Fashion house Bulgari opens new hotel in Paris
The City of Light has a stunning new luxury hotel by fashion behemoth Bulgari.
You’re never more than a croissant’s toss from a luxury hotel in the City of Light. But the new Bulgari Hotel Paris might just claim the smartest suite in town. The hotel’s two-storey penthouse opens on to a huge roof garden with epic views of some of the city’s most famous monuments, including the Eiffel Tower.
Located on Avenue George V, tucked between the Seine and the Champs-Elysees, in the 8th arrondissement, Bulgari has taken a rather incongruous ’70s building and transformed it into a sleek beauty, adding double-height windows and a stone facing typical of Paris’s finest buildings.
The hotel remains true to its roots with an Italian restaurant set in the garden and helmed by Niko Romito, whose Abruzzo eatery has three Michelin stars. Minibars are shaped like travel trunks and stuffed with bello delicacies, and sleek guestrooms epitomise contemporary Italian style. Even the coffee machines are trimmed in leather.
The hotel’s designers, also from Italy, have combined silk wall coverings, polished timbers and pops of jewel-like colours, with a little bit of bling in the shimmering gold reception area and the day spa’s glittering vitality pool; the ceiling in the lounge is inspired by a Bulgari clutch.
With only 76 guestrooms (mostly suites), the hotel has a distinctly residential vibe. Many rooms have a private loggia overlooking the internal garden or a balcony with views over Avenue George V. Some of the suites have private hammams; deluxe suites enjoy round-the-clock butler service.
The penthouse includes 400sq m of living space opening on to a 600sq m roof garden with incredible views to the Eiffel Tower, Sacre Coeur and Grand Palais and planted with oak, apple and pear trees. Antique Turkish carpets, walls finished in marble and parchment and leather bookcases are complemented by a jaw-dropping dining room, private gym, hammam, even a cigar cellar.
The hotel’s lavish day spa is spread over two levels with nine treatment rooms, large private suite, 25m pool, gym and hair salon.
Rooms from about €1150 ($1830).
bulgarihotels.com
CHRISTINE McCABE
Forward planner
Australia’s longest-running food festival returns in April to celebrate the produce and cool-climate wines of NSW’s central west. Orange FOOD Week draws on an impressive roster of talent from the Orange, Blayney and Cabonne regions, home to 38 vineyards, 42 cafes and a number of restaurants punching above their weight.
The 10-day program is brimming with tastings, workshops, markets, live music and, of course, plenty of delicious dining. You can learn the art of preserving fruit, creating the perfect antipasto platter, making cider or brewing fermented drinks such as kefir and kombucha. Specialists in everything from saffron, garlic, figs, chocolate and hazelnuts will be on hand to impart their wisdom.
Not sure what all the fuss is about? Take a three-hour guided stroll through the town centre to learn why Orange is known as the food bowl of NSW (running 9am daily throughout the festival; $115), or head to Orange Regional Museum for the free foodies tour.
There are long lunches at Highland Heritage Estate, Ross Hill Wines and under the plane trees down Orange’s Sampson St. Other participating wineries include Swinging Bridge, Cargo Road and Stockmans Ridge. Make a weekend of it by taking the FOOD Train from Sydney Central Station on April 8, an experience that includes Indigenous insights, dinner at The Schoolhouse Restaurant at The Union Bank, lunch at Printhie Vineyard and two nights’ accommodation ($1200). The festival runs April 1-10.
PENNY HUNTER
Spend it
Viya Travel Diffuser by Young Living is a handy ultrasonic item for adventures on the hop. It can be easily placed into a car’s cup holder or console and is spill-resistant. There are three muted light settings and a USB power cord. Bundles of 100 per cent pure Young Living oils, with ingredients from partner farms verified for seed-to-seal practices, cover various ranges, or buy single 15ml bottles in highly concentrated varieties. The ultimate travel choice is a Stress-Away blend of vanilla, lime and cedarwood. Young Living also produces bath, body and nutritional products. Diffuser, $64.85
SUSAN KUROSAWA
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