Review of Sublim Eiffel, by Isabel Clift

Handily located across the street from Sèvres Lecourbe Metro stop, Sublim Eiffel makes a good job of standing out in a safe, central but not particularly landmark-filled section of Montparnasse. Entering via a tiny bar decked out in red leather and aluminium, you see from the off it's a decidedly 'young' place to stay: club-like interiors are luminous and lacquered, dimly lit to show off the use of neon and fibre-optic lighting.

Luckily, it's all done with a sense of wit and cheekiness that makes stays feel fun rather than a strain. The Left Bank's trendy shops and restaurants are just a stroll in one direction, and the Eiffel Tower and Champs Elysees an equally short walk in the other. This is a great find: a cool and inexpensive alternative to often hit-and-miss places of the same ilk in the centre of town.

The bar (which doubles as breakfast room) is a good pre-night-out stopoff: specialising in self-styled 'crazy cocktails', it'd be rude not to try one before hitting the tiles. If you're looking for more saintly daytime recreation, Sublim Eiffel has a subterranean spa-zone offering massages, a hammam and gym equipment. This is invaluable if you're after some pampering but aren't inclined to go the bells-and-whistles route of a full-blown spa.

Up a winding central staircase, 19 rooms are brightly coloured, neon-lit extravaganzas with not-for-the-shy shower cubicles beside beds. Oh, the showers: they're the kind that might exist on mass scale if Ibizan superclubs ever designed bathrooms - all holographic mosaic tiles, fibre optics sparkling from the floor and body jets a-go-go. As if you need telling, it's best to check in to one of these rooms with a partner rather than, say, your mother.

Classic Rooms have giant Paris street-map carpets - which was quite my favourite touch of kitsch (closely seconded by the cyan loo paper). Our room's futuristic styling included sharp-lined, high-gloss furniture, shimmery silver curtains and galaxy print bed covers and headboard, while free Wi-Fi, an iPod dock and flatscreen TV were welcome additions.

A top-floor Jacuzzi Suite is the largest accommodation in the house with - unsurprisingly - a Jacuzzi as its centrepiece. Fibre optics illuminate an Eiffel Tower above the bed, and there's a larger lounge area with fireplace. A DVD player adds to the suite's tech-appeal, but the cherry on the cake is its much sought-after Eiffel Tower view. Bag this room for the ultimate in Sublim Eiffel pizzazz.