If you choose to stay in the arty Marais district, you might as well opt for a cool, funky hotel like the Petit Moulin. It qualifies as a memorable hotel because the décor is 100% Christian Lacroix (check out the hotel’s website in the unlikely event that the name is unfamiliar). While not every room is ‘in-yer-face’ Lacroix, there are some spectacular examples of his witty, vibrant style.
All the accommodations are impeccably maintained and the multi-lingual reception staff is both friendly and efficient. A couple of caveats: only one of the rooms has a wall-mounted shower (the rest have just a bath, some big enough for two people); and the fourth (top) floor is not served by the lift so you must hump your luggage up the stairs from the floor below.
Downstairs an erstwhile bakery has been converted into a small breakfast room and bar (for hotel guests only). Lack of space precludes anything else by way of public rooms. But, hey, who cares when the hip dives of the Marais (weekends are hottest) beckon from the end of this quiet side street.
The chic Petit Moulin is an intimate boutique hotel with a quirky personality in a nicely central but sophisticated area that people identify best with the Paris at its most exciting.