Review of Hotel Duc de Saint-Simon, by The TI Review Team

An entrance hall boasting its original 18th-Century black-and-white marble floor. Heirloom portraits on the walls. A gallery-quality grandfather clock in the foyer. And a lush jewel of a garden in which to take breakfast, or simply sit and enjoy a solitary corner in the middle of Paris' most atmospheric arrondisement. Tiny, discreet, and resolutely old-fashioned, Le Duc de Saint-Simon isn't short on charm.

The hotel's public spaces are a labyrinth of individually decorated salons and warrens-some high-ceilinged, papered in original chintzes, and filled with tufted Victorian setees and benches, others, like the bar, cozy and brick-walled, lined with patina-d paintings and clubby tables and chairs. Squint, and you're in the 19th-Century again.

Le Duc de Saint-Simon's 34 rooms and suites skew uniformly girly, and decidedly old-fashioned; there are enough matchy-matchy stripes, florals, and checks to make Laura Ashley sigh with satisfaction. And though pretty, they're for the most part tiny. Consider bumping up to a superior room, for a small difference in cost, you get several more square feet of space. (And angle for room 42, which has its own terrace.) All are comfortable and outfitted with all the necessary mod cons (including satellite TV and-ladies take note-excellent hairdryers).