Review of Le General, by Stephen Emms

If you swoon over Ibizan chic, you’ll fall for Le General, a boutique hotel opened in 2003, and designed by acclaimed Parisian architect Jean-Philippe Nuel. Converted from one of the grotty dives that once littered the traffic-clogged roads around the Place Republique, this hip 46-room hangout exemplifies modern urban cool with its dolly-mixture coloured walls, clean lines and austere Luca sofas. Chill-out music slides gently round the lobby, as relaxing as a wave on the sand – no mean achievement with all that horn-beeping on Boulevard Voltaire just a moment away.

Its location is perfect for hipper-than-thou Oberkampf, bustling Bastille, and the perennially fashionable Marais district. Staff are polite but won’t try to be your new best friends, although, with no restaurant onsite, they will dispense advice on where to eat: try atmospheric bistro Sept’n, directly opposite, if you’re exhausted – or lazy.

On the lower ground floor is a small fitness room and sauna, as well as health centre which offers aromatherapy massage as well as face treatments. Feeling lazy after all that? Then work your way through an extensive room service menu which covers French, Asian and Japanese cuisines. For the more hedonistic, a smart cocktail bar with white plastic tulip seats and soft pendant lighting twinkles till 2am. A funky list of cocktails is elegantly served – although, like almost every bar in Paris, there is a ‘happy hour’ stretching over much of the early evening, which offers 2-for-1 (ask reception for details).

A few Cosmopolitans later and you’ll need a hearty breakfast – one of the hotel’s strong points. As well as an enticing spread of cheeses, breads, fruit salads, pastries, juices and cold meats there’s also cooked full English for those planning to hoof it around the city. But quirkiest of all is the cute ‘pharmacy’, which dispenses a range of glistening pills via pink spoons. Take your pick from Vitamin C, Omega, Vitamin A, or shiny capsules to boost your ‘happiness,’ and ‘hair and skin’.

The rooms, as often in Paris, are on the small side. However they’re clean and simply-furnished (though much less showy than the public spaces), with comfortable beds, white Egyptian linen, flat screens, Nespresso machine and iPod docks. Most impressive are the sparkling tiled bathrooms, with power shower and indulgent array of mini L’Occitane toiletries.

Cosy terraces allow you and a loved one to admire, over a glass of wine, the 19th-century Parisian tenements opposite, with their typically shuttered windows, potted plants and Juliet balconies. For a special occasion book the penthouse on the seventh floor, which offers spectacular views over the slate rooftops towards the Seine – but be warned, it doesn’t have a terrace.