Checking-In to: Le Meurice, Paris

CHECKING-IN TO | CABANA TRAVEL | WORLD OF CABANA

Ernest Hemingway once famously opined that there are only two places where a person can be happy: at home, and in Paris. The writer's affection for the city elevated Paris to both a place and a feeling in his mind – a sensation that the most exceptional hotels can evoke too, finds Sara Pierdonà as she checks into Le Meurice.

BY SARA PIERDONÀ | CABANA TRAVEL | 18 DECEMBER 2025

“Not all pioneers went west,” wrote Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough of those Americans preparing for their journey to the Ville Lumière, anticipating it as the most significant experience of their lives, while Ernest Hemingway famously observed: “There are only two places in the world where we can live happy: at home and in Paris.”

For centuries, almost anyone not fortunate enough to be born in Paris has felt compelled to make a pilgrimage there. Whether for the crowning finale of a grand tour of Europe, or to refresh one’s wardrobe, admire the greatest masterpieces of art, or indulge a romantic impulse, one ought to visit Paris at least once in a lifetime. And when in Paris, there are certain places to stay – a select circle of hotels of exceptional taste – where one can feel both in Paris, and at home. Le Meurice is one such place.

The powerful impression of being not merely in the French capital but at the very heart of its historical identity is ensured, quite simply, by the address: Le Meurice stands on Rue de Rivoli, directly overlooking the Jardin des Tuileries, with no architectural obstacles interrupting the view of the Eiffel Tower, the imposing mass of the Louvre, and the orderly, elegant line of buildings along the Seine.

Thus it happens that the lucky few who secure a room with balconies on the main façade may, in the morning, gaze out at Parisians crossing the gardens like figures in a Sempé illustration, while as evening falls they can admire a spectacular sunset and the sudden blossoming of lights, as if in a film. A distinctive, intoxicating fragrance drifts through the rooms: it is the aroma of a candle created specifically for Le Meurice to evoke the scent of freshly cut grass from the Tuileries.

The hotel’s history dates back to 1835 and has been intertwined from the outset with cross-Channel tourism. Its founder, already keeper of an inn in Calais, conceived it as a place where English travellers could enjoy the same comforts they had at home. Queen Victoria stayed there in 1855, and over the decades the hotel undertook various restorations and modernisations to preserve its prestige (including the historic distinction of being the first hotel in the city to possess a telephone).

Numerous extraordinary events unfolded within its majestic rooms: Napoleon III is said to have ordered the construction of a secret tunnel to visit his mistress without passing through the main entrance; Coco Chanel staged fashion shows in the Salon Pompadour; Picasso held a wedding lunch there; and King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson stayed after the abdication (favorite dish: the club sandwich, still on the menu).

“Our incredible heritage and legendary guests make us what we are today,” reads the small book in which Le Meurice recounts itself. And indeed each renovation has been carried out with a deep spirit of preservation, and a touch of playful homage (such as the recent intervention by Philippe Starck, who designed a dreamy, surrealist salon in honor of another long-term guest, Salvador Dalí). In 2011, the French government formally granted it “Palace” status, recognizing its historical excellence and timeless elegance.

The rooms are remarkably spacious, beautifully proportioned and innately soothing, yet they are just one of the reasons why Le Meurice’s regulars feel they are truly at home. Completing the experience is a series of additional amenities that allow one to admire Paris (and savour the sensation of being there) without ever needing to set foot outside. There is the magnificent Bar 228, adorned with 1907 frescoes depicting, most fittingly, a garden party; there is Alain Ducasse’s restaurant, whose reputation renders further comment unnecessary; and there is the Maison Valmont, a spa that does full justice to Paris’s centuries-old savoir-faire in the realm of beauty.