Hotel Gran Paris by Caroline Major

If twee is a word one can apply to a hotel owned and run by Bolivians, with aspirations of being five star french, then I own up. The ‘Barocco Imperial’ building has 41 rooms, with the suites at the front overlooking the main square. Home to the Cathedral, the Presidential Palace and the Congress, this plaza is full of color and action.

Inside, the hotel pays homage to Paris. The Café Paris has a collection of period prints and serves amongst other things, French cuisine. Come here at night to see posh Bolivians dining out. The suites are rooms decorated in the fashion of Louis XVI, and are, by Bolivian standards, luxurious. 24 hour hot water, minibar, cable tv, in-room safe, and gas fire are features of all rooms.

Interestingly, the hotel housed the first cinema in La Paz. Sadly, this has been transformed into a conference room, but it’s possible to find traces of the cinema in this relatively well preserved art deco room. There are also a number of reliefs by a leading Bolivian artist.

The hotel is walking distance to most of the city attractions, but you might want to take a taxi home. La Paz is built in a river gorge, and the uphill walk at high altitude can take it out of even the fittest.

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