THE FACTS ABOUT L'HOTEL

France Paris

ROMANTIC Lying on his deathbed at L'Hôtel in November 1900, Oscar Wilde exclaimed: 'My wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or the other of us must go.' When he realised it would be him, he concluded: 'I suppose I shall have to die above my means.' The rates may still be justifiably high, but the result is enchanting. Located on the rue des Beaux-Arts in the 6th arrondissement, moments away from the fabled Café de Flore, L'Hôtel has just 20 rooms arranged around its famous atrium, which rises up through all six floors. More treasures can be found downstairs in the reception where original Cocteau drawings are hung next to handwritten letters from Wilde to his friends. From there, pass through to the library and bar, and the intimate, frescoed salon Coupole, into the Empire-style coffee lounge/dining room where meals are taken on green-and-gold striped sofas under the antique metal lanterns - or out on the small, verdant terrace. Perhaps the most surprising feature is in the cellar, a green-and-blue mosaic-tiled steam room and swimming pool - unheard of in the 6th where space is at a premium. In keeping with the general air of privacy, only two people are allowed down at a time and staff will surround the pool with candles on request. ROOMS Each room has been themed on a personality who stayed at the hotel, or objets found there. From the delightfully girlie Art Deco scheme of the Mistinguett room, furnished with the singer's own bed and dressing table, to the neoclassical opulence of the St Petersburg suite with its Raffaeli-signed portrait, all feature exquisite period furniture, luxurious fabrics and intriguing details. In the ultra-British Oscar Wilde suite, for example, there are framed letters to the writer imploring him to pay his bill. CONTACT L'Hôtel, 13 rue des Beaux-Arts, 75006 Paris (00 33 1 44 41 99 00); email reservation@l-hotel.com