Saint James Paris — Paris, France

Set in the tranquility of the exclusive west part of the capital, the Saint James is not just the only chateau-hotel in Paris, but also one of the very few with its own private garden. In addition to all the services of a grand hotel, it offers very fine gourmet food for guests and club members only. In a magnificent setting, its conference rooms, listed library and health club offer facilities for work and relaxation, making it the ideal place to stay for business or pleasure. The building that was to become the Saint James Paris was built in 1892, as a memorial to Adolphe Thiers, President of the French Republic. Constructed on the site of Paris' first aerodrome from where hot air ballons flew, it housed the Thiers foundation, a residence for France's best students. In 1986 the neoclassical building was bought by a British businessman who turned it into a traditional London gentleman's club. Purchased by a French family in the early 1990's, it was converted into a luxury residential hotel.The 48 rooms and suites are large, quiet, and luminous and look either onto the fountain or the garden.They are all individually decorated with different shades of wall coverings, styled or design furniture, and antique or contemporary paintings. On the top floor, each room has its private terrace, skylights radiating light, secluded with walls of bamboo. From the modern, minimalist suites to the Superior Rooms with big wooden doors, sloped ceilings, tall windows, and antiques juxtaposed with modern flourishes (like a flat screen tv)-- each room is tastefully decorated by the owner, who meticulously designs as if the hotel was her own home, with Parisian boutique furniture.