jams, yogurt and cheeses; orange juice. On the mornings that we went to the breakfast room we were able to enjoy the extensive buffet, which included eggs, sausage, bacon, fresh fruit, cereals, cakes, sundry breads and rolls.
The hotel also has one of the most beautiful conference rooms we have ever seen, decorated with hand painted trompe l'oeil marble and gold gilding. The hotel can accommodate meetings for 20 with seating, and receptions for 50.
We really enjoyed our stay at Victoria Palace, our only disappointments very minor indeed. Although it is a longer walk to the artistic end of St. Germain des Prés, location proved less of a disappointment than we had originally anticipated; there are three metro stations within a few short blocks, buses down Rue de Rennes to the Seine, and the Montparnasse area, three blocks in the other direction, is really vibrant and alive at night.
photos and graphics courtesy ila-chateaux and Victoria Palace Hotel
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