The credentials:
Fusion has been the buzzword on the London food scene for some time now, but ‘fusion’ on the international hotel market is something I hadn’t yet come across. That was, at least, until my trip to Hotel Daniel.
Nestled in a quiet backstreet mere moments from Paris’s most famous boulevard, the Champs-Élysées, the Hotel Daniel (a member of the Relais and Chateaux hotel group) has cleverly brought East and West into perfect harmony. Internationally renowned interior designer Tarfa Salam has travelled the length of the Silk Road in designing the Daniel, bringing antiques from the furthest reaches of Asia together with French and British handcrafted furniture; carpets from Kazakhstan, silver trays from Turkey, handmade wallpaper from China (by De Gournay). The owners themselves have brought back many of the beautiful items on display, from Chinese fans and ivory calligraphy pens to blue and white porcelain plates and gorgeous silk paintings adorning almost every wall. The effect is an absolute haven of tranquillity and exoticism.
And in a refreshing change from the many ‘design-driven’ hotels I’ve encountered, where modernity and crispness can leave you feeling a little cold, the Daniel exudes a warm charm from the moment you enter to the moment you leave. Walking through the door looks like stepping into an 18th century chinoiserie chateau, but feels much more like coming home.
Sleep:
The Daniel has a pleasingly exclusive selection of 26 rooms, with 9 suites. Several rooms (ours included) have balconies which, while far too chilly to take advantage of in January, would be a rare delight in the warmer months.
Each room is as unique and carefully decorated as the rest of the hotel. As if you are staying in a real French chateau of old, the bedrooms are lined with Toile de Jouy wallpaper in gorgeous warm tones, but there are exquisite Eastern touches throughout in the hand-carved wooden tables and Japanese paintings. Even the smell as you enter is inviting; the rooms are perfumed with subtle but welcoming dried rose, cinnamon and orange potpourri. The beds are huge and, despite being firmer than I would normally like, provided an effortlessly soothing sleep.
The bathrooms are equally lovingly designed. They are decorated with a mixture of zellige tiles (a Moroccan ceramic) and coloured Italian marble. The waterfall shower in our bathroom was such a soothing warm embrace I could have happily stayed in it until I was more prune than person, and—again, unlike many other hotels in recent experience—the bathrooms were generously furnished with a wide selection of luxurious bath products courtesy of Molton Brown.
Dine:
The Daniel has two areas to ‘dine’, both as beautiful as each other. The actual dining room for breakfast is intimately sized, with just a few tables and a bar, lined with exquisite glass displays of further treasures from the East and gilt glass panels by the artist Gerard Coitat. And, in possibly my favourite move by any hotel I’ve visited, the breakfast is served all day (I’m always the guest arriving at 9.50am when breakfast stops in 10 minutes time)!
The second area to take refreshment is the lounge, the first room to greet you as you enter. With sofas so big and deep you could well need a hand climbing out of them, and a cool sea green palette, it’s a chic yet comfortable place not only to take breakfast (if you come down later than 11am) but also the Hotel Daniel’s very own High Tea. And, as you’d surely expect from a place filled with such oriental elegance, there’s a beautiful selection of teas served in unique silver teapots; from the traditional pot of English Earl Grey to every blend of green, white or oolong you could want.
Who goes there?
It seems to be a place as popular with the French as with foreigners; we appeared to be the only English guests during our stay. And—appropriately for a hotel this intimate—it was couples all the way.
It’s a brilliant fit for families as well, thanks to the various suites that can be made into larger apartments (via adjoining doors).
Out & about:
Of course I’ve already mentioned that the Champs-Élysées is a few casual steps away, but if shopping isn’t your sole reason to come to Paris then the Grand and Petit Palais and Arc de Triomphe (and even the Eiffel Tower) are just about walking distance away. Or, as you’re minutes from several Metro stations, the whole of Paris is your oyster!
The worst thing:
Unfortunately the breakfast buffet wasn’t the most generous I’ve ever come across, and despite the delight of such a rich tea menu I was hoping for some traditional loose leaf tea rather than teabags.
The best thing:
If the devil is in the details then Satan doesn’t have a foothold at the Daniel; the details are all perfect. So much love and care has been poured into the design of this hotel that it exudes warmth from every toile-covered pore. If you are looking for somewhere that feels luxurious enough to be a treat, but exclusive enough to be just YOUR treat, and feels comfortable enough to be home, then the Daniel should tick every box.
