Mandarin Oriental, Paris

The Mandarin Oriental opened on rue Saint-Honoré in 2011 inside a listed 1930s Art Deco facade, and the interior — by Jean-Michel Wilmotte — is the calmest of the Paris palaces. 96 rooms, 39 suites, a garden courtyard restaurant for lunch, one of the largest spas in central Paris with a 14m pool and full hammam. Thierry Marx left Sur Mesure in late 2023 for his own Onor; the palace's culinary programming is being rebuilt, but Cédric Grolet's pastry boutique on the ground floor is still the cleanest path to his work without the queue at the Opéra shop. Best palace for a serious spa half-day.