What to expect: Although the hotel is in the 1st arrondissement (district) in grand, historic Paris, the narrow Rue Molière is quiet and has a local feel, with restaurants, grocers, hairdressers and patisseries. A plaque on the façade commemorates the visit of Peruvian poet Cesar Vallejo (1892-1938), who stayed in the hotel in the 1920s. Today, leisure travelers dominate but business travelers also enjoy the location, near to many financial institutions. Amenity highlights: The small lobby has leather-covered chairs, a computer for high-speed Internet access (fee), and choice of teas or coffee. Insider tip: At the end of the Rue Molière, at the point where it joins the Rue de Richelieu, sits a sculpture of the great eponymous comic playwright, whose canon (including the tale of the hypocritical Tartuffe are the staple diet of the classical repertoire of the Comédie Française, Place Royal. The sculpture depicts a contented Molière, with flowing locks (a wig, no doubt), pantaloons revealing well-defined calves and ribboned shoes. On either side, two angels hold up scrolls listing the titles of his works. Cherubs fly above. |