By Jay Cheshes
Model Ajahnae Baker wearing Balmain. Photo by Andrés Oyuela; styled by Natalia Campos.
There are myriad reasons to visit Paris and about as many seasons; spring, fashion week, couture shows, summer, and taking the lead this month, the Summer Olympic Games. In the spirit of competition, we’ve compiled a Gold Medal-worthy packing list to take on your travels to the City of Lights, and check into one of its newest and chicest luxury properties, Relais & Chateaux’s Hotel Balzac.
Until recently the very classic, and understated, Hotel Balzac on a small hilltop just off the Champs Elysees struggled to stand out in its crowded hotel neighborhood—overshadowed by its much more famous restaurant neighbor, the eponymous flagship of three Michelin-starred chef Pierre Gagnaire, which has been luring serious gastronomes to the building since 1996. But a major upgrade completed this summer under new owner Olivier Bertrand, the hotelier behind the five-star St. James and Relais Christine among other boutique Paris properties, has transformed this discreet 58-room hotel into a destination in its own right.
The 19th century hotel particulier, on the site where literary giant Honoré de Balzac is said to have once housed his mistress, has been reimagined floor-to-ceiling by Charlotte de Tonnac and Hugo Sauzay, the design duo behind Paris firm Festen. The designers filled the marble-floored, wood-paneled Belle Epoque lobby with custom furniture, its retro curves conjuring the understated glamour of Paris between the World Wars. Guest rooms come stocked with classic literature set in the city (like Paris est Une Fete, the French translation of Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast), house bottled cocktails above the mini-bars, and Diptyque amenities on the soaking tubs and in the rainwater showers. “We were thinking of every detail of the guest experience,” says general manager Emlien Jaltier, of the overhaul. The small pool in the Japanese-inspired subterranean Ikoi Spa allows you to float beneath the city. The 180-degree views from the balcony of the marquee Ciel de Paris suite allow you to float above it. hotelbalzac.paris
WHAT TO PACK
Though you may want to leave some room in that Rimowa for a few choice pieces picked up along the way, we’ve put together a packing list to get you to Paris in style.
