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IT’S HARD TO find a boutique hotel better situated in Paris than Madame Rêve — it's just a stone’s throw away from some of the city’s most celebrated attractions: the Louvre, Tuileries Garden, and Palais-Royal, to name a few. Housed in the city’s first 24-hour post office — La Poste du Louvre, built in 1888 — the five-star property blends into the city center. When searching for the entrance, I nearly pass it before spotting the unmarked front door of the elegant Haussmannian building, a typically Parisian architectural style with stone facades, wrought-iron balconies, dormer windows, and a curved mansard roof. The lobby is both laid-back and chic, adorned with antique desks and mirrors and exquisitely designed mosaics and murals; an impeccable mix of old-meets-new Parisian decor.
My room, of the deluxe workshop category, is decorated in warm shades of camel and yellow. Around it, I find little luxuries: bespoke pencils, erasers, postcards, and paper tucked inside a mailbox on a wooden desk. Among the bathroom amenities, I find bespoke products made by the hotel itself. The unobstructed views of Haussmannian apartments’ balconies dotted with large plants in terra-cotta pots evoke nostalgia for 1920s Paris in me, when Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald roamed the streets during the city’s artistic peak. Haussmannian-style buildings have no more than six floors, but all of Madame Rêve’s 82 rooms and suites are located on the third floor, down a winding hallway that smells of the property’s signature scent, “Nose,” created by French perfumer Olivia Giacobetti. After a dreamy sunset, a simple press of a button closes the shades and brings me back to the 21st century.
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Two dining options are available at Madame Rêve, but I opt for La Plume Rive Droite — Chef Benjamin Six’s Japanese restaurant influenced by French flavors. It’s a Tuesday night, and every single table is full, including the bar, and all of the patrons appear to be locals dining on lobster buns and sashimi. A canopy of plants covers the outdoor dining terrace, creating a jungle feel in the middle of the city. Following dinner, I make my way up the plant-covered stairwell to the seventh floor rooftop where more greenery awaits in the form of a pendulous garden. With such good scenery and 360-degree views, it’s hard to choose a seat. I pick one at the bar with Notre-Dame to my right. Patrons of all ages and groups of all sizes gather on this balmy summer evening, enjoying life’s simple pleasures and a panoramic view of the City of Lights.
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Elissa Polls Writer
Elissa Polls is the head of production for Departures. A producer who typically stays behind the scenes, she has worked with creatives from around the world, helping bring their ideas to life. Polls has over 15 years of production experience and lives in Berkeley, California.
Adel Slimane Fecih Photographer
Adel Slimane Fecih is a photographer and artistic director based in Paris. After graduating from Duperre School in Applied Arts, Adel spent six years on the editorial staff of MilK Decoration.
