Hotels in Saint Germain, Paris: Hotel Baume

What a great find in the heart of the 6th! Newly renovated and redesigned, Hotel Baume is a 35 bedroom, four-star, boutique-style hotel located in a quiet street near the immaculately restored l’Odéon theatre. It’s a super location, just a few minutes walk to the busy boulevard Saint Germain and an even shorter stroll over to the calm atmosphere of the Jardin du Luxembourg. Even today, there’s an authenticity to this little coin of the Left Bank which is alluring. The nearby streets offer a smattering of bookshops old and new, so shopping here is still the haunt of bibliophiles, academics and quiet visitors rather than fashionistas, poseurs or art connoisseurs just a few blocks away.

Le Baume’s makeover was in the accomplished hands of designers Thibaut Fron and Thierry Martin. The theme here is sort of 1930s vintage meets glamour – in fact there are sub-themes involved and each one pays homage to the movies, jewellery, architecture, perfume and nightlife of the Art Deco period. It’s the kind of notion that could go horribly wrong but in this case the execution has real panache and shows an admirable attention to detail. This is evident in the high quality furnishings, comfortable beds, clever selection of fabrics and colours in the rooms – combined with ultra smart bath and shower rooms. Materials throughout are tactile and interesting – shot silk, satin, exotic dark woods, black lacquers and brightly coloured leathers.

Rooms vary in size – this is Paris so the smaller rooms will feel very compact by some standards, but there are six categories of room to choose from and all are kitted out with proper air conditioning, stylish but effective lighting, sound proofed glazing (although the street is fairly quiet anyway) – even the bathroom unguents and lotions are Baume designed. Larger rooms have more space for armchairs and writing desks while the suites have sofas and extra bathroom space. Each suite has a different colour palette and theme – something that isn’t strictly necessary but demonstrates that some genuine care and love has gone into this refurb. The room I want on my next visit is the suite at the top of the hotel with its own little roof-terrace – quel plaisir!

Le Baume has a comfortable lounge area, a small outdoor terrace and further lounge seating which doubles up as the breakfast area. There’s no restaurant or bar, but hey, look at your location and remember you can drink and dine out in this quartier for a lifetime and still find new places to try, so there’s really no need to eat at your hotel. Breakfast is buffet service with the usual selections – nothing to get excited about but perfectly acceptable for this style of hotel.

On my visit I found the staff here to be exceptionally helpful and friendly. This is not ultra-deluxe by some people’s standards but for ambiance, quality finishes, comfort and location, it’s hard to beat. Although Le Baume is themed to within an inch of its life, the standard of finish is very high – the designers have been successful and the end result is pleasing, an antidote to endlessly cloned modernist hotel rooms. If you like this playful style in your hotel decor then it’s worth checking out the rooms on their website – you may just find a design to help you recapture some of that elusive Parisian Left Bank vintage atmosphere!

Hotel Baume, 7, rue Casimir Delavigne, 75006 Paris. Tel: +33 1 53 10 28 50, [email protected]. Classic rooms from 160 Euros. Suites from 320 Euros.