‘If it’s good enough for a French president, it’s good enough for me’: MailOnline’s TED THORNHILL stays at the swanky Paris hotel where Nicolas Sarkozy celebrated his election victory
- Ted checks into Hotel Barriere Le Fouquet’s, where Sarkozy celebrated his 2007 election victory
- The staff formed a victory tunnel for him when he departed following an overnight stay (Sarkozy, that is)
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If it’s good enough for a president of France – it’s good enough for me.
Nicolas Sarkozy celebrated his 2007 election victory at Paris’s 62-room Hotel Barriere Le Fouquet’s, in its legendary restaurant Brasserie Fouquet’s. The staff formed a victory tunnel for him when he departed following an overnight stay.
I follow in his footsteps (minus the victory tunnel) with an overnight stay at the hotel on the way to the Alps with my family and can confirm that it’s a fitting place for VIPs – and five-year-olds who love swimming pools.
My partner and I mention to our daughter Emma, on the way to the hotel, located where the Champs Elysees meets Avenue George V, that it has a pool and within minutes of putting our bags down in our room – she’s ready for action.
Ted checks into Hotel Barriere Le Fouquet’s in Paris. Pictured above is the incredible swimming pool
Current affairs: The pool features an amazing mini pool with a fun ‘lazy river’ experience (pictured in the foreground)
Nicolas Sarkozy celebrated his 2007 election victory at Hotel Barriere Le Fouquet’s. He’s pictured here emerging through a victory tunnel formed by the staff after spending the night in the property
I lie down on the bed, hoping for a few minutes of post-journey recuperation, but Emma is at the end of said bed wearing her costume, armbands – and goggles – pleading for the pool.
The room seems lovely, but a full appraisal will just have to wait.
Down we go in the elevator to the spa – and down go our jaws.
The main pool area is gorgeous, reminiscent of a boutique townhouse, with paintings lining grey wooden panelling.
At the far end is a fun mini pool with bubbling water and an ingenious oblong enclosure of sorts with a rectangular block in the middle. Here the water is pushed around the block to produce a fun lazy-river experience.
Dreamy: Ted’s ‘lovely’ suite (pictured) features a huge padded gold headboard
Rooms at Hotel Barriere Le Fouquet’s cost from £834, at the time of writing
The hotel is located where the Champs Elysees meets Avenue George V
The famous Brasserie Fouquet’s, where Nicolas Sarkozy partied on the night of his election victory
After our aquatic larks, the room appraisal begins in earnest. And ‘definitely lovely’ is the conclusion.
There’s a sumptuous king-sized bed in front of a gigantic golden padded headboard, a walk-in wardrobe, a separate loo, a standalone tub in a room with twin sinks and a bounty of chrome fittings and an enclosed walk-in rain shower.
All very refined, though not quite in the realms of jaw-dropping, which you might expect for the price (over £830 a night).
Breakfast is served in plush Le Joy bar, which features beautifully upholstered chairs and sofas, and a library aesthetic
At breakfast, reveals Ted, every table is adorned by default with proper napkins, silver cutlery, baskets of pastries, glasses stuffed with fresh fruit and jams in wooden trays (left). Pictured on the right is the breakfast buffet section
The hotel’s signature suite, above, takes opulence to another level
It’s too late for a restaurant meal, so we order room service for three – spaghetti with cheese and heavenly grilled salmon that prompts much oohing and aahing.
Breakfast is even more delightful.
It’s served in plush Le Joy bar, with every table adorned by default with proper napkins, silver cutlery, baskets of pastries, glasses stuffed with fresh fruit and jams in wooden trays.
I add to the feast with scrambled eggs and sausages from the buffet section, pausing between mouthfuls to admire the room’s beautifully upholstered chairs and sofas, and the library aesthetic – the walls are lined with hundreds of books.
Our stay is brief, but long enough for the hotel’s president-baiting swagger to make a lasting impression.
READ MORE: Inside the ‘best new ski hotel of 2022
TRAVEL FACTS
Ted is hosted by Hotel Barriere Le Fouquet’s, where rooms cost from £834 per night at the time of writing.
PROS: Incredible pool, superb breakfast, no shortage of opulence, delicious room-service salmon.
CONS: For the money, one might expect the rooms to be decidedly jaw-dropping rather than ‘refined and lovely’.
Rating out of five: ****
Eurostar
Visit Eurostar.com for information on its high-speed services between London St Pancras and Paris Gare du Nord.
Blacklane chauffeurs
Ted uses the superb Blacklane chauffeur service for the journey from his south London home to Gatwick Airport and in Paris for a transfer to Gare de Lyon for a TGV to Bourg-Saint-Maurice. Blacklane has a brilliantly user-friendly booking system and operates in more than 200 cities around the world. Visit www.blacklane.com/en.
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