Best Left Bank Hotels

The Left Bank of Paris has “intimate hotels, justly renowned for their serenity, individuality and charm,” states Andrew Harper’s Hideaway Report. Excerpts from the upscale newsletter’s recent reviews:

HOTEL DUC DE SAINT-SIMON

14 Rue de Saint-Simon, 75007 Paris

Telephone 011-33-1-44-39-20-20

Fax 011-33-1-45-48-68-25

34 rooms; from $245

“It would be hard to imagine a prettier place,” with climbing roses, wisteria and feminine, floral, exquisite decor. Public areas are limited to a claustrophobic breakfast room and small bar. Most rooms are Lilliputian, but there also are five small suites.

HOTEL MONTALEMBERT

3 Rue de Montalembert, 75007 Paris

Tel. 011-33-1-45-49-68-68

Fax 011-33-1-45-49-69-49

56 rooms; from $330

Full-service boutique hotel boasting a bar, restaurant and cozy reading area off a spacious lobby. A principal meeting place for art dealers, journalists, film people and the fashion crowd. Small bathrooms. Some street noise.

HOTEL D’AUBUSSON

33 Rue Dauphine, 75006 Paris

Tel. 011-33-1-43-29-43-43

Fax 011-33-1-43-29-12-62

50 rooms; from $235

Unexpected sense of space, with an expansive lobby, adjacent bar and large breakfast room. Quiescent interior courtyard. Only real drawback: Main entrance fronts a noisy street. “Our ‘Grand Luxe’ double was one of the bigger rooms we found on the Left Bank.”

RELAIS CHRISTINE

3 Rue Christine, 75006 Paris

Tel. 011-33-1-40-51-60-80

Fax 011-33-1-40-51-60-81

51 rooms; from $310

A converted 16th century mansion with an imperturbably tranquil atmosphere. Quality of accommodations varied; some rooms were being renovated. No. 4 had largest, best-appointed bathroom we encountered on the Left Bank.

LE RELAIS ST. GERMAIN

9 Carrefour de l’Odeon, 75006 Paris

Tel. 011-33-1-44-27-07-97

Fax 011-33-1-46-33-45-30

22 rooms; from $300

Stylishly transformed 17th century townhouse. Initially, it can all feel a bit suffocating (the elevator is also pint-size), but the rooms are surprisingly generous. The only suite has a terrace with a romantic view over the rooftops.

HOTEL DE L’ABBAYE

10 Rue Cassette, 75006 Paris

Tel. 011-33-1-45-44-38-11

Fax 011-33-1-45-48-07-86

48 rooms; from $250

One of the most elegant and distinctive hotels on the Left Bank. Surprisingly extensive walled garden and inviting lounge. But rooms are cramped and gloomy except for four appealing suites with terraces, currently undergoing refurbishment.