Where to stay in Paris
L'Hôtel
In a previous incarnation, this hotel was the setting for Oscar Wilde's final days. It's described as one of the world's first hip hotels and has recently had a revamp, so it is now even more luxurious.
How they rate it
The "legendary Left Bank hangout" has had a makeover which has added a "sexy, starry lobby and a swimming pool in the catacomb basement", says The Daily Telegraph. "But this is still recognisably the haunt of Oscar Wilde and the music-hall star Mistinguette."
Last year L'Hôtel was named Best Urban Hotel In The World by Harper's Bazaar. It's perfect for a romantic break. The interiors "could have been decorated by Helena Bonham Carter's couturier", says Ferne Arfin in The Sunday Telegraph. "Emerge from its faded velvets and striped silks only to buy chocolate or to visit Saint-Germain des Pres."
The menu
In 2008 the hotel's Le Restaurant was awarded a Michelin star. Highlights on the menu include veal sweetbreads lacquered with soya and served with white asparagus or pan-fried frogs' legs served with morel mushrooms and macaronis.
The cost
Rooms cost from €255 per night. For more information visit L-hotel.com or call 00 33 1 44 41 99 00.
Grand Hôtel Jeanne d'Arc
This budget hotel is situated on the edge of bohemian Marais, "the most atmospheric quartier in Paris", says The Sunday Times. The hotel has been going for years and has a "devoted following".
How they rate it
Some of the rooms have been "redone with taffeta curtains and modern bathrooms, others remain endearingly floral with slightly psychedelic bathrooms", says Natasha Edwards in The Daily Telegraph – so an inside tip is to request the brighter street-side rooms. But it's the hotel's location "that really dazzles", says The Sunday Times. The exquisite 17th-century Place des Vosges is just five minutes walk away, and in ten minutes you can be at the Picasso Museum. "This must be the best blend of price and location in the city."
The menu
The hotel doesn't have a restaurant, but for a great Parisian meal on a budget, Edwards recommends you feast on oysters, steaks or choucroute at the art deco Vaudeville at 29 rue Vivienne. Two courses will set you back around €21 or €27 for three.
The cost
Rooms at Grand Hôtel Jeanne d'Arc cost from €90 per night. To find out more, visit the website at Hoteljeannedarc.com or call 00 33 1 4887 6211. In a previous incarnation, this hotel was the setting for Oscar Wilde's final days. It's described as one of the world's first hip hotels and has recently had a revamp, so it is now even more luxurious.
What the travel writers are saying
The Times has picked the 20 best travel books of the past century, as chosen by a selection of authors and travel journalists. Here are the top three:
The Danakil Diary: Journeys through Abyssinia, 1930-4 by Wilfred Thesiger: The author travelled for three decades as an explorer, military man and historian in Arabia and Africa. Of his numerous books this one covers his most interesting journey, to discover the source of the Hawash River.
A Winter in Arabia by Freya Stark: A prolific travel writer, Stark was also an archaeologist, geographer and historian. She wrote more than 20 travel books, "but her soul belonged to Arabia". This book covers her travels there in 1938.
Antarctica: The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard: Cherry, as he was known, was one of two paying members of Scott's second polar expedition. This book chronicles the disastrous expedition and its tragic end. Cherry's regret at failing to save Scott and the other dying men "brings added poignancy to what is the greatest account ever written about men on the ice".
Jodie Kidd: my dream holiday
The Oberoi Rajvilas in Jaipur, India, is "just the most beautiful place", says Jodie Kidd in The Daily Telegraph.
It's "an oasis of calm" where you can retreat from the "whirl of noise and smells" and the hordes at busy markets which make India so exciting. The service is "second to none" and the restaurant's food is "fantastic".
Rooms cost from £387. For more, visit Oberoirajvilas.com.
