FIVE HOTEL

Extrovert boutique hideaway in the hip Latin quarter

IT MAY BE CALLED THE FIVE, but this arty and original boutique hotel in Paris's fifth arrondisement has a coolness factor of Ten.

Behind its restrained exterior, this 19th century townhouse off the Boulevard de Port-Royal has been given a huge and bold injection of designer Wow. Star-studded ceilings, luminous glass desks, light sculptures and fibre-optic canopies all lend The Five heaps of visual wham-bang.

Daring to be different in a city whose grand hotels heave with traditional Louis XV chairs and chandeliers, The Five is bursting with inspired and creative 21st century touches. Rooms come with extrovert wallpapers and carpets, illuminated plexiglass desks, splashes of velvet, lamps made from a tangle of fibre-optics and window shades that slide into place.

Step inside The Five's diminutive lobby and you’re greeted by boldest red fireplace and geometric chairs covered in boisterous black and white stripes, spots and squares. Small but perfectly formed, bedrooms continue the same theme. Don’t expect safe neutrals or pastels here: each is colour-themed in vivid, straight-up shades of black, orange, green, prune and taupe, shimmying with a Chinese lacquer finish.

Starlit nights and fibre-optics

Mood lighting sets it all off with huge style: ceilings of the ‘scintillating’ rooms are sprinkled with tiny twinkling lights that create a starlit night effect, while fibre-optic canopies add a 21st century shimmy to beds. Sleek but compact bathrooms are stocked with delicious L’Occitane bubbly stuff while tiled shower walls are studded in pinhole stars.

The Five’s Hotel's head-turning rooms throw yet more surprises. One even has an amazing swinging bed, suspended from the ceiling by cables. And they all smell great: you can choose one of five Dyptique room scents to match your mood or your room colours.

Doors have metallic finishes with LED room numbers lit above each, flat-screen plasma TVs come with over 100 channels and everything is spotlessly clean. Ultra-comfortable beds are dressed in crisp linen and satin-lined chenille throws. If you’re after the max in space, go for a luxury room or the suite with its jacuzzi and mini rooftop garden. 

Breakfast is served in a cellared breakfast room – all cheerful red velvet banquettes and multicoloured seats. Fill up on crusty bread and brioches from the famous Monge bakery, washed down with Mariage Frères tea and coffee. 

The Five is a hip hideout that’s fun, friendly and affordable. Getting around town is easy from here: you’re in a quiet, residential pocket of the Latin quarter away from the tourist crowds yet close to the action. Old-Parisian style Rue Mouffetard is just mintes away and you’re spoiled for choice when it comes to eating out at night. Knowledeable and exceptionally warm staff are the icing on the cake.


The Five Hotel was reviewed by Room for Romance

Click on any picture to enlarge it and move through the gallery.

Dining in
Only breakfast is served. It’s a healthy-looking buffet (so no need to feel guilty about having seconds) served in cheerful surrounds.

Dining out
You’re in Paris so you won’t be short of choices. Art deco brasserie Chez Marty – one of the city’s best known – is outstanding and only ten minutes from Five Hotel. For a grander, old-time Paris experience, try the giant La Coupole.

See & Do
Where to begin? Take a stroll through Montparnasse, taking in the steel and glass Maine-Montparnasse tower (there are great views from the 56th floor) and grand buildings. Wander down Rue Mouffetard, which still sports a rakishly bohemian air. The big sights of the Louvre, Arc de Triomphe, River Seine and Jardin du Luxembourg are within comfortable walking distance, and lively nightlife awaits in the Latin quarter.   

Shop
Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and Chanel are just a few of the designer temples you can expect to find in this fashion metropolis. Wander along the shops of rue de Rennes (spot the art nouveau Tati building, originally a grocery store) and check out the street market in rue Mouffetard.

After dark
Boulevard du Montparnasse is pretty lively at night, thanks to its many cinemas and brasseries. Bars stay open late-late in the heart of the Latin Quarter and there are plenty of cool clubs around. 

Make a date
Early January
If you need further proof that Paris is a city for proposals, the Salon du Mariage expo – stuffed with wedding planners and dress designers –should do the trick.

March
Haute couture hits the headlines at the Paris Fashion show. A must for fashion slaves.

Mid-July
Bastille Day is Paris’s biggest party. Get ready for dancing, military parades and a wall-to-wall carnival atmosphere.

GETTING THERE

Location
Rue Flatters, 75005 Paris

Parking
No guest parking – but you won’t need a car in Paris. 

Trains
Nearest mainline TGV station – Gare du Nord, 3km
Nearest metro station – Les Gobelins, 1km.

Taxis
EUR 15-20 from Gare du Nord.

Airport
Paris Orly –13km

ESSENTIAL INFO

Rates guide
EUR 180 - 360

Open/closed
Open all year

Check-in
4pm.

Check-out
Midday

Minimum night stay?
No.

Breakfast
Buffet breakfast is served until 10am

Room service
No

Children
Welcome

Pets
Welcome at EUR 10 per day.

Air conditioning
Yes – all rooms

Languages
French, English, Spanish and German

Wedding license?
No.

Eco conscience
Five Hotel operates a voluntary towel changing scheme, and encourages energy saving.

Your contact
Philippe Vaurs – General manager