Hôtel Jardin de l'Odéon

On arrival
Covered in beige stone slabs and grey marble tiles, the hotel entrance is immediately reminiscent of the art deco period. The entrance hall with its four rather strange, large, Egyptian sculptures is lit by a square chandelier with long crystal tubes. To the right are a small lounge and reception desk. To the left another, slightly larger, lounge through which you reach the breakfast room and a patio.

Both lounges with their brown box armchairs and brick-red frescos have large windows overlooking the street. Inside the decor is an eclectic mix: African masks, an old statue from Cyclades, a bust by Modigliani, clear glass bubbles and half-bubbles suspended like Christmas baubles and filled with rose petals, little bits of amber and piles of sand. The hotel boasts a small patio with veranda for winter use and in summer three tables protected by the plants. A fountain plays and birds chirp.

The rooms
Each of the six floors is dedicated to a painter from Tamara de Lempicka to Klimt, not forgetting Picasso.  With the walls hung with striped blue, orange or claret fabric, the rooms are modern and plain but welcoming.

To offset the stripes the colour is picked up by patterns elsewhere with geometric designs on the carpets, stitched on the bed heads or Fauve-style designs on the curtains. 

The reproductions on the walls, gold wall lights and the plain varnished wooden furniture all evoke a 1920s feel. Bathrooms, tiled in white, are plain and functional. On the whole the bedrooms are well appointed.

Types of room
The hotel has three types of room: Classique, Supérieure and Deluxe. The second being larger than the first and some also having balconies overlooking the patio.

The best rooms are plainly the Deluxe, of which there are three. Bigger than the others and on the top floor, two of them have a large balcony overlooking the Odéon. It is possible to have breakfast on the balcony or simply soak up the sun. The third Deluxe is a split-level under the eaves which is quite delightful and, because of its layout, eminently suitable for a family of three.