This New Resort in Paris Masterfully Blends the Better of Japanese and French Design – Right here’s What It’s Wish to Keep

Resort Hana opened its wrought-iron doorways this February in Paris’ 2nd arrondissement, making it one of many newest — and really welcome — additions to a slew of progressive openings within the metropolis. The creation of hotelier Nicolas Saltiel of Chapitre Six (previously Adresses Motels) joins the group’s different seven boutique properties sprinkled all through Paris, Cap d’Antibes, and Saint-Tropez. Every goals to “mix the heat of a household house with the consolation of a grand lodge” whereas being deeply rooted in its explicit atmosphere, an endeavor that Resort Hana pulls off brilliantly.

Situated in a chic Haussmanian constructing on the northern fringe of Paris’ Little Tokyo — primarily the Japanese shop-lined Rue Sainte-Anne — Resort Hana’s ties to its neighborhood might be instantly seen in its Japonisme-inspired aesthetic, which references the immense reputation of Japanese aesthetics in late Nineteenth-century France. Each beautiful woven, lacquered, embroidered, and polished element — as orchestrated by architect, inside designer, and “Queen of Color” Laura Gonzalez and inventive director Oliver Leone (whose background is in trend) — invitations contact and speaks to the situation’s distinctive intersection between East and West.

From the fragrant matcha and black sesame madeleines that welcomed me on arrival and my room’s low travertine desk subtly reduce to counsel the contours of a sakura flower to my camembert tempura appetizer on the lodge’s restaurant, each aspect served to remind me of Japanese artwork de vivre refracted by a Gallic lens. (Greater than as soon as, I used to be reminded of Ogata, that temple of haute Japanese residing within the Marais, which coincidentally additionally occurs to be one in every of Saltiel’s favourite locations.)

I stayed in a Status Room, a soothing, elegant iroko wood- and woven straw-clad cocoon full of tasteful East-West accents like crimson lacquer-finish cabinetry, cherry blossom-embroidered lumbar pillows, plush contour-lined Pierre Frey carpets and a complimentary furoshiki-esque tote with handles you tie collectively. My toilet, outfitted with putting rust-red and cream checkerboard-style marble tiles, contained a high-pressure bathe and Diptyque toiletries. Mornings have been notably atmospheric, with my room bathed in a glowing mild because of the numerous French doorways (excellent for shopping my bedside copy of “Japaneasy,” London-based chef and creator Tim Anderson’s e book on easy Japanese cooking), whereas three wrought-iron Juliet balconies proved splendid perches for gazing upon a bustling weekend market on the streets under.

Beguiling appears to be like apart, the lodge has simply 26 keys, and its workers’s authentically heat, personalised service meant I instantly felt like a longtime resident — making this boutique gem one to return to over and over. Right here’s all the things you might want to learn about Resort Hana.

The Rooms

Resort Hana has 26 rooms, ranging from the 182-square-foot Traditional Room to a 344-square-foot suite on the seventh flooring that transforms right into a spacious “House” when mixed with a connecting Traditional Room. Guestrooms supply views of Rue du Quatre Septembre and Rue de Gramont, whereas the topmost flooring affords views of the Sacre Coeur.

Rooms supply twin-, queen- or king-sized beds, Nespresso machines, and well-curated minibar alternatives the place madeleines and French apple juices nestle alongside a petite pot of wasabi “pearls,” Japanese teas from 170-year-old Japanese model Maruyama Nori, Japanese roasted buckwheat chocolate and Kaori-yeast sake.

Additionally included are Diptyque toiletries, showers with high-pressure rain showers or bathtubs, flat-screen LED televisions, quick Wi-Fi, and entry to the pool and fitness center. Small pets are permitted at an extra cost of 25 euros per day.

Meals & Drinks

Situated subsequent to the primary entrance, the bar is a sultrily lit, stone-topped affair that serves an intensive array of sake and French wines, together with Japanese-inflected cocktail classics like a dry martini ready with Japanese gin and sansho-pepper-infused vermouth or a Lemon Drop that mixes French vodka with sake and yuzu.

The East-West theme continues within the lodge’s restaurant, Hanabi, which is positioned on the road stage and attracts a superb mixture of locals and lodge visitors. Designed by Shirley Garrier of The Social Meals, a inventive studio specializing in meals design, styling, and images, Hanabi affords “Japanised” French culinary classics that diners can get pleasure from both at a chef’s counter framed in bamboo-esque, green-glazed tiles or at any of the pockets of seating created by curving plush, velvet seating and sculpted sage-green ceramic tabletops.

The menu (flipped proper to left, as in Japan) affords up fun-to-eat fusion delights like pot-au-feu cooked in a mushi nabe, camembert tempura with Aonori seaweed and yuzu jam, soy sauce creme brulee and hojicha tiramisu.

I attempted the kinmedai crudo, a examine in pink with translucent slices of the prized red-skinned fish topped with crimson endive, tiny radish discs, and sauces of hibiscus shiso, umeboshi, and white miso. The udon with bisque and langoustine tartare, in the meantime, was a chaud-froid umami bomb, with the nice and cozy, bisque-coated noodles melding appealingly with the chilled langoustine nuggets and briny samphire.

Breakfast is served Western or Hanabi-style, with viennoiserie from Paris’s Maison Lalos bakery, or Ochazuke, a rice soup soaked in dashi and tea broth with salmon stomach, shiitake mushrooms, and sliced leeks.

Actions & Experiences

The pleasant concierge is able to assist with all the things from restaurant reservations to particular methods to discover the neighborhood. There’s a small fitness center, together with a pool (with curlicue handrails and an invigorating counter-current) that visitors can e book by the hour for full privateness.

Hana Spa (within the lodge’s basement) includes two remedy cabins the place visitors can get pleasure from quite a lot of Japanese-inspired therapies akin to reiki, kobo, and reflexology drainage designed in collaboration with holistic therapeutic massage knowledgeable Lymfea. For instance, the detoxifying Hara – Stomach Concord therapeutic massage (150 euros for 60 minutes) focuses on the stomach, which in Japanese custom is believed to be the middle of significant power linked to total well-being.

Accessibility

The lodge has two accessible rooms and there may be an elevator. The restaurant and concierge desk are positioned on the bottom flooring and are wheelchair accessible.

Location

Located at a “crossroads of cultures,” Resort Hana is a few 10- to 15-minute stroll away from main sights just like the Louvre and the Palais Garnier, together with the world-class procuring of Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. Mere steps away is Rue Sainte-Anne, with its buzzy neon-lit karaoke joints, udon bars, matcha cafes, and retailers promoting all the things from Japan-imported crockery to Japanese groceries and colourful koinobori (carp streamers).

Easy methods to Get the Most Worth Out of Your Keep

You may discover the bottom charges throughout winter — particularly in November and February.