"Martin Brudnizki, the designer who has been everywhere this past year, is all about stories—and few are as seductive as the idea of an aristocratic-era literary salon in the Marais, just moments from the Seine and the Hôtel de Ville and opposite the BHV Marais, surely Paris’s most fun department store. At Le Grand Mazarin—from Maisons Pariente, the group behind chic stays such as Provence’s Hotel Crillon Le Brave—the sense is of being in a film about a sumptuous 14th-century hotel, all pastels and layers of velvet and embroidery; everything a little softer than other recent Brudnizki projects in Soho or on New York’s Fifth Avenue. It’s built in the round with a stunning glass atrium winter garden at its heart. A bijou indoor pool (a rarity in central Paris) is overlooked by a free-form forest mural by in-demand artist Jacques Merle, and the hammam and spa specialize in extra-speedy treatments. The restaurant, Boubalé, is run by Michelin-starred chef Assaf Granit with a menu paying homage to the Ashkenazi cuisine of his parents’ heritage: Kurdish kreplach cooked in beurre blanc, potato pierogi, pickled herring, and mamaliga (polenta). Tucked away in the basement is the perfectly dinky Le Bar de Boubalé, which oozes relaxed sophistication but with a dash of Wes Anderson–style whimsy. From $505. —Viv Groskop" - Sandra Ramani, Lindsey Tramuta
