Hotel Mansart by Jamie Dunford Wood

The Hotel Mansart, so named after the 17thc architect who invented the roof style, is a 3 star hotel in a 'top dollar' position, yards from the Ritz and with oblique views of the Place Vendome from some of the rooms.

The hotel itself has suffered from service and maintenance-related issues in user reviews and comments, but for this price and in this position some allowances can be made. Above all, the hotel boasts a selection of five really magnificent rooms - if there was no service at all and we had to shop for our own croissants these rooms, a rarity in Paris, would be worth every penny.

Vast and high-ceilinged with high double doors and windows, original stucco-work and gilt mirrors, the 'Mansart' and smaller 'Vendome' rooms lack only freestanding antique tubs and hanging candelabra to transport you back to the days of the French revolution. Lovely old oils hang from the panelled walls. A bonus is the air-conditioning - something sweating aristocrats in 1789 could surely have done with.

The rest of the 57 rooms are decently decorated, all with flatscreen tvs, but standards can be small and dark. The larger doubles are of a decent size, with a smattering of antiques and elegant prints. But antique and original also means old and worn - but you can't have everything.

Alternatively, you can take a look around our large collection of luxury hotels in Paris.