Le Burgundy

"If location is everything, this 59-room beauty, born from a nondescript hotel on the same site, lords it over other new small hotels in Paris with an unbeatable address midway between the Place de la Concorde and the Madeleine, with Chanel’s flagship boutique around the corner. Indeed, this establishment is a bona fide baby grand that’s able to give even such grande dames as the Ritz and the Hôtel de Crillon a run for their money. Though the front desk staff are wiltingly prim, you’ll love the quiet contemporary chic of this place the moment you enter one of the dove-gray or cream rooms with crown moldings, chocolate brown wall-to-wall carpeting, good modern art on the walls, and ivory, oyster, black, and charcoal accents. Chrome-plated campaign desks and night tables, beds piled high with feather pillows, sleek Art Deco–style glass table and floor lamps, thick damask curtains, and spacious bathrooms floored in limestone make these exceptionally comfortable, urbane nests. There’s also a small spa with a beautiful swimming pool, hammam, and sauna; a terrific bar with stylized Art Deco decor; and a seriously good contemporary French restaurant with, appropriately, a great list of Burgundies."