Paris Update What’s New in Paris
VALENTINE SPLURGE
A suite at the Royal Monceau-Raffles.
The recently renovated Royal Monceau-Raffles Hotel (37, avenue Hoche 75008 Paris; 01 42 99 88 77) has not just one, but two Michelin-starred restaurants. For Valentine’s Day eve, each is offering a special candlelit dinner for two. At the French restaurant La Cuisine, chef Hans Zahner has created a five-course tasting menu (€215 per person) that comes with a chance to win a night at the hotel (hopefully with one’s lovebird du soir). At Carpaccio, chef Roberto Rispoli is offering a six-part exploration of Italy’s varied regional cuisine for €230 per person, and all diners are invited to an after-dinner screening of the 1953 classic lovefest, Roman Holiday, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck, in the hotel’s private cinema.
The Hotel Pavillon Henri IV.
For a romantic sortie from Paris, the Hotel Pavillon Henri IV, (21 Rue Thiers, 78100 St. Germain en Laye; 01 39 10 15 09), tucked behind the castle of St. Germain en Laye, near Versailles, boasts the historic chamber where Louis XIV was born. The classic dining room has a stupendous panoramic view overlooking the Seine, with all of Paris in the background. A five-course candlelit Valentine’s Day dinner, including champagne cocktails and wine, is accompanied by jazzy mood music (€145 a head). Dinner plus a night in a room of fashionably faded elegance will set you back €245 per person. Claudia Barbieri
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