The Peninsula Paris

After a $900 million renovation that restored the luster of this landmark building, dating from 1908, the lavishly appointed, state-of-the-art Peninsula raises the bar for luxury hotels in Paris. No detail was overlooked: from the luminous lobby to the glamorous rooftop restaurant, all of the common areas are exquisitely conceived, with touches of gold and silver accented with works by top contemporary artists.

YOU SHOULD KNOW Glittering, lavish, and very expensive, the Peninsula still lacks the intimacy of other palace hotels.

room

Rooms and suites—many with terraces or balconies and sweeping views of the city and the Eiffel Tower—have a restrained elegance that speaks of pure luxury, with lacquered-wood finishings, large walk-in closets, tons of natural light, and LED touch-screen controls to regulate everything from temperature to lighting. All rooms come with tea and coffee-making facilities and the service, as you'd expect in a palace, is flawless.

Views from top-floor terrace suites are as breathtaking as the prices. If you're going standard, you can still have a view and some cash left over for a blow-out dinner. Be sure to ask when booking.

Photo: The Peninsula Paris

Photo: The Peninsula Paris

Photo: The Peninsula Paris

Photo: The Peninsula Paris

bathroom

Marble baths have it all: separate shower, tub and toilet, two washbasins, telephone, mood lighting, and built-in television.

Photo: The Peninsula Paris

lobby

Two entrances, one from the hotel's past incarnation as the historic Majestic, the other sparkling and new, open onto wide open, gorgeously luminous spaces with limited coziness--but you can lounge in La Terrasse Kléber.

pool

At 20 m x 5 m (65 ft x 16 ft) the indoor pool is fairly large, by Paris standards, it is also well-appointed, with lounging areas and easy access to locker rooms and gender-specific steam rooms and saunas in the lavish locker rooms.

spa

The Peninsula chain excels in its spas, and this one is a pinnacle. Paris's largest hotel spa, its eight treatment rooms, two of them double, offer every imaginable indulgence for body, face and mind, many of them Asian inspired. Its luxuriously serene atmosphere—complete with fragrant essential oils and candlelight—pretty much enforces relaxation. You absolutely must relax.

gym

The two fitness rooms are equipped with state-of-the-art machines, plus a weekly schedule of 45-minute fitness classes held in the gym or pool.

Check out the aquagym classes held almost daily in the pool.

Photo: The Peninsula Paris

dining

The Penisula's operatically beautiful LiLi, Paris's best gastro-Cantonese dining room, is a not-to-miss experience, as much for the eye-popping decor as the exquisite small dishes or sublime peking duck. On the rooftop, the luminous Le Oiseau Blanc gastronomic bistro is the place for a more casual meal with to-die-for views.

Photo: The Peninsula Paris

drinking

The hotel offers two fabulous bars, both with a history: the Paris Peace Accords, ending the Vietnam Wars were signed at the elegant Le Kleber bar, on the ground floor. And Les Oiseau Blanc is named after the French plane that first attempted (and alas failed) the first transatlantic flight. You'll find a perfect replica of the plane hanging outside the restaurant). Both bars offer a full gourmet bar menu.

Attention cigar lovers, no need to cadge a smoke out on your terrace, at the hidden Cigar Bar, in Le Bar Kléber, offers a range of choice cigars (to guests only) and a beautiful room in which to puff away in total peace.