The room comes first in a romantic boutique hotel in Paris
Every romantic boutique hotel in Paris promises intimacy, yet the promise is only as good as the room that keeps it. At the Hôtel Pas de Calais, a family-run house set back from the main thoroughfares, that room sits at the very top of the building. The Junior Suite is tucked under the roof, bathed in light, with exposed beams, a classic French decor and three small balconies overlooking the rooftops of Paris. It is the kind of room that decides whether a romantic hotel in Paris deserves the adjective: you remember it by its angles rather than its square metres.
When guests ask whether the hotel is romantic, the reply published in our frequently asked questions names that suite before anything else. If you would rather have more floor space, the two Suites reach 40 square metres, each with a character of its own, classic pieces set against contemporary lines. You can compare them in the photo gallery before choosing. The Luxury rooms, 20 to 22 square metres, are the bright middle ground. Double glazing, fitted in every category, keeps the street at a distance once the windows close.
Smaller budgets are not shut out of the story. The Superior rooms, 17 square metres, pair chosen colours with careful contrasts, while the Classic rooms, 15 square metres, favour a sober and very Parisian chic. Each double category has a queen size bed, with Twin versions for those who sleep better apart. Our location and neighbourhood page helps you weigh the view from upstairs against the time you will spend outside. For inspiration on timing, our journal describes a late summer getaway for two in the quarter.
The details that turn a night into an occasion are best settled before you travel. Tell us about the anniversary or the proposal so that reception can prepare a romantic stay in Paris from the first minute, with flowers and champagne set out in the room. A booking platform transmits dates and a room type, whereas the story behind the trip is something you share with us directly when you write to reception. Planning something longer? Our page on a honeymoon at the hotel tells the extended version of the same story. Mention your arrival time as well: a late landing is simply noted, since the desk never closes.
Worth mentioning when you reserve:
- The Junior Suite, for the rooftops and its three balconies
- Flowers and champagne, waiting in the room when you arrive
- Breakfast in bed, brought up until 11am
- A late arrival, since reception is staffed day and night
An evening between the green wall and the river
Evenings begin downstairs, without a coat. The hotel bar occupies the veranda beside the green wall of orchids and tropical plants, with armchairs close to the foliage and wide sofas set slightly apart for those who prefer a quieter corner. The list runs to champagne, chilled wine, a range of whiskies and spirits from gin to armagnac, poured at your own pace. One guest review on our home page puts it plainly: the veranda and its green wall are “a perfect place to enjoy a drink (or more) in peace and quiet”. On warm nights, our guide to the loveliest terraces nearby takes over where the veranda leaves off.
Then walk. The rue des Saints-Pères leads down towards the river past antique dealers and gallery windows; the quays are less than fifteen minutes from the door on foot. They belong to the Banks of the Seine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991, whose listing notes that the whole evolution of Paris can be read from the water. Crossing a bridge as the lights come on costs nothing, yet it is the standard any romantic boutique hotel in Paris should be measured against. It is also why we make the case for the Left Bank as a base to every couple who asks. Take the long way back if the night is mild, knowing the hotel is never more than a quarter of an hour behind you.
The Hôtel Pas de Calais has no restaurant, which we would rather tell you now than let you discover later. The quarter makes up for it with tables from the brasserie to the Michelin star. Our fine dining recommendations narrow the choice to the addresses we suggest ourselves. For a night out that is not a dinner, the Odéon Théâtre de l’Europe runs its season on the far side of the sixth arrondissement. Whatever time you come back, someone is at the desk, so a late return to this boutique hotel for couples in Paris requires no arrangement at all. If dinner takes you across the river, reception can book a private driver for the ride back.
Rain changes the plan without spoiling it. The quarter was built for readers. Our portrait of literary Saint-Germain covers the bookshops and cafés that shaped its reputation, which is a good way to choose where to shelter for an hour. A coffee or a last glass in one of the legendary cafés of the quarter is the other classic refuge, especially after a performance or a long dinner. Then comes the short walk home, with the bar still there for a nightcap under the green wall while the street quietens outside.
The morning after, taken slowly
Nothing obliges you to come down. Breakfast is brought to the room from 7am until 11am, or served beneath the glass roof of the veranda until 10.30am: Parisian baguette and pastries from the artisan baker, freshly squeezed juice, seasonal fruit, dairy, cereals and eggs on request. The full detail sits on our services and breakfast page, where you will see that any allergy can be noted in the questionnaire we send before your stay. Our journal also devotes a whole piece to the French-style breakfast and the rituals that go with it.
Late morning belongs to the Musée Delacroix, a few streets away on rue de Furstemberg. It occupies the painter’s former apartment and studio, with the small garden he wrote about with obvious delight. The national museum founded there in 1932 holds more than a thousand works and objects, yet the rooms keep the scale of a private home. It was conceived as a place of memory by the artists who admired him, which explains its almost domestic tone. It opens at 10am at weekends and at noon on weekdays but closes on Tuesdays, so check its calendar before you set out. Afterwards, the route suggested in 48 hours in Saint-Germain-des-Prés tells you where to wander next.
If your last day falls on a weekend, the quarter changes tempo. Our notes on a Sunday in the neighbourhood are written for exactly that kind of unhurried day. Couples who travel for art will find the collections within walking distance mapped in our guide to the museums you can reach on foot. Either way, the luggage storage at reception means the afternoon does not end at checkout, since rooms at the Hôtel Pas de Calais stay yours until noon on the last day. Leave the bags, walk to the river one last time and collect them when your train allows; the desk can also book the airport shuttle for the journey out.
Reserving on our own site gives you our best available rate and puts your requests in the hands of the team who will greet you. Dogs are welcome too, which spares a four-legged companion the kennel. The travel agents page serves those who prefer to book through an advisor. People compare romantic boutique hotels in Paris by their photographs, yet the most romantic of them is the one that remembers what you asked for. For two people who want nothing more than time together, that is the whole point of booking a romantic stay in Paris at the source. If you are still choosing dates, our note on the best time to visit Paris helps decide between seasons.
