Paris is a city that deserves to be admired, and there’s no better place to do so than the rooftop terrace of the Belle Etoile Penthouse Suite at Le Meurice. From here, the city unfurls towards the horizon around 360 degrees: the Jardin Tuileries directly below; the stately Louvre to the east; the glass roof of the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower to the west; and Palais Garnier and the Sacré-Coeur to the north. Designed by landscape architect Pierre-Alexandre Risser, the terrace affords views that are truly fit for a king, and at EUR 18,000 (US $20,110) per night, you might need royal blood to stay there.
Fresh from a complete refresh by Paris design duo Margaux Lally and Luc Berger and long-term Dorchester Collection partner Charles Jouffre, the Belle Etoile Suite is a vision of sophisticated elegance, with 18th-century features masterfully blended with contemporary décor, lending a refined and timeless feel to this four-bedroom abode. Styled in the fashion of an opulent Parisian apartment, the suite is fitted out with furniture by LAVAL, bespoke chandeliers by Maison Lucien Gau and contemporary artworks by Carole Benzaken, leaving guests in no doubt about its Parisian provenance.
Four en-suite bedrooms are spread over the upper two levels of Le Meurice, along with a 10-seat dining room with hidden bar, cinema-style living room with Bang & Olufsen TV and sound system and a private library and workspace. But the icing on the gâteaux is surely the master bathroom, a palatial space clad top-to-toe in marble, where a circular whirlpool bathtub and his ’n hers basins are bathed in natural daylight thanks to tall windows on three surrounding walls.
The Belle Etoile Suite, which means ‘beautiful star’ in French, is one of 29 rooms and suites reimagined by Lally & Berger, bringing a fresh
new perspective to this quintessentially Parisian grande dame.
www.dorchestercollection.com