Francois 1er

Stayed 24th – 27th August 2007

The location of the hotel is excellent, it is 2 minutes walk from the Louis Vuitton shop on the Champs Elysees and just a bit further to the Arch de Triumph. It is also an easy walk to the Seine and the Eiffel Tower, and there is also a tube station close by. So a good base to explore from.

The hotel is very nicely decorated; everything is immaculate, though they do seem to have a bit of a book fetish, with the lift walls lined with fake books, fake book doors. There is a nice lounge and a bar area, with yes more books.

Breakfast is served in a pretty breakfast room, and there is a good selection from fresh fruit, cereal, bread, pastries, cold meat, smoked salmon and some mornings a hot option as well. The other good thing is that breakfast is served until 11:00 so you can be a bit relaxed if you want. The service was good, and the staff were friendly and helpful.

The downside; I expected a small room, rooms in London are small but it was the smallest room I have ever stayed in without asking to be moved. That said it was very nicely decorated, it had everything you need, with double doors that opened on to a roof garden. The air con worked perfectly and with good black out curtains and a comfortable bed, we had probably the best nights sleep we had in ages. The bathroom was also nice, with a double end bath, powerful shower, and plentiful towels.

Maid service was good and we had a turn down service including chocolates and a weather forecast.

Whilst in Paris we did a dinner cruise with Bateaux Parisiens, it was a great way to see the main sights, the food was good, there was music and the wine flowed, we both enjoyed it. The only problem was I had scallops as a main course and it was perhaps not a good choice in view of the mass catering. They also had someone walking round answering questions about the sights, as well as a map with descriptions as part of the dinner menu. We paid extra for premier, which meant you had priority boarding, a table for 2 at the front of the boat so the best view and better wine. We booked this in advance with top table on the net and it was significantly cheaper doing it this way.

On our last night we ate at Pershing Hall. It is a French / Asian fusion restaurant, expensive, but we had a fantastic meal, excellent service, we really liked the ambiance, subtle lighting and décor. The main restaurant is on two levels with tables outdoors in the courtyard or upstairs. We had a table upstairs in a balcony over looking the courtyard, which was perfect.

I am traveling to Paris a lot, but Francois 1er is my favorite, very well located, nice rooms, a bit small, friendly staff, great breakfast (love the smoked salmon and the caviar), but the bread is a bitRead more stale and the phone does not work in the breakfast room (I do not know if this is good or bad)

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+ The location is exellent.
- Rooms are not sound-proof. If the room next to mine is using the shower, I can hear it as if it is in my room

This was our third trip to Paris and after staying in two indifferent hotels on previous visits, we decided to splash out on a two night stay at the Francois 1er. We loved it and would happily return. It is a romantic, boutique hotel with friendly staff and a lovely feeling of peace, despite being only two minutes walk from the frenzied traffic of the Champs Elysees.

Our room was a good size, absolutely spotless and had a quiet outlook over a small courtyard garden. The decor was sumptuous; lots of velvet, rich reds and golds and a marble bathroom. We loved the little thoughtful touches like the light in the wardrobe and the sweeties with the turn-down service at night.

The hotel's public areas seemed to be full of spectacular orchids and the cosy lounge had a small botanic glasshouse as a backdrop. The breakfast room was equally attractive and the range on offer in the buffet was splendid - caviar, smoked salmon and Coco Pops all made an appearance!

The location is excellent for the Metro, airport bus transfers and for the whole Champs Elysees, Rue du Faubourg area. Highly recommended.

this hotel made all the difference in our trip. the service was superb. their recommendations/help with reservations for a dinner cruise on the river made for one of our best evenings. the room was smallRead more but lovely. breakfast was a great spread and such a relaxing atmosphere. location was nice as well.
the day manager & bellman both really went out of their way for us. it was a pleasure.

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