This hotel is on our list of The 15 Best Hotels in Paris.
Just 20 minutes by car from central Paris, the Saint James Paris feels like another world: A stone-gated driveway opens onto a 19th-century private mansion that resembles a bucolic countryside estate. Surrounded by landscaped gardens, this family-owned hideaway is both a private members club and a boutique hotel. The 50 guest rooms were renovated in 2021 by designer Laura Gonzalez in eclectic, mix-and-match styles to resemble a collector’s home.
Locals appreciate the Old World vibe of the wood-paneled library bar, where the bartenders take their drinks seriously. Seasonal organic ingredients in the cocktails are cultivated in the hotel’s Fontainebleau vegetable garden, which also supplies the Michelin-starred Bellefeuille restaurant. Chef Julien Dumas’s menu is a poetic litany of terroir-infused dishes: “In the fields of Nonville, the vivacity and freshness of the morning (White asparagus/Pollen/Elderflower)” and “Around the island of Groix, overlooking the ocean (Lobster/Wild fennel).” His deep connection to the land and commitment to sustainability are expressed not just in technical precision but also in joie de vivre on the plate.
