Cool Hunting

Nestled in a garden down a secret cobblestone path off Avenue Junot in Paris' Montmartre lies the impossibly charming five-room Hotel Particulier. CH had the privilege of staying there recently (courtesy of the hotel, which just opened its doors in June) and enjoyed the luxuriously appointed rooms and movie-perfect setting—the adjacent pétanque court being the cherry on top of the cake.

With a well-curated art collection adorning the walls, antiques, design objects and coffee table books everywhere, our experience felt something like living in the pages of a shelter magazine for a few days. Considering the building was formerly an actual hotel particulier (the French phrase means "private mansion"), the home-like atmosphere makes sense.

We stayed in the "Vitrine Room," so named for the artwork by Philippe Mayaux (who designed the room) consisting of a glass case filled with pink objects suggesting sex toys and genitalia (pictured left). Spacious and with windows overlooking the pétanque court and gardens, the highlight was the massive steam room in the bathroom. The equally massive bed, ideal for watching a film on the flat screen television and DVD player, also helped encourage relaxation.

The other four rooms, each also designed by a different creative force, were all as inviting and large as the next—except for the huge top-floor loft featuring two bedrooms, skylights and a claw foot tub in the center of the room. We also loved the “Tree with ears” room, featuring custom artist-designed wallpaper and a sound installation enabling guests to leave messages for future guests.

Whether dining al fresco in the garden (designed by Louis Bénech who's responsible for renovating Tuileries) with floral scents wafting by or sipping a glass of red wine in the ground floor salon, we can't think of a more perfect place for the kind of Paris visit that's so enchanted it feels like a cliché. And yes we'd say all that even if our stay hadn't been sponsored.

23 , avenue Junot 75018 Paris