Simply Abu Dhabi XXVI

1 2 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I I n the smartest part of town, in a row of grand Haussmann-era stone- fronted houses a block from the Elysée Palace, overlooking the roofs of the Pantheon and, in the near distance, the Grand Palais and the Eiffel Tower, stands La Réserve Hotel and Spa Paris. A few minutes’ walk from the Tuileries and Place de Concorde and a stone’s throw from the Rue du Faubourg Saint- Honoré, it is ideally located on the exclusive Avenue Gabriel. Placed in the very heart of the French capital with a new double Michelin- starred restaurant Le Gabriel, a 16-metre indoor private pool and butler service for all rooms, La Réserve Paris has just been awarded the prestigious Palace distinction by Atout France. A home-from-home, where guests can focus on relaxing and recharging their batteries in total peace, it is the brain-child of the theatrical maestro of hotel design, Jacques Garcia. Using a dramatic palette of black, white and gold, with flourishes of peacock green and ruby in the public spaces, and pale champagnes and greys in the bedrooms, it combines Louis XV decadence with exotic Chinoiserie. Walls are mirrored or lined in gold or silvery Rubinelli silk, furnishings are covered in damascene brocade with heavy fringing, and oak parquet floors are adorned with Persian rugs. ParisianChic at its Finest Testament to French design and a treat for all senses, La Réserve Hotel and Spa Paris is a destination that once experienced can never be forgotten by Julia Zaltzman