Rates: around €200 depending on the season
Added extras: The relaxing bath in the basement
Services: spa and restaurant
If Leonardo Da Vinci were to have a Parisian hotel, it would undoubtedly be near the Seine and a hop, skip and a jump from the Louvre. So it’s no surprise that Hotel Da Vinci is on the famous rue des Saints-Pères, close to Saint-Germain and a few metres from Ile de la Cité.
This cramped yet charming twenty-four room hotel goes all guns blazing to celebrate the master of the Renaissance. Nods to Leonardo are everywhere, from the entrance to the rooms – room 204 for example includes the indigo found in ‘Madonna of the carnation’ and the angelic sweetness of ‘The Virgin on the rocks’.
Exposed beams and antique lamps in each fragrant room give the place an atmosphere of the Paris of yesteryear. Understandable when you consider that the hotel has been around for over a century. A small sign in the lift says that in 1911, a certain Vincenzo Perrugia hid in room 603 after stealing 'The Mona Lisa'. And so, the Hôtel Rive Gauche became the Da Vinci.
It feels like you have gone back in time – if it wasn’t for the digital, modern comforts. Add to that the honesty bar and small patio, plus the highlight: a large relaxation bath in the basement with water jets, hot tea and fresh fruit at the reception. Sixty minutes of pure bliss guaranteed.