There are two things the uninitiated always want to know about Paris's most famous hotel. First off, is it really as ritzy as the name would imply? That's a definite yes—after all, the adjective itself derives from this 161-room hotel. Second question: Is it worth it? The answer here is an unequivocal "perhaps." To breathe the rarefied and perfumed (it is) air here costs a small fortune, but the hotel is filled with superlatives. The best bar (and bartender) in Paris is the Hemingway bar, where charming Brit Colin Field holds forth. The restaurant, L'Espadon, has a brilliant chef in Michel Roth. The indoor pool, modeled on ancient Roman baths, is the most spectacular in Europe. And the extras include chauffeur service to and from the airport, an organic room service menu, and Bamford Baby products to pamper the littlest guests. If your pockets are deep enough, book the sumptuous Imperial suite, which has a huge tub and an exact replica of Marie Antoinette's canopy bed at Versailles. Or, while we're on the subject of old queens, ask for the dusty-rose-tinted Elton John suite under the eaves. The Chanel suite, done over by Karl Lagerfeld, is a shrine with furniture in the style of Louis XVI, the Directoire, and the Empire, the way Coco liked it.
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