Hotel Meurice
Where? On the Rue de Rivoli in Paris, opposite the Tuileries Gardens, a spit from the Louvre and smart shops on Place Vendome.
Sensational views, then? Squillionaires should check into the Belle Etoile suite, which takes up the seventh floor and has an adjoining terrace that wraps around the roof of the entire building.
Sounds like a Nicole Kidman-Moulin Rouge moment? Indeed. And if the panoramic balcony vista fails to cut the mustard, try soaking up views of L'Opera, Sacre Coeur, Les Invalides and the Eiffel Tower from the comfort of a Penhaligon's-scented tub.
Grande dame or modern Millie? Renovation work (which took two years and almost $500 million to complete) returned Le Meurice to its former glory as a classic French palace in 2000. The look is ritzy-glitzy: columns, pediments and pilasters are complemented by murals, mosaic floors and lush brocades, while the windows are reflective so guests can see out, but the pigeons can't see in.
Any VIPs? Past visitors include Rudyard Kipling, Yehudi Menuhin, Orson Welles, Ginger Rogers, Yul Brynner and Richard Burton. Pablo Picasso had his wedding dinner at Le Meurice, and Salvador Dali roamed the corridors with his pet ocelot on a diamond collar and lead.
Who goes, now? Franco Zeffirelli, Elizabeth Taylor and Liza Minnelli have all checked in, and Madonna and Jennifer Lopez are mad about the spa, where the vinotherapie treatments help to keep their skin peachy.
Worth shelling out for?
The antioxidant properties of grapeseed are said to be 10,000 times more effective than vitamin E in banishing lines. The treatments include a Premier Grand Cru facial, Sauvignon massage and Crushed
Cabernet scrub.
What are the rooms like? Soigne and spacious. Each of the 160 guest quarters is differently decorated (think cloud-painted ceilings, canopied beds, marble fireplaces and Persian rugs), but it's the bathrooms that are the cat's pyjamas.
Tell us more ... The tubs have sub-porcelain heating elements, so one's derriere never feels the chill, and the look is marble, marble, everywhere.
What's on the menu? Afternoon tea is available from the extremely civilised Jardin d'Hiver, and wicked cocktails from the dark, decadent bar. The hotel's formal restaurant has a Michelin star - and is a dream of rococo cherubs, foie gras and froideur-free service.
