Cheval Blanc Paris
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Review
Character and identity
Set inside the restored La Samaritaine on the Seine near Pont-Neuf, this 72-room maison is LVMH's first urban Cheval Blanc, with interiors by Peter Marino layering 20 marbles, parchments, hand-painted patinas and original art into the art deco bones. The mood is residential rather than grand-hotel, anchored by four restaurants (Arnaud Donckele's three-Michelin-star Plénitude, the seventh-floor brasserie Le Tout-Paris, a Milanese Langosteria, and the omakase counter Hakuba), a Dior-helmed subterranean spa, and a 100-foot mosaic-lined pool. Butler service runs throughout, and patisserie by Maxime Frédéric defines the day from breakfast on.
Who's it for
Best for:
Design-literate couples and serious food travellers who want to be on the Seine rather than tucked into the 8th, with the LVMH universe (private Vuitton atelier visits, after-hours Samaritaine shopping, Dior treatments) at their disposal. Families are well served too, thanks to the Le Carrousel kids' club for under-12s.
Should look elsewhere:
Travellers who prefer classical Parisian palace style (gilt, boiserie, old-world hush) may find Marino's deliberately "new and unexpected" interiors too contemporary. The riverside location is central and animated rather than discreet, so anyone seeking a quiet residential pocket should look to the Left Bank.
Bottom line
What sets this place apart is the cooking and pastry programme, paired with winter-garden views of Notre-Dame and the Eiffel Tower from nearly every room. It is a serious culinary address first and a hotel second. Book a winter garden suite for the river panorama, plan dinner at Plénitude or Langosteria well ahead, and leave a morning free for Frédéric's breakfast and a long swim.