Paris and the Hotel Regina: Gracious, Warm, Luxurious With a Few Surprises

Ah, Paris.

Having mainly stayed on the Left Bank, this time we chose the Hotel Regina. A 5-star, former Red Cross headquarters in the heart of classic Paris. The entrance faces the gold statue of Joan of Arc, and to the left of the entrance as you leave, the Louvre. Basically, it sits squarely between Rue De Rivoli and Rue St. Honore — between tchotkes stores and high-end boutiques. It was a cold morning, but the old world chairman of the lobby, decorated for the holidays, invited us in with a warm, wood-lined lobby — fireplace, bar, and couches, all made the checking-in more relaxing and less frenetic.

When you take an overnight flight to Europe, and arrive at the hotel, creaky and feeling like a pretzel, all you do is pray your room is ready for that much hallowed nap. Not so Paris. No room? You should be pleased. Why? Because there is no city is more magical for a sleepy breakfast than Paris — you have to venture out, find a cafe and have a French breakfast. Good morning, Paris. While several cafes are nearby, the one across the square is fine place to eat.

The French breakfast? A croque monsieur or madame, coffee American (our choice), maybe eggs with some ham…and watch the world go by. The endless flow of faces, bearing all the signs of living and working in one of the world’s greatest cities. There is a certain responsibility many people feel when they live in a world capital like Paris, you can feel it in their intensity and see it in the range of perfectly expressed emotions, from the true city goers — from utter ennui to complete hilarity.

After breakfast, take a brisk walk through the Tuileries, the cold of the autumn seeping in and refreshing you, activating the coffee. Then back to the Hotel Regina and the top floor junior suite. We were given a true upgrade, though the rooms had the lowest ceiling, the space with a series of connected open rooms, had a large footprint. Vaulted ceilings are not a deal-maker, but size is.

For Paris, the room was very large — actually three rooms: a foyer, living room and bed/bathroom. The decoration was classical, not too loud and extremely tasteful. The living room, large. The bedroom, open to the living room through double-doors, inviting and relaxing.

Our stay was over five nights, which gave us the a deeper sense of the hole and its staff. The rooms were immaculate. The service extremely responsive; when you called, the hotel was on it.

One of the measures we use is how long does it take to get an order of coffee. Hotel Regina was quite good at 20 minutes and during breakfast rush!

The front desk staff were fine, but as always, in a high-end hotel, it is the concierge(s) that can make the difference. A true rule of travel: the quality of a concierge can make all the difference in the trip. First, always contact the concierge before you go. Email works. Make you plans plain; if you are new to the city, give them wide open requests for them to fill in; if the city is familiar, then make the requests more specific. Our example would be: we said we wanted at least one night of classical or jazz music, one dinner one the Left Bank, first night; topnotch restaurant choices, though we learned that anything above a 1-star Michelin restaurant in Paris requires men wear a jacket, which limits you…but not. The city has a million restaurants, and a thousand tiny gems.

The concierge team at Hotel Regina was very uneven. The most senior, clearly the head concierge, was very upright, formal, French, and helpful; deeply knowledgeable and able to navigate your interests and requests with proper panache.

But help is not to what a concierge is best at — it is the magic of what they know and how they share it! As we have always believed — if you put yourself out there, genuinely curious and open, magic can happen. This was not to be with the head concierge, nor the extremely cranky more junior one we met the next night and gave us bad information about Clignancourt hours of operation; a little detour here…it is worth noting, we always visit the so-called “flea-market-of-Paris”…which, while full of ancient treasures, some junk, it also has the most exquisite collection of Art Deco furniture; off the beaten track, a longish Metro ride, but so French, so special, and a great place for unique gifts.

Luckily, one of our surprises was the one concierge who rose to the occasion and exuded the natural exuberance and curiosity and joy of sharing and the hotel should be proud of this young gem they have: Arthur.

Arthur was delightful, charming, knowledgeable, curious, shared his Self and was as interested in giving and well as getting recommendations. He was firm in his opinion, but delivered it with grace and a smile. He was the one who got us into Laurent, one of the more expensive and amazing meals we have ever eaten. (More on jazz at Due De Lombard near L’Odeon, eating at La Caveau on Isle De Cite, and Laurent, too, in another post).

Let us finish with some disparate tips.

He single handedly made the hotel a better experience.

A few other notes:

…the breakfast in the room is better than the buffet. While the dining room is beautiful, the fare is expected and in being such, suffered from a bit of the mundane, though very good. But the coffee and bread basket we ordered to the room for two breakfasts was beyond good. Each bread was a reminder of why you come to France — and why the French own the category of “bread”.

Having stayed in the tight bustle of the Left Bank many times, even being in this touristy an area felt wider and more open. Less frenetic — though it was busier during the day than at night, which is when the Left Bank reaches it apex. Another great point of the Hotel Regina location is that at night, you can just cross the street, face the Louvre pyramid, continue on and walk to the Seine, cross the pedestrian bridge…so much the old and the new constantly co-existing. And the romance is hard to deny. Embrace!

We would stay at the Hotel Regina, especially if we could get that same junior suite, anytime. And of course, ask for Arthur.

Some dining advice:

The hotel restaurant, called The Boudoir, was small with a limited menu; but very elegant, the food very well prepared and delicious. While they had lobster, a favorite, we both had filet mignons, with the most delicious potato au gratin and baked half-artichoke. We almost did not go, because the cranky concierge poo-pooed it, literally raised his nose in the air like a cliche! But the young man and woman who served the restaurant were very polite, professional, and warm.

Restaurants: First, you need to have Euros; many places now put a service charge on the bill. That is recent, in Parisian terms, where the wage is not based on tips, but the extra something is greatly appreciated. Why the Euro comment? Every waiter whom we met that said the tip was extra, made the comment that it was appreciated in cash. Every one.