I love the wild, chaotic, bustling, creative atmosphere of large cities. And when we’re talking Paris, add to that the window shopping, museums, architecture and just the sheer joy of strolling around the City of Light.
But for me, after several days in a large city, I yearn for the peace, quiet and tranquility of a country setting. We found the way to spend six perfect days in France: three days in Paris followed by three days in the countryside in Brittany, staying in 5-star hotels.
For my first trip to Paris, decades ago, I was on a group tour that left us way on the outskirts of the city late at night. All the restaurants were closed, so we ate a tiny plastic-wrapped pathetic excuse of a croissant left in our room.
My last trip was the opposite of this first one, as I spent it in a gorgeous hotel just minutes away from the Les Champs-Élysées and hundreds of restaurants within walking distance. We stayed in a suite at Hotel de Sers where we enjoyed a spacious room, large buffet breakfast and fine dining at the hotel restaurant.
Accommodations and service at Hotel de Sers
Located in the 8th arrondissement, Hotel de Sers is between the Bentley dealership and the Four Seasons. Although it’s not small, with 43 rooms and nine suites, the hotel has an intimate feel, like you’re staying a beautifully decorated Parisienne townhome.
Nicknamed the “Baby Palace,” it was built as a home in 1880 by Henri-Léopold Charles, Marquis de Sers, to entertain his fellow aristocrats. It was converted to a hotel in 1935 and is now part of B Signature Hotels & Resorts.
Touches of that aristocratic lifestyle of the rich and infamous can be seen in the Portrait Gallery on the main floor where Louis XV, Marie Antoinette and other nobility watched my progress as I walked down the hall, (perhaps noticing how woefully underdressed I seemed for their taste.) The common areas made me smile with their bright colors and unexpected touches, like the divider that looked like stacked stones. The bookshelves were lined with real books – not those tacky empty ones purchased just for decorative appeal.
Our suite, with a foyer, seating area and separate bedroom, felt like our own apartment. It was warm and comfortable, a perfect place to spend a few days in Paris. At night I could close the doors to the seating area and the bathroom so our room was very dark, perfect for sleeping.
We had a bathroom with two sinks and a marble bathtub that I took full advantage of, window open so I could hear the church bells peal. Plus, heated tile floors, a much-appreciated feature as I don’t travel with my beloved LL Bean slippers that live on my feet at home when it’s cold. The toiletries were lovely, made by a French company with an unusual name – As a Non Believer.
Our living area had a sofa bed, chairs, table plus a fridge, coffee maker, tea kettle and TV. The bedroom also had a TV and we had three closets. So much space far exceeded our needs as we travel with carryon suitcases only. I believe I could have brought even less, as I developed the theory on that visit that with a black turtleneck, dark jeans and nice shoes, you can go just about anywhere in Paris in the fall.
I only had room to pack a few pairs of shoes and was happy with my choice to include a pair of soft black leather oxford-style shoes from Womads.
If you really want to get fancy, book one of the two Eiffel Suites with view of the famous tower. One suite, on the 7th floor, has two private terraces. The second, the Panoramic Suite, has a large terrace with 180-degree views.
Even the rarely seen parts of the hotel were elegant. In my never-ending quest to stay fit, I like to take the stairs when possible when traveling rather than rely on the elevator. The habit has led me into some dark and scary stairwells, about as inviting as a hospital or 1970’s office building. The back stairs at Hotel de Sers were elegantly curved, made with marble.
The property also has a small fitness area and a spa.
The service at Hotel de Sers was friendly and accommodating and in one instance, went far above and beyond. For the next part of our French trip, we were headed to Domaine de la Bretesche, another B Signature property (see related story), then to Nantes. We were taking a train to Nantes and picking up a car we had rented through Turo.
If you aren’t familiar with Turo, it’s like Airbnb, but for cars. Chris has used it dozens of times in the U.S. but this was the first European rental. It did not go well. Long story short, he needed to upload a certified, translated copy of his driver’s license somewhere on a French government website. (What would they translate on a driver’s license? Switch the month and day on his birthday and expiration date? Convert his alleged weight in pounds to kilograms?)
Chaos and confusion ensued. The clerk behind the desk and Rafael Da Costa, the Director of the hotel, did their best to help us by calling several people to get it fixed as my rudimentary French did not stretch to cover communicating with French bureaucrats about drivers’ licenses.
Despite all their efforts, we couldn’t get it straightened out but we appreciated how much they tried to help us. We took the train to Nantes as planned and found a car rental agency there.
Dining at Hotel de Sers
The lavish breakfast buffet included breads, cheeses, ham, turkey, yogurt, granola, fruit and several types of juices. You could also order eggs and I had some of the best scrambled eggs ever with chicken sausage one morning. Breakfast can be brought to your room as well.
The Restaurant de Sers serves mediterranean-inspired dishes under the guidance of Chef Stephano Stafie, a native of Perugia, Italy. Items include grilled octopus, pan seared foie gras, scallops, ribeye and mushroom risotto. We had a gorgeous meal there one evening with fantastic service. Guests can be seated in the main dining room or the glass-roofed patio. The adjacent S Bar is a cozy, sophisticated place for a cocktail.
A perfect location for exploring Paris
If I’m staying in a big city, I want to be able to walk. (An exception was a recent trip to NYC where we took way more Ubers than usual due to sub-freezing temperatures and icy sidewalks.)
During our fall trip to Paris, the temperatures were chilly but fine for exploring the city by foot and we walked everywhere: Bateaux Mouches for a boat ride (Chris had never been), Museé Rodin, Museé Jacquemart-Andre and through the Jardin des Tuileries. (See our related story: “3 things to in Paris after the Louvre.”)
We did take a Bolt to the train station when we left. Bolt is a similar app to Uber and Lyft, available in Europe, Africa, Western Asia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. We compare prices and often found it cheaper than Uber, but it’s not widely known to Americans. Our driver told us we were the first Americans he had ever driven.
We found restaurants nearby and because Chris is on a quest to find the best almond croissants in the world, he scouted out a bakery. We liked Jolie Miche so much, we went three times. And for necessities like wine and potato chips, we walked to a grocery store where Chris found a bag of blue cheese chips he devoured in one sitting.
– Jan Schroder, Editor-in-chief