Best Hotel Bets in Paris, France

Best Hotel Bets

• Best for a Romantic Getaway: Who doesn't take a deep sigh then murmur yes when he first pushes open this hotel's heavy wooden gate and lays his eyes on the Pavillon de la Reine, an enchanting ivy-covered mansion opposite the Marais' Place des Vosges?

• Best for Families: You'll find all the comfort of home at the stylish Hotel Arvor St Georges. Three suites include an extra single bed, and rooms can also take an extra cot. Kids will also appreciate the homemade cake in the relaxed downstairs lobby.

• Best Splurge: This new Philippe Starck-designed gem has the whole city talking. The Royal Monceau offers absolute luxury for contemporary jet-setters, including a Clarins spa, an indoor pool, a state-of-the-art cinema, edgy fashion, and a mobile sound studio that can be set up in any of the soundproofed rooms.

• Best Value: The Mama Shelter might be off the beaten track, but this new Starck-designed hotel nonetheless attracts the in-crowd with its buzzing downstairs restaurant/bar space, high-tech setup, and low-cost rates.

• Best-Kept Secret: The Villa Mazarin provides elegant and spacious rooms in the thick of the lovely lower Marais, just minutes from the Pompidou Centre, the river, and Notre-Dame.

• Best Service: Of all the palace hotels in Paris, the Hotel Meurice has perhaps the most warmth and contemporary style. The service here is welcoming and humorous, and not at all stuffy.

• Most Rejuvenating: The chic Gabriel Paris Marais is the city's first "detox" hotel, and is devoted to the well-being of its guests. After getting a good night's sleep with their revolutionary NightCove system, wake up to an organic breakfast.

• Most Trendy: The one-of-a-kind Hotel Amour is run by a couple of the city's nightlife barons. Each of the 24 rooms boasts a unique, edgy, contemporary design, and you'll run into many of the city's trendsetters at the raucous downstairs bar and restaurant.

• Best Views: Of the 33 rooms at the Hotel du Quai Voltaire, 28 open onto views of the Seine. This 17th-century abbey was transformed into a hotel in 1856 and has been welcoming guests -- including Oscar Wilde, Charles Baudelaire, and Wilhelm Richard Wagner -- ever since.

• Most Charming: In the heart of the Latin Quarter, and set within a luxuriant and peaceful little garden, the delightful Hotel des Grands Ecoles is a budget option boasting a unique, provincial charm.