Parisian Indulgences Worth The Splurge

Romance. Fashion. Food. Art. Paris has it all. The City of Lights is at once effortlessly glamorous and one of the few cities in the world that still feels relaxed. Parisians smoke regular cigarettes, take leisurely three hour lunches and still read print books. There are more perfume shops and art galleries than you know what to do with and on an unseasonably warm Saturday in February, flocks of people bask in the sun at Place des Vosges and Jardin des Tuileries. It's easy to be satisfied with a meal of cheese, bread and house wine at many a bistro, but Paris also does luxury like nowhere else, and it doesn't come cheap. Here are some of the city's best splurges.

Michelin Two Stars

Compared to any American city, Paris has an overwhelming number of glittering Michelin-starred restaurants – 123 to be precise. To avoid becoming paralyzed by choice, many foodies simply start at the top, with the nine three-star restaurants. Might as well go big or go home, right? But in my experience, many of the 16 two-star venues are equally enchanting if you're looking for quintessential Parisian fine dining, full of surprises and decadent details.

For example, Le Meurice Alain Ducasse is arguably just as extravagant and delicious as Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée. The breathtaking dining room is inspired by the peace salon at Versailles, frescoed ceilings and sparkling crystal chandeliers setting the tone for the magnificent meal ahead. Executive Chef Jocelyn Herland has worked with Alain Ducasse for 20 years now, including at Plaza Athénée and helming his three-star restaurant in London. Herland serves fish with finesse – line-caught Ikejime sea bass and Brittany blue lobster with fresh Périgord black truffles are highlights. Cédric Grolet's desserts are equally impressive and not too sweet, a simple rum baba topped with lightly whipped cream and an incredibly robust ode to Sicilian pistachios showing his range. Even the array of breads served with cheese (fig and nuts, a buttery black olive spiral etc) is notable. It's easy to see why Grolet was named World's Best Pastry Chef last year.

L'Abeille is another worthy contender. The gastronomic French restaurant at Shangri-La Paris is named for the Bonaparte family's imperial insignia and the honey bee motif appears throughout the dining room and meal, from the plush gray curtains to Pastry Chef Michaël Bartocetti's's signature frosted Corsican honey dessert, perfumed with lemon and eucalyptus. Executive Chef Christophe Moret shows a light touch with a beautifully composed rainbow of baby vegetables in herbaceous tofu sauce, but in winter season the smell of black truffles permeates the room as most diners indulge voluptuary tastes with dishes like Bresse chicken smothered in Escoffier's classic Albufera sauce and garnished with fresh truffles shaved tableside. Understanding that you'll be stuffed to the gills, you're sent home with a tablet of honeycomb shaped dark chocolate and jar of Corsican honey to enjoy the next day rather than choosing final bites from a mignardise trolley.

Rooms With A View

Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris is a curious juxtaposition between the historic and contemporary, debuting in 1928 then reopening after a complete redesign by Philippe Starck in 2010 with a new brand of chic, edgy artistry. There's an emphasis on modern art throughout the property and rooms are lined with floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the bathroom and dressing rooms. One of the most pleasant surprises though, is throwing open the doors to the balcony, stepping onto the terrace and gazing down the road at the Arc de Triomphe just a couple blocks away. If you're booking a junior suite, be sure to specify that you'd like one of the 18 with Arc de Triomphe views.

If it's Eiffel Tower views you're after, both the Shangri-La Hotel, Paris and Hotel Plaza Athénée have killer vantage points from many of their rooms and suites.

The Suite Life

Standard rooms in Paris can be on the smaller side, so it's worth upgrading to a suite to store your shopping bags. Plus, it's always nice to have a sitting area where you can enjoy a bottle of wine you picked up at a local wine shop before heading out for the evening with friends. The 43 suites at Park Hyatt Paris-Vendôme have plenty of space for all of the above. All 153 rooms here feel like contemporary Parisian pied-à-terres rather than a hotel in the traditional sense. The understated property discreetly combines several Haussmann-era town houses on Rue de la Paix and is littered with hundreds of Rosaline Granet sculptures.

Nearby, in the 8th arrondissement, Sofitel Paris le Faubourg is one of the most affordable and under-the-radar five-star hotels in Paris. The Sofitel has a more feminine but still contemporary ambiance, with beautiful gray stucco crown moldings, colorful fresh flowers, rich fabrics and fashion photos, a nod to the 18th century mansion's former life as Marie Claire magazine’s headquarters. The 17 collection suites by French interior designer Didier Gomez are inspired by the salon of a fashion house, with glass doors and drapery dividing the marble bathroom as if it were a fitting room. The terrace has views to the Place de Concorde although you can't quite see the Luxor Obelisk.

Looking Your Best

Even if you aren't trying to keep up with fashion editors, models and celebrities, there's a certain pressure to look good in Paris. It's fun to dress up for a night on the town, and many French beauty brands are ready to ensure you're perfectly coiffed and made up as well.

In celebration of 10 years at Hotel Plaza Athénée, Dior Institut has launched a new 10-step Quintessence facial that begins with aromatherapy and a skin analysis and concludes 90 minutes later after a back massage, sapphire crystal microdermabrasion and thermal activated mask with a light makeup application that leaves you fresh-faced and glowing. You'll be so comfortable you won't want to get up, so elect to get manicure too, perhaps with Dior's signature Rouge 999 polish. There's no need to move either – manicures are done while supine.

Biologique Recherche is another French cult classic, and one of the most results-oriented brands out there, with a flagship Embassy of Beauty located right on the Champs-Élysées. The simple packaging conveys their clinical approach and use of pure ingredients personalized to each client's skin. Every treatment begins with a careful skin analysis to determine your skin's condition in this precise instant with a series of treatments prescribed accordingly, using the most concentrated, active ingredients. You may be literally electrified to brighter, clearer skin.

When it's time for hair and makeup, don't settle for anything less than the best. When they aren't fully booked with fashion royalty during Fashion Week, David Mallett and his team have time for mere mortals too. Mallett's flagship salon is located in the 2nd arrondissement, but he has a smaller location right inside the Ritz Paris too. Trust the team here to get you red carpet ready, and finish you off with a few puffs of shimmering gold dust, a product launched to celebrate the Ritz's reopening in 2016. Then head to the Ritz's intimate Chanel makeup boutique, where there's just one chair and you can try new products a month before they launch worldwide. Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel lived here for 34 years, so there's nowhere else you'd expect to find the world's first and only Chanel Spa.

Hotels With History

There are many iconic hotels in Paris, historic landmarks and palaces, like the Shangri-La Paris, formerly Prince Roland Bonaparte's private palace, or the newly reopened Hotel Lutetia on the Left Bank where James Joyce wrote "Ulysses," and Josephine Baker sang jazz. Oh, and Picasso and Matisse once lived here too. The crown moldings are all original from 1910, as is the delicate fresco across the ceiling of Bar Josephine, which took 17,000 hours to restore.

But the grandest dame of them all would have to be the Ritz Paris at 15 Place Vendôme, founded in 1898 by Swiss hotelier, César Ritz, with Chef Auguste Escoffier. The two private mansions that comprise the Ritz were completed in 1703 and 1705, and this was the first hotel in France with running water, electricity and telephones. One particularly friendly doorman with stylish blue frames in the Ritz's signature blue told me that he has worked at The Ritz for more than 50 years and is the last person on the current staff who also waited on Mademoiselle Chanel.

Since the 2016 reopening, half of the 142 rooms are now suites, many dedicated to famous guests over the years including Frédéric Chopin, Marcel Proust and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The redesign brings a lighter, brighter touch to the décor while still preserving the hotel's rich history and spirit. You'll find César Ritz's signature brass swan faucets in all bathrooms and every detail, from the plush fabrics to antique furniture is simply sumptuous.

To prepare for your stay at the Ritz, read Melanie Benjamin's new book, Mistress of the Ritz, a work of historical fiction about the hotelier couple forced to host the invading Germans at the Ritz during World War II and the wife's dangerous role with the French Resistance. It's the inspiring, fantastical stories like these that make Paris today feel so alive.