MY STAY
Seine-facing suite
Cheval Blanc Paris felt quite different from a traditional palace. My suite was contemporary, properly spacious and faced the Seine, so sitting in it for a while seemed as worthwhile as going out. The view depends on which side of the building a room occupies; space alone would not have given me the same stay.
Spa & breakfast
An afternoon at the Dior spa and the pool below street level was time well spent. Less polished moments came at breakfast. French bakery items were a pleasure, but once the coffee never arrived, the eggs were wrong and fromage blanc was replaced with cream. I wanted the everyday order handled as carefully as the suite had been finished.
Restaurants & service
Plénitude deserved a dinner reservation before the trip, and rooftop dining gave another perspective on Paris. I found the venues did not all run at the same pace, so a tight appointment directly after breakfast would have been a poor plan. There was much more to enjoy when meals had breathing room and service had a chance to correct a mistake.
Would I return?
The Seine-facing suite and an unhurried spa afternoon make a stronger case for returning than the palace name alone. At this price the small lapses stood out, but so did the pleasure of coming back to a suite that was genuinely comfortable to inhabit.