What
Paris teems with spectacular hotels lining its grand, leafy boulevards, but few are quite as immediately seductive – even before you’ve crossed the threshold – as Le Cinq Codet in the city’s 7th Arrondissement. Part of the stellar 2L Collection, which also counts a slew of resplendent properties in Provence among its ranks, this Invalides-area address signals its intentions from the pavement. One glance up at the curved Art Deco façade is enough to reassure design enthusiasts that they’re in very elegant hands indeed.
Originally a 1930s telephone exchange, the building’s fluid, curvilinear bones have been deftly reimagined for the 21st-century by acclaimed hotel designer Jean-Philippe Nuel, who envisioned it as ‘a sublimated domestic universe mixed with the universe of a collector’s loft’ (indeed, there are some 400 works of art scattered around the building). This is Paris luxury for the cognoscenti; those who love good design, a discreet welcome, and the sense of being cocooned within a mid-century-inflected yet distinctly contemporary interior – all housed in an Art Deco classic and with views overlooking historic Paris (you can see either the Eiffel Tower or the dome of Invalides from most windows here).
The Welcome
Slick yet genuinely warm, the reception greeting is all smiles, with a friendly porter swiftly spiriting our bags upstairs while we – despite our sublime City of Lights setting – indulge in that most British of pastimes: chatting about the weather. For once, it feels justified. It had been raining relentlessly on both sides of the Channel for weeks – and we miraculously timed our arrival to coincide with a fleeting stretch of blue sky. The team humoured our English preoccupation with easy charm, then gently guided us through the hotel with grace and reassuring efficiency.
The Rooms
Jean-Philippe Nuel’s pedigree in designing luxury hotels where everything simply feels effortless is evident throughout the building – but nowhere more so than in the bedrooms. There are 67 in total, many configured as duplexes, and ours prompts an immediate flurry of happy exclamations the moment the key card clicks. First to catch the eye: a wall of sliding glass doors opening onto a generously sized private terrace, complete with a clear view of the Invalides’ shimmering dome. Coats off, heater on, wine poured – within minutes we’re outside making the most of that rare blue-sky interlude.
Back indoors, further details continue to impress. Mid-century-inflected wood panelling gives warmth without heaviness; the bed is vast and dressed in crisp white linens; and thoughtful extras elevate the stay – a bedside Morphée Box device playing calming sleep-inducing sounds, a collection of meditation books, a neatly stored weighted blanket for extra cocooning comfort, and a spacious double shower stocked with refined natural products from As A Non Believer. And because practicalities matter as much as aesthetics: two separate loos, a small but very welcome luxury.
The Vibe
Le Cinq Codet strikes a pleasing balance between polish and ease. The design credentials are serious, yet the mood never tips into stiffness; instead there’s a relaxed, understatedly luxurious energy that pervades throughout. It’s the sort of hotel that suits both a design-focused city break and a restorative long weekend – somewhere you enjoy returning to as much as heading out into Paris.
The Spa
If a day spent absorbing Parisian culture – café-based or otherwise – calls for some restorative downtime, make your way to the third-floor terrace. Here, an open-air hot tub and double massage cabin sit above the city’s famous rooftops, offering a serene vantage point from which to unwind. Use of the gym, jacuzzi and hammam is included with your stay, but those seeking still deeper relaxation should consider booking a treatment. Options range from Abhyanga and Shiatsu massages to the aptly named Jet Lag treatment – particularly welcome for weary world travellers.
Food & Drink
The walk along the elegant corridor to Le Chiquette – which runs beside a tantalisingly pretty, fairy-lit terrace (sadly too rain-soaked to enjoy during our stay) – is another reminder of Le Cinq Codet’s design credentials. At its end, the space opens up into a welcoming ode to modernism: warm wood cladding that manages to feel both refined and cosy, softly curved lines echoing the building’s exterior, and a gently flickering gas fire that proves especially inviting on a brisk February morning. Put it this way – if Colin Firth circa A Single Man wandered in, he’d look entirely at home. Dinner doesn’t attempt culinary theatrics, instead leaning into well-executed comfort classics – Croque Monsieur, smoked salmon, Caesar salad – recognisably hotel fare, but done with confidence and care. Breakfast, however, is where things become properly indulgent. Alongside a generous buffet – excellent breads, good granola, notably fine cheeses and cold cuts, and croissants that justify their reputation – there’s s succinct à la carte menu. Visiting on British Pancake Day, we don’t resist the urge to opt for a maple syrup-drenched stack with crisp bacon. Simple but parfait.
The Verdict
Style, substance, and that rare achievement: a historic building thoughtfully reinvented in a way that enhances rather than overwhelms its architectural soul. Discreet, design-led luxury in one of Paris’s most refined quarters.
How Much
From approx. €350 per night (around £300), depending on season and room category.
