Tea at Le George V
When in Paris, make sure you visit a luxury hotel. Even if you cannot afford to stay there, most of the world’s most beautiful hotels are open to anyone who just wants to walk in, have a look around, perhaps purchase a drink at the bar, or sip tea in the courtyard which generally is what I like to do.
Only the Paris Ritz Carlton has ever turned me away. I walked into its imposing entrance off the grandiose Place Vendôme one sunny morning and a greeter informed me that unless I was a paying guest, bye bye!
So I went to Le Georges 5 instead. A Four Seasons hotel, this art deco landmark built in 1928 is an explosion of lavish elegance, comfort and sumptuousness. It’s no wonder it has been voted the best hotel in the world.
It is worth a visit just to see their signature flower arrangements. With over 1200 stems on display at all times, the hotel changes its floral theme every three weeks, but many of the flowers themselves are replaced on a daily basis. The day I visited, the hotel was festooned with orchids, white in the lobby and purple in the stunning outdoor courtyard which is smack in the middle of hotel.
My perfectly blended Ceylon tea came in a large pot for plentiful refills, and a tray of the most exquisite chocolates. While paying a premium just to be there, the bill paled compared to the cost of room at the hotel. At this time year the least expensive room runs about 1200 Euros a night — with many of the deluxe rooms averaging about 5000 Euros a night. They don’t publish how much you’d pay for the largest room the “Presidential Suite.” For invited VIPs only I guess. La de da!
But you can feel a tiny bit special (and even a tad rich) just enjoying the ambience over tea at the George 5. I sure did.
PS The hotel’s dining room Le Cinq has 3 Michelin stars (the very top rating) where a main course can run about 240 Euros/$275 USD/$370 CAD. At that price, I might have to skip dessert (and the appetizer, the bottle of wine, coffee…).
Take a stroll down luxury lane with this VIDEO. I felt like this little girl when I went there!
Diana Bishop the founder of The Success Story Program and A Woman of a Certain Age in Paris as well as a well-known correspondent with over 25 years working for CTV, CBC News, and NBC News. She loves travel, writing, and all things Parisienne.
Too bad about the Paris Ritz-Carlton! One can definitely take tea at the Montréal Ritz-Carlton, and I’ve done that more than once. However for meals I prefer more modest places, even if I had the budget for George V. Reading the wiki article, I see that it now belongs to a Saudi prince…
Do you read the Secrets of Paris blog? Not all the topics interest me, but they have a feature this month on the extension of tram 3 which will circle the city in a few years. Very interesting for travellers, in particular people who have trouble with a lot of stairs or are of limited mobility – the tram is accessible to physically or sensorally disabled people, and friendly for parents with small children – or travellers with luggage. https://www.tramway.paris.fr/
Another lovely thing about the tram in Paris is that there is a different “musical signature” for each stop to accompany the voice announcement.
I will have to check into that — thank you Susan. Always great to hear from you. Diana
Yes when I lived in Montreal I loved going to the Ritz. I remember the swans swimming in a pond in the middle courtyard while having breakfast or dinner there. That was a hub for the political and corporate elite for many years and many of us journalists would meet there for a drink.
And yes, I do read the Secrets of Paris blog. Thanks for the heads up Lagatta about the tram. I look forward to exploring that!
The tram is actually also a boon to walkers and urban explorers, as most destinations even in the centre are walkable from it as you walk in a fairly straight line into the city from near its edge – but within the Périph’. Or hop on a bus if a bit tired.
I love the fact that one station and major transport hub connected to the RER, the métro and many bus lines is named after Rosa Parks! And it is in an area where there are people encompassing a multitude of colours and origins.
Blogueur Madame Diana Bishop, cette semaine blog. Adorable, inspirant, magique, perfection. Je suis un grand fan. J’adore me réveiller le dimanche pour lire sur Paris, vous me baladez à un autre endroit. J’ai tellement apprécié la vidéo. Tamara Thompson 🙂
You are too much fun Tamara — thank you for your comments. Diana
I too enjoy your Sunday blog and look forward to the weekly installation. I have a clinet who gave me two superb suggestions when we went to Paris. One was hot chocolate at Angeline’s btw my late Mothers name so i knew i would live it. The other suggestion was tea at the George V. What a wonderful experience it was. We selected coffee instead of Tea and had chocolates ooh la la!! All the while being serenaded by the lively woman sitting at the Grand Piano. This was definitely an experience not to be missed. Thanks Diana for auch a wonderful blog. Paris is my favourite city ever!!
Luci,
Thank you for another wonderful comment from you! I so appreciate hearing from you. The hot chocolate at Angeline’s is
to die for I hear but when i went there I had lunch — and was underwhelmed. Too many tourists and bland food.
Coffee at the Le George V much better. Weren’t the chocolates to die for? Diana
LOL 🙂 Meant every word…lol
Diana,
This article certainly brought a smile to my face. The first time I went to Paris was after University and I distinctly remember walking into the George V hotel while I was there. I had recently read a Robert Ludlum book where there was a scene in the George V hotel dining room. I had envisioned in my mind what that room looked like and wanted to see the real thing.
Needless to say, I did not look like their clientele (t-shirt, shorts and well worn running shoes) yet the staff were very polite and helpful. Unfortunately, I was told, there had been a recent renovation and so what the dining room looked like in the 1940s was no more. The staff still kindly showed the room to me.
Travelling on a student budget didn’t stop me though from going back, and so, on my last night in Paris, I dined at the George V hotel and paid for it on my credit card.
Up until my wedding day, that was the most expensive (and delicious) dinner I had ever had and paid for.
Thank you for sharing your comments Laura! How interesting. I cannot even imagine that my credit card limit would cover a meal at the George V these days but that must have been spectacular! I look forward to hearing about your travels.
Wonderful web site. Plenty of useful information here. I am sending it to several friends
ans also sharing in delicious. And of course, thanks in your effort!
Great to hear from you and thank you.
Would love to have you as a regular subscriber. You can go to
wwww.womonofacertainageinparis.com
and scroll down a little to a box on the right hand side.
I have lots of exciting offerings coming up this fall and in 2021.
Thanks again, Diana