La Fantaisie Hotel Notes

At a Glance

Style: Luxury Boutique

Best For: Solo travelers or couples, first time Paris visitors

Vibe: Secret garden meets Parisian neighborhood hotel — whimsical, warm, romantic

Location: 24 Rue Cadet, 9th Arrondissement, Paris

Why I Like It

Sometimes, a scent can trigger a memory so intensely. That's what happened to me. A couple weeks after I had returned from my trip to Paris, I was at a friend's house washing my hands, when all of a sudden, the soap's scent hit me and immediately transported me back to my stay at La Fantaisie. Light and airy with a faint greenness, like a dampness after a fresh rain, it was like I was walking into the front entrance all over again.

That's the kind of impression this hotel leaves. From the outside — especially at night — it gives nothing away. It blends right into the buildings around it on Rue Cadet, and you'd walk past without a second glance. Walk through the door, and it feels like you’re walking into a whimsical secret garden in the middle of Paris. Designer Martin Brudnizki layered the interiors in soft pastels of yellow, coral, and green with floral wallpapers, cane-backed furniture, and botanical mosaic details that carry all the way down to the spa.

The Experience

La Fantaisie is a five-star property with a Michelin Key, and it sits at the higher end of boutique luxury. When you first enter, you immediately get the feeling of leaving behind the rush of the city and that distinct scent hits you.

I stayed in a Comfort Room with a street view for three nights. The room was perfectly sized for just me, and it would be fine for two people who are in Paris for several nights. The same nature-inspired palette of pastels and earthy tones also decorated the hotel room. One of the coolest designs in the room were the bedside lamps, which had ceramic details of snails and lizards, as if the lamp were an actual tree with nature living on it. Upon checking into my room, I had a small welcome amenity of homemade-style cookies and juice waiting, and at turndown, the hotel left CBD and melatonin gummies and a silk eye mask.

The service is friendly and accommodating. A couple weeks prior to arrival, I emailed the concierge to see if they could help me with a Septime reservation. They weren't able to (it is one of the hardest reservations in Paris), but they offered alternative spots for me to consider. One of those spots was Restaurant Eels, which was one of the highlight meals of the trip and one you can read about in my Paris Travel Guide.

I spent my $100 hotel credit — one of the perks of booking through a travel advisor like me — at the spa. I got a 30-minute foot massage, which was much needed after days of walking so many miles through Paris, and then spent a couple hours in the mineral pools, sauna, and hammam — all designed with the same botanical mosaic aesthetic that runs throughout the hotel. I was lucky to be the only person using the area, and it was a wonderful respite from a busy week.

Dining & Drinks

Breakfast was included with my stay (another perk of working with a travel advisor like me) and is served in the hotel restaurant, a glass-roofed space with an actual tree growing in the center of it. The buffet has hot and cold items – eggs and protein, fruit, and yogurt – as well as pastries and bread.  While not the most extensive, it has all the necessary options to jump start a day of exploring the city.  There’s also an outside terrace for dining, but it was too cold when I was there to use it.  The restaurant also serves lunch and dinner, with a menu that leans seasonal and French with some international influences.

At the front of the hotel, the café and bar — which serves coffee, pastries, and drinks later in the day — opens onto Rue Cadet. Tables line the sidewalk right outside, like cafés throughout Paris, for guests to sit out and enjoy the fresh air. Inside, there's a cozy nook for people to settle in with a coffee and a book or their laptop. It's the kind of place that feels like it belongs to the neighborhood, not just the guests of the hotel.

The rooftop bar, Bar Sur le Toit, is the hotel's showpiece. The interior bar carries the same whimsical design as the rest of the hotel — beautiful enough to sit at even on a cold night. Step outside and you have panoramic views of Paris, a lush terrace, and the kind of setting that has been generating serious attention and will only get more of it once warm weather arrives.

Fora Travel

Location Notes

The 9th is one of the most convenient arrondissements to stay in Paris.

The Cadet metro stop is steps from the hotel, Grands Boulevards is a ten-minute walk south, and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette is a ten-minute walk in the other direction — between the three, you can get just about anywhere in the city. Walk north and you're in Montmartre; walk south and you hit the 2nd with all its shopping and covered passages. The immediate neighborhood around Rue Cadet is full of good restaurants.