Le Pavillon de la Reine

At Le Pavillon de la Reine, it is perfectly reasonable to return to your hotel in the middle of the afternoon. Not because Paris has run out of things to do, but because there is somewhere rather nice to sit. In summer, the courtyard garden is a lovely place for tea or a drink. In winter, there is a salon with a fireplace. The Marais is full of reasons to go out, but this hotel gives you a few good ones to come home.

Its address is number 28, Place des Vosges, though the hotel itself stands beyond the square, in a seventeenth-century house surrounded by greenery. It is an extraordinary location. You can walk to the Picasso Museum, explore the shops of the rue des Francs-Bourgeois, cross the river to the Île Saint-Louis or spend an afternoon doing very little under the arcades. And when you have had enough of the crowds, there is a quiet garden waiting for you.

The house has 56 rooms and suites, decorated by Didier Benderli with a mixture of old Paris and contemporary comfort. There are exposed beams, parquet floors, velvet chairs and modern art, but no rigid house style. Some rooms have high ceilings, others are tucked beneath the roof, and a few have their own internal staircases. Choosing carefully matters. A Classic Room is a snug 21 square metres; a Deluxe can be anything from 21 to 32. For a longer stay, the Junior Suites offer more breathing room, and it is worth asking for the particular layout and outlook you prefer rather than relying on the category name alone. Most look towards the courtyard, terrace or a quiet street, not across the Place des Vosges.

Downstairs, Anne is a small Michelin-starred restaurant where Thibault Sombardier's cooking gives you a good reason to stay in for dinner. It is open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, with brunch on Sundays, so a reservation is worth making before you arrive. There is also a bar for an evening drink, and the spa has a hammam, a hot tub and treatment rooms. There is no swimming pool, and none of the vast public spaces found in the Paris palaces. Here, the pleasure is being able to move easily between the city and a comfortable, quiet house.

There are some useful surprises. The hotel offers complimentary parking, almost unheard of at this address, though spaces should be reserved in advance. Families can book connecting rooms or one of the larger suites; Le Petit Pavillon, with two bedrooms and its own entrance, is particularly appealing, provided nobody minds the stairs. The hotel also has adapted accommodation for guests with reduced mobility, which should be requested when booking.

Not everybody will love it. The rooms vary considerably in size and shape, the interiors can be quite richly decorated, and the small spa will disappoint anyone expecting a full day of treatments and swimming. Travellers who enjoy a busy lobby, a famous bar or an energetic hotel scene will find more of that elsewhere.

Le Pavillon de la Reine suits people who want to spend their days out in Paris without feeling obliged to stay out until bedtime. You can browse the Marais all morning, come back for an hour with a book, and head out again for dinner. Or you can book a table at Anne and stay exactly where you are. Both make for a very agreeable visit.