Hotel du Continent

The Hotel Du Continent is a design-focused hotel that attracts tourists who want a stylish enclave and don't mind the lack of a fitness center or restaurant. The 19th-century building has a white limestone exterior and five floors, each dedicated to a design by Christian Lacroix themed after a continent. The walls and stairways are painted in matte primary colors, and guests have the option of accessing higher floors via a curved wood and wrought-iron staircase or a wallpapered elevator. The walls have collages, color photos of architectural sites, sunburst mirrors, and tapestries in jewel tones or metallic finishes. The honesty bar area has wall-spanning photo murals that appear hand tinted with images such as a painted elephant and a camel driver in silks embroidered with flashing coins. Kilim chairs are positioned around a contemporary coffee table with newspapers and magazines. The bar itself features a lacquer and glass wall of shelves holding various liquors and has a small espresso machine. 

One of the premier features of the Hotel du Continent is its location in the 1st Arrondissement, within easy access of attractions and public transportation. It's a block away from the Tuileries Gardens and a four-minute walk to the Place Vendome and the Rue Royale. The Place de la Concorde metro stop is a six-minute walk, and the stop for the Madeleine metro is seven minutes away on foot in the opposite direction. It's an 11-minute walk across the Seine to the Musee d'Orsay and a 14-minute walk to the Theatre du Palais Royal. The Louvre Museum is 15 minutes away on foot. It's a seven-minute drive to the Place Saint-Germain-des-Pres or 17 minutes by metro. The Cathedral of Notre Dame is a 20-minute metro ride away as is the Eiffel Tower. The Gare du Nord, with connections to London via the Eurostar, is also 20 minutes away by metro. Reaching Charles de Gaulle Airport takes 35 minutes by car or 58 minutes by the RER underground line.

The individually decorated rooms at the Hotel du Continent have dramatic murals and fabrics echoing each floor's designated continent. The rooms run small overall and range in categories from XS Single Rooms narrow spaces designed for a solo traveler to XL Junior Suites with separate seating areas. The smallest rooms tend to have high headboards in the shape of wingback chairs, often in a jewel-toned velour. All rooms have bold wallpaper in Chinoiserie or Indian-print patterns as well as soft accent lighting. There are luggage racks and closets, and some rooms have desks with wicker camp stools.  Features include air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs, iPod docks, and safes. Cribs are available on request. Bathrooms are stylish, with equally dramatic decor and color schemes, but some have handheld shower hoses without anywhere to mount them, which some travelers find awkward.

There are not many amenities at the Hotel du Continent but there is an honesty bar with both alcohol and coffee and a good array of newspapers and magazines. A classic continental breakfast is served for a reasonable fee in a small, narrow breakfast room behind frosted glass, street-facing windows. Seating includes a banquette in citrus-hued cushions. Other features include concierge service, with car rentals, dry cleaning and laundry available on request. There's no parking and pets are not allowed, but Wi-Fi is free throughout the hotel.