by This is Martin Budinski’s playful maxim at his botanical best – a feast of flowers creeping up walls, carpets, down corridors infusing cocktails and elevating spirits.
Located on one of Paris’ most prestigious streets, Rue Cadet, this magnificent, richly dressed and sun-drenched hotel is a colorful oasis amidst the Haussmann gray of the city. Ultimately, it’s a bit of great flamboyant fun to end in a city that often takes itself far too seriously.
Where?
Of Faubourg-Montmartre’s picturesque, pedestrianized streets, Rue Cadet stands out – with its bunting, market stalls (which pop up during the week and on Sunday mornings), and the glorious absence of Parisian rowing traffic. In prime location for the quarter’s main acts – The Sacré Coeur, The Moulin Rouge, Musée de la Vie Romantique with its mint-green shutters and sunny orange café – the village-like streets here feel more lived-in than those in the Triangle Golden. , with Parisians walking their dogs and everything swinging to market-boulangerie-brasserie rhythms. It’s also a quick taxi ride from Gare de Nord, for those hoping to board the Eurostar.
Style
Little is understated about this hotel, peacocking along Rue Cadet with its yellow, bright brazen sunflowers and sage greens. The terrace, on either side of its lobby door, is overflowing with trendy locals and hotel guests. Inside, Swedish designer Martin Brudinski has polished its larger muscle to a high-gloss, horticultural effect. Eyes are directed past a pocket bar, lounge and a svelte tunnel-esque lobby, towards the Golden Poppy – a modern orange drawing in ‘the secret garden’, inspired by the hotel’s interior, which lifts spirits with botanical prints and pallets. . The booths are dressed with really interesting fabrics, panels and ceilings are painted in canary yellow and traditional cast iron chairs in forget-me-not blue cars. A faux tree surrounded by yellow flowers adds a slightly kitsch focal point.
There really isn’t an inch of La Fantaisie that hasn’t received the bold botanical treatment. The walls of the corridor are wallpapered with tropical leaves, then bordered in sage greens, ceramic lamps paint a tropical picture, the marble takes on a jade, horticultural hue and lifts shoot up and down to the singing of birds. The gilded shelves, antique mirrors, sconces and scalloped bar chairs make it grown up, and not too gimmicky.
Food & drink
Culinary wizard Dominique Crenn was highly rewarded in San Francisco, with three Michelin stars (the first for a female chef). Because of this, and her off-the-beaten-path imaginative flair, she is clearly suited to the informal spirit of La Fantaisie. Fish plays a central role in Golden Poppy’s comforting menu, one that draws on the culinary patchwork of California. Highlights include posh fish and chips drenched in hazelnut miso, perfectly gooey rice noodles with wakame seaweed butter and smoked peas, and the pillowy sea bass ceviche with a smidgen of leche de tigre – all sprinkled with edible flowers and planted present like a small work of botanical art.
The form here, at least in the summer, is to take things upstairs there (after the panna cotta wood) where there are Mexicana Bar Sur La Toit cocktails and twinkly views over the Paris skyline. Crenn’s precise and playful touch is easy to spot with a quick scan of the cocktail menu – Charred Pasilla Margarita, The Mule & The Tiger, Golden Tikki. The floral wallpaper, brass trim and pineapple bar lamps, together, bring to mind a private members’ club – the kind of fun, unbuttoned that eases punters into the night.
An incredible spread with flan, daily-changing loaves, pistachio cookies, excellent croissants, smoked fish slices tempt those who took the bird lift down for breakfast. Save room for the menu, where Crenn’s dreamy California theme serves up inventive riffs on fun classics, with a dash of caviar.
Facilities
The basement car park of the old building has been converted into a spa – much to the delight of over-worn global types in need of a thermal break from their iPhones. In keeping with the carefree, hedonistic spirit of la Fantaisie, here’s to you underground where saunas, steam rooms, thermal pools and a range of treatments work their magic in a fast lane.
Family
I saw, as we gathered in the lobby during a fire alarm hours early (someone smoking in their room, classique – the hotel handled it great), various teenagers and older children with their parents in robes, bamboozled. And while the hotel can provide cots, hot milk and small items for the children (luckily mine will hump their toys), La Fantaisie feels grown-up, if not quite. a small member of the members, in places.
extra curricular
A highly recommended extra-curricular activity is walking aimlessly through the streets of Montmartre, observing Paris in its natural habitat and the patchwork of characters and cultures that make up this thriving quarter. Although the edges of Sacré Coeur are buzzing with hordes of iPhone-wielding tourists, the breathtaking views are worth a look (tips are two pence here).
For more insider spots, visit Le Très Particulier for cocktails in the pretty tangled ivy gardens, Musée de la Vie Romantique (less ‘insider’ since it was seen on Emily in Paris), or Les Piqueurs , a wine shop with a bar at the back.
Which room?
Martin Brudinski clearly had fun decorating the rooms – head to toe in tikki touches (Hessian wallpaper, woven mirrors), chintzy wallpaper made cool with more kitsch, floral designs, and exotic garden-inspired colors, filling with tropical fruits and vibrant flowers.
In my room, skirting boards and joinery were painted sage green and the prevailing sunflower yellow features on the carpet squiggle, linen valance and the edges of the thick, merciless sun-blocking curtains. Wes Anderson is a bit upmarket altogether, without the whimsical, faded classicism but a fresh jolt of freshness and eternal spring.
The horticultural heaviness continues in the mosaic bathroom, where vegan Holiderme products stand alongside a jade-hued sink and a brass, modern twist on a heritage shower perfectly. There are the little touches, the landscaped garden view mural along the wardrobes, the kooky tongue cleaners in the minibar, the CBD gummies to put you to sleep (although you probably need these with the big comfy beds, swatched in crispy, cool. lined with a silk eye mask).
If the function of the room exceeds 40 wins or falls after a full day of scaling in Paris, it is worth choosing a BALCONY (especially Pour les fumeurs and people watch). Of the 63 rooms in total, there are no baths. For a soak, opt for one of the 10 perfectly situated suites, or (if budget’s no issue), the penthouse with its own terrace (in bloom) and dramatic rooftop views by the swinging spotlight of the Eiffel Tower.
He prefers…
A fun, flamboyant and relentless weekend spot from which to explore the coolest quarter of Paris. From the suave rooftop terrace to its silky spa toes, the hotel still feels anchored into its neighborhood, and more boutique than behemoth.
Details
La Fantaisie rates start from €550 (approx £484) per night. www.lafantasie.com
