Hotel Castille, located at 33 Rue Cambon; the street made famous by Coco Chanel (her day-time apartment; now shrine, is located at 31 Rue Cambon), is a quaint, cool hotel conveniently situated close to stores, restaurants, monuments (The Louvre, Place Vendome, Place De La Concorde etc).
You can immediately see huge influences of 18th and 19th century in the decor; with wood floors, teal walls and large elegant mirrors. You can pick between having a Venetian-inspired room in the Opera wing that leans on the classic European side or a room in the Rivoli wing that features modern touches.
The beds are soft, warm and fluffy. The thing with European hotels is that they don’t usually have good beds so having one after days of sleeping on a squeaky mattress is always a welcoming feeling.
The rooms have ample space (for a European hotel); both storage and floor and an individual room for you to do both your Number 1 & 2. That frees up the bathroom which is an added convenience; you don’t have to wait for someone to finishing dropping the kids off at the pool before you can wash your hands or brush your teeth.
The shower bath area is roomy but it needs to be worked on. There is nothing to stop the toilet from flooding whenever someone showers except this flimsy piece of plastic (that seems like an after thought because people have probably complained about how the whole toilet gets wet after a shower). There is also no drainage hole for water to seep into so the only thing you can do is to throw towels on the floor and wait for it to dry. This can all be averted by installing a shower curtain.
The service is engaging and helpful and you can feel like they enjoy what they do. The staff speak good English and know the streets around the hotel like the back of their hands. I’ve had to ask the concierge the quickest way to get to a location more than once and they’ve been spot on every time.
They offer free internet use at their business center; which is sort of an exaggeration because it is a small hole-in-the-wall in between their Italian restaurant. But don’t let the size fool you; with an ink printer, paper, pens, envelopes – this hole-in-the-wall will come in handy if you ever need to double check your travel itinerary or do some work.
If you ever need a workout during your trip, the 24/7 gym is located on the first floor – it’s not a big room but it is sufficient to burn excess calories from those pastries. A steam room is also available for when you need to chill before a night on the town.
As an added incentive, there is a Chanel boutique literally right next door to the hotel. The Ritz and its iconic Hemingway Bar is right across the street. Taxi drivers know exactly where the hotel is which is always a plus.
All in call, Hotel Castille is a great hotel; both for business or leisure. With its close proximity to stores, helpful …