Le Meurice Hotel
| Polyphenols and a Palace Hotel make for a remarkable therapeutic cocktail in Paris, France | |||
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Copyright © 2007 May Georgina DeLory A place to inspire the soul, rest awhile, and emerge anew; Le Meurice, since 1835, is just such a place — a palace hotel in the finest tradition on the rue de Rivoli and Tuileries Gardens. Recently, Le Meurice announced the winner of its first Contemporary Art Prize. Zoulikha Bouabdellah, born in Paris and who is represented by gallery LA B.A.N.K., was announced as the finalist in the 2008/2009 non-profit competition to allow for an up-and-coming French artist to continue creating art. The 2009/2010 winner is Renaud Auguste-Dormeuil, represented by gallery In Situ. Winners jointly receive the Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art: € 10,000 for the artist and € 10,000 for his or her gallery. Le Meurice is between the Place de la Concorde and the Grand Louvre, fronting the famous Jardin des Tuileries. From Le Meurice, it is a short stroll to the Opera Garnier and the shopping areas of rue de la Paix and rue Saint-Honore where Hermes, Dior, Versace, Guy Laroche, Lanvin and Yves Saint-Laurent are displayed. The 1930s saw Coco Chanel give countless receptions at Le Meurice.  Charles Jouffre inspired private guest rooms Queen Victoria made Le Meurice her digs as did the Dukes and Duchesses of Windsor, Kent, York, and Marlborough. US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt stayed at Le Meurice; Russian composer Tchaikovsky was a guest after giving a concert. The King of Spain, Alphonse XIII, booked rooms at Le Meurice immediately after the completed 1905 – 1907 renovation that cost 8 million francs and offered individual private baths. The King brought with him his own furniture. Le Meurice saw guests such as writers Rudyard Kipling and Walter Lippmann; and more recently renowned singer and actress Liza Minnelli and opera star Placido Domingo. As well, Orson Welles, writer, director and star of the 1941 feature film Citizen Kane, and Hollywood stars Ginger Rogers, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton, and Eddie Fisher were devotees of the hotel. Surrealist painter Salvador Dali asked hotel staff to collect flies for him across from the hotel in the Tuileries Gardens at a cost of five francs per fly. Today, Le Meurice enjoys a vast cross-section of guests to reflect an international persona, from rock stars and industry kingpins to film actors and actresses.  Le Meurice Foyer  Le Meurice Restaurant Le Meurice is designated “palace” accommodation due to its architectural, cultural, and historical heritage. 1771 beginnings as a coach inn were modest, serving exhausted upper class British travelers in Calais on their way to Paris after crossing the Straits of Dover. A forward thinking postmaster, Charles-Augustin Meurice, used his coach inn for guests and arranged rides to Paris aboard his unique 36-hour coach service. He built a second inn in Paris in 1817 shortly before his death in 1820. In 1835 Le Meurice began anew in its present location overlooking the historic Tuileries Gardens. By the 19th century British upper crust knew the hotel by the nickname “City of London” because the vast majority of Le Meurice staff spoke English and understood keenly the English love of brown beer, cognac and fellow countrymen nearby willing to listen to a story or two. Soon the hotel on rue de Rivoli overlooking acres of lovely formal gardens ideal for a leisurely morning or late afternoon stroll became known as the hotel of kings and queens due to the large number of royalty staying at the hotel. The hotel’s clientel has not changed much to this day, hosting the crème de la crème on all fronts of society.  Dogs get the Royal treatment too! A walk in the Tuileries Garden The first time I saw Paris I knew I was home. Why, I haven’t the foggiest idea. I suppose, in the beginning, it is the same for most visitors to the city of eternal light: magnificent buildings, museums, an exhilarating night-life that makes one want to kick up heels and never leave the city; and of course the many fresh flower stalls scattered throughout the city add to Paris’s colour, romance, glamour and earthiness.  Use the Le Meurice bikeI had already seen the Eiffel Tower from its base having sailed the River Seine at full moon with my daughter. It's late September and our lazy afternoon stroll about the Tuileries Gardens, which amounted to a mere fraction of the more than 280,000 square metres (25 hectares), is well worth our time. The Tuileries run from the Louvre to Place de la concorde and were designed in 1564 for French royalty. Today, the gardens are public. The Eiffel Tower is seen in the distance, is less imposing, more friendly this way, as if to welcome the idea that its rising structure may be climbed at will by anyone truly in love with her. In warm months here at the Tuileries there are toy boats to rent and sail across a large garden pond to the excitement of children. Le Meurice caters to children The Tuileries Garden is designed to run parallel to the River Seine. Catherine de Medicis — after the death in 1559 of her father, Henry 11 of France, had the Tuileries Palace erected in 1564 after several tile factories on the site were demolished to make way for the palace. The palace had been under attack many times. In 1871 the Tuileries Palace was set on fire for the last time burning to the ground all but its exterior stone walls. Over the years various statues have been removed or destroyed but today statues by Coustou, Coysevox, Carpeaux, and Rodin as well as modern sculptors like Max Ernst, and Giacometti may be enjoyed in the gardens. After visiting the Tuileries Gardens we crossed the wide street to Le Meurice for my spa appointment with Caudalie Spa which would be followed by English Afternoon Tea within the hotel. Caudalie is a spa and fitness centre on the hotel mezzanine level that uses exclusively Caudalie treatments, products created by Mathilde and Bertrand Thomas, and trained masseuses from Les Sources de Caudalie in France. Caudalie is the world’s first “vinotherapie” spa, a spa that uses grape-seed extract serum with powerful antioxidant properties of oligomeric proanthocyanidins. I was looking forward to my treatment as I had a great deal of pain in one knee due to an accident. Paris may be a city of Light; but it is also a city that begs to be walked, and walked, and walked. And we did just this. Walk. So, off to the spa in hopes to make things right. Crushed grape-seed extract has antioxidants and polyphenols that block cell degenerating free radicals. Warm spring water taken from a depth of 540 meters is rich in minerals and is used in the treatments. The grape seeds have no scent and are as soft as the finest silk. Honey is mixed along with the seeds and this warm paste is spread gently over the nude body with relaxing massage strokes. A heated blanket is then wrapped around the client from chin to toe for twenty or so minutes. I found this an odd sensation: all bundled up like one giant white sausage. I almost refused this part of the treatment citing a near anxiety attack. There’s a lot to be said for just pushing onward through one’s fears.  Spa Valmont, Le Meurice  Swiss Treatments Left alone and in the dark in the treatment room and wondering how all this French pampering was going to play out in these old bones, I closed my eyes and thought of the meal I would not get to eat this time ‘round in Paris on the second level of the Eiffel Tower: No reservation had been secured three months in advance of our visit to Paris. I pacified myself with the knowledge that I myself along with my daughter would soon be upstairs of Le Meurice savouring fancy sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, exquisite jams, exotic teas with antioxidant qualities high in vitamin C we’d been informed, and a multitude of French pastry in a palace restaurant garden setting. In place of tea one could have champagne. As we were not staying overnight in the hotel we would not enjoy breakfast. Yannick Alleno, and Ladurée, world renowned Parisian cafe and pastry shop, put their heads together to come up with the ultimate Parisian all-chocolate breakfast: the Choc’Alleno.  Le Meurice adores children When my therapist returned to the treatment room to see how I was doing I let out a low murmur to signify that I was absolutely perfect. On the therapist’s second round it was time for me to use the private shower in the treatment room to wash off the honey and grape seeds. Next a glorious massage is performed. Finally I was instructed to get up from the treatment table. I recall the ease with which I moved didn’t register immediately— not until I began to get dressed and found that I didn’t need to calculate each and every movement executed to ward off pain. My movements now were carefree. The spa is both elegant and restful designed in marble, wood, stone and glass, serving both men and women with separate change rooms with sauna, steam, showers and toilets. The spa is intimate, serving up to six clients. Lots of sample-size Caudalie products in the ladies bathroom to enjoy pre/post spa treatments. Dense with luxurious detail are the spa robes and individual spa slippers. Hint: come early for your treatment and enjoy the sauna and Jacuzzi to your heart’s content. There’s an Anti-ageing facial treatment using an exclusive Claudalie polyphenol serum that combines ultrasound, electro stimulation, and galvanic current. There’s a weight loss treatment, too; but I myself did not have time for more than the one massage. Quite new I learned is a molecule from vine stalks called Viniferine for anti-dark spot and skin correcting action. There is an entire skin and bodyline. Claudalie’s main spa is in Bordeaux. There are a few other locations — Spain and New York City.  Pastry Chef, Camille Lesecq  Le Dali Restaurant Le Meurice in 2000 was restored to its original status as a classic French Palace with the completion of an extensive two-year renovation. It’s main dining room, le Meurice, presided over by Chef Yannick Alleno whose restaurant was in 2007 presented the Michelin Guide’s highest honour for a third star, is a place to fully unwind and enjoy French gastronomy at its finest in a splendid Louis XVI environment. There are only a handful of Paris restaurants with Three Michelin Stars. Second to the Michelin guide is the French gastronomic guide Gault and Millau created in 1969 by Henri Gault and Christian Millau. In contrast to the Michelin guide, Gault and Millau award Hats with one-to-five and five being tops. In 2009 Le Meurice restaurant received five hats from Gault and Millau, and the trendy Le Dali restaurant was awarded three hats. Ara Starck painted the 145 square meters ceiling on Le Dali. Camille Lesecq, head pastry chef, recently created a Detox Macaron as part of Afternoon Tea served in Le Dali March through summer from 3:30 to 6:30 – a green tea and candied pink grapefruit cream delight. Oscetra Royal Caviar is served with condiments. Le Bar 228 is a throw back on the Gentleman’s private club. But don’t be fooled, Le Meurice is anything but stuffy and out of style. Live jazz is played 7:PM to Midnight. Those who know Paris well say that the best Club sandwiches are to found in Le Meurice. Fifty whiskies and malts are served. Anything hard to get is found here. Cocktails are a good idea. Ask for the Starcky or The 228 among other fascinating concoctions. The main dining room, Le Meurice, is to the right behind magnificent closed doors once immediately inside the hotel’s front entrance. We arrived too early for dinner; but this didn’t keep us from admiring the Louis XVI period chandeliers that I took to be Baccarat crystal. Tall and narrow windows from inside the opulent dining room overlook the Tuileries Gardens. Window treatments are formal, heavy drapery in floral patterns of the softest shades of gold, salmon, yellow, and green. Landscape paintings on the walls and a ceiling painted with blue sky and delicate angels add to the room’s quiet elegance. Antique bevelled mirrors, ornate gilding, and marble fireplace accent the intimate space holding perhaps ten round dining tables and chairs with oval backs and straight legs looking very much like miniature columns of ancient Rome. At first I thought the mosaic pattern on the floor was of fine wool carpet. Once I stepped into the room my soft-soled shoes told me the floor was tile. Carpet had hidden the tile’s initial true beauty until recently. The patterns on the floor precisely mimic those of the china commissioned by Limoges for the Meurice. I couldn’t help but think of Greta Garbo playing mistress to Charles Boyer’s Napoleon Bonaparte in the 1937 Hollywood film “Conquest”. In late 2008 Le Meurice General Manager Franka Holtmann asked Charles Jouffre, a man responsible for creating drapes and sumptuous hangings in the Grand Foyer at the Opera Garnier, to imagine the hotel’s guest rooms a touch warmer in tone and feel –home à la française. To date, Le Meurice has won many awards, including the 2009 Conde Nast Traveller US - Gold List/World’s Best Places to Stay (2nd. place in Europe); and placed in Travel + Leisure - Top 50 Hotels in the World. Fortune Magazine placed Le Meurice sixth in the world and the only hotel in France for the 2008 The Ten Best Business Hotels.  View from Belle Etoile Royal Suite Rushed for time, we still want to see Paris from the hotel’s rooftop terrace. On our way up in the hotel elevator I thought the city view would be fascinating; I wasn’t prepared for my senses to become momentarily startled by the historical significance of what lay before us. As soon as we reach Le Meurice’s rooftop Belle Etoile Royal Suite terrace the city is presented in a breathtaking 360-degree advantage to reaffirm Paris’s standing as a city of international acclaim. And in the near distance is the city’s moniker: Eiffel Tower. Note: My visit to Le Meurice was in 2007; it was a private holiday and my first visit to France. Le Meurice restaurants restyled in January 2008 by Philippe Starck, and in 2009 Charles Jouffre designed a eighteenth-century home feel to the guest rooms. Le Meurice as of 1 January 2008 is graced with Valmont Spa for Le Meurice. Valmont is of Swiss origin with 33 spas spanning the world. Valmont has over twenty years’ experience in thalassotherapie treatments. The Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa moved after many years from Le Meurice in Paris to the newly renovated The Plaza Hotel in New York City, a Fairmont managed hotel. Reservations, please telephone 1-888-850-0909. Or visit: http://www.theplaza.com/ The Caudalie Vinothérapie® Spa at The Plaza: 1 W. 58th Street, fourth floor, at Fifth Avenue. Grand Cru Chateau Smith Haut is served by the glass at Caudalie Vinotherapie Spa at The Plaza. Spa appointments please telephone at 212-265-3182 FYI: We left our cruise on the River Seine by Les Bateaux http://www.vedettesdupontneuf.com/ until the evening before we left Paris. We always seemed to be on the other side of Paris when the idea struck us that we should not leave the cruise until our last day in Paris. If you have seen the Hollywood feature film An American in Paris directed by Vincent Minnelli (husband to Judy Garland) with dance numbers by Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron you’ll know why no one should miss a cruise on the River Seine. Or an ice cream cone from a Paris street vendor. Discover the French Genius for the art of living at Le Meurice! Here are but a few reasons why you will not be disappointed: ♥ Family friendly hotel with a majority of guaranteed connecting rooms and VIP amenities for children (passport, Pistache).♥ The Spa Valmont offers the most avant-garde range of cosmetics: active molecules, Valmont guarantees the refinement and extreme effectiveness of beauty care. ♥ Christophe Robin, celebrity and lifestyle Guru Colorist and Hairdresser creates a unique colour palate just for you. Le Meurice reservations available through The Leading Hotels of the World© Telephone (800) 223-6800 http://www.lemeurice.com/ J’ai publié 5 photos sur Facebook, dans l’album Discover our 2009 Christmas & New Year’s Eve Program! http://bit.ly/qyhaR http://www.meuricehotel.fr/shopping http://www.dorchestercollection.com/ http://www.raileurope.ca/index.html www.bateauxparisiens.com Dinner Cruise on River Seine www.chateauversailles.fr The Hall Of Mirrors At Versailles serves as interior design inspiration www.museums-of-paris.com The Paris Swer Museum is one of the 50 most-visited sites in Paris ( Musee Des Egouts De Paris) www.operadeparis.fr Palais Garnier & Opera Bastille http://www.france-excellence.ca/en/ What is your Paris Style? Take the test! Private and affordable city walking tours by Muguet Becharat (she speaks fluent English, French and several other languages). We learned so many secrets of the city from Muguet. http://www.parissweetparis.com/ Le Meurice’s emblem… a pair of Greyhounds due to a rescued Greyhound found during hotel renovations completed in 1907. Complementary dog walking in Tuileries Garden for Le Meurice guests. Six specially designed guest rooms for wheelchair access.
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Photo credits: Le Meurice; Peter Hebeisen; May Georgina DeLory/Belle Etoile Royal Suite
“I was a sacrificial lamb in so far as the things I ate because they were provided to me by the dietitian and the cook at Trinity College,” says Clarke. “But when I moved away from that, it seemed to me that I was robbed of the foods that I used to know. That is an economic and trade commercial reason because there was no considerable demand for the food stuffs and ground provisions that we’d ate in Barbados to be brought into Canada. But as the population increased, it suddenly occurred to people who sold these things that there was a market for this.”
