The Shangri-La Paris hotel is all about ooh-la la – Scotland on Sunday Travel

Golden times await you in the City of Light in this super-luxe abode

The opulent La Bauhinia in-house restaurant in Shangri-La Paris. Pic: Marcelo Barbosa

The Eiffel Tower officially opened to the public in 1889, and, despite famously having been a controversial addition to the Parisian skyline, it soon found a place in the hearts of those in its distinctively angular shadow.

And I am bewitched anew by the timeless symbol of French resilience during this visit to the City of Light, seeing the monument from several striking viewpoints, and coming in the centenary year of the death of its creator Gustave Eiffel.

One such view is through the windows of my plush lodgings at the Shangri-La Paris, a super-luxe hotel in the 16th arrondissement that offers ornately opulent luxury as per the global hotel group’s Asian roots, married with pristine French elegance – all high-end flowers, food, and fashion.

Fine dining at the Shangri-La hotel includes a nod to the global hotel group’s Asian roots. Pic: Marcelo Barbosa

Our journey starts in London, where Shangri-La also has a hotel in The Shard, and I am pleased to learn that the length of wiring (320km/200 miles) used in that building would stretch between the two cities.

On the subject of interesting stats, at St Pancras we hop aboard the Eurostar, which can reach just under 335 kilometres an hour. That is the same speed at which I want to eat the tasty breakfast – we are travelling in Business Premier, whose menus have been designed with Michelin-starred chef Raymond Blanc, with food and drink available in the exclusive departure lounge and on board. No soggy bacon sandwiches here!

What’s more, the large, comfy seats with sizeable tables on board are a treat, and all in all it makes for a luxurious and chilled way of travelling, while I am happy to be avoiding the many stresses of air travel.

We are then driven to the Shangri-La Paris located in the former home of Prince Roland Bonaparte, the grandnephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, who handpicked the site for its proximity to the River Seine. More recently it has hosted showbiz royalty in the form of music king and queen Beyonce and Jay Z.

The Shangri-La’s tranquil pool in its Chi, The Spa complex. Pic: Marcelo Barbosa

Picture postcard

After rocking up to the gated entrance that looks like that of a Beverley Hills hotel, we enter the reception area filled with flowers and antiques including intricately patterned vases. My “Eiffel view” room gives me a picture postcard eyeful of the monument as part of a wide vista of the Parisian skyline under a sunny sky. I will later also lie in bed and admire the Tower through open curtains; its lights sparkle every hour on the hour till 11pm.

The interior of the room has a classic design, mixing cream seen in the walls and bedside lamps, for example, with a light blue carpet, and headboard upholstered in elegant gold fabric as well as a sofa and table.

The Shangri-La Paris, a super-luxe hotel in the 16th arrondissement, located in the former home of Napoleon Bonaparte's great nephew. Pic: Marcelo Barbosa

We then rendez-vous downstairs for a healthy-but-delicious lunch in in-house hotel restaurant La Bauhinia, led by young executive chef Quentin Testart, and the moreish small plates include rectangles of tuna tataki with Thai spring onions in a ponzu sauce.

The latter is the same colour as the polished veneer of the private river limousine that we embark that afternoon for a trip along the Seine in style, complete with photo-opportunity-worthy spot to sit on while quaffing Champagne. Our expert guide regales us with facts such as the Louvre site having been a fortress before it was home to a museum, while we also pass the Eiffel Tower at close quarters, with the metal structure also near our dining spot for the evening, Au Petit Tonneau.

If you were trying to come up with the ultimate French bistro, you couldn’t do any better than this spot in the seventh arrondissement, full of locals chatting away, and authentic French dishes on the menu. They include escargots and I figure that if I am ever going to try this dish, now is the time. They prove surprisingly tasty - much more tender than I expected, and swimming in garlic butter.

Reviving

The Shangri-La has hosted showbiz royalty in the form of music king and queen Beyonce and Jay Z. Pic: Marcelo Barbosa

On the subject of swimming, I glimpse (and later take a dip in) the Shangri-La’s tranquil pool the following morning when I head down to its “Chi, The Spa” for a Jet Peel treatment. It’s billed as a new 100 per cent natural and non-invasive anti-ageing method promising to help give the skin volume and elasticity, and mine does emerge revived and with no redness.

I imagine it is the kind of treatment enjoyed by Victoria Beckham and Jennifer Lopez, who have both visited our swanky lunchtime venue Girafe whose highly Instagrammable terrace also lies in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. The menu comprises more fish dishes as high-end as the 1,000-feet-plus monument itself, for example more delicious tuna tartare with avocado and jalapeño.

That is followed by a trip to the Guerlain Boutique on the Champs-Élysées, a dazzling gold-filled space that showcases items such as the brand’s iconic Bee Bottle – which this year celebrates its 170th anniversary, having been created the brand’s founder Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain for the Empress Eugenie on the occasion of her wedding to the Emperor Napoleon III. You can even concoct your own Guerlain perfume at the dedicated space upstairs.

I then use the in-room Guerlain toiletries back at the hotel for my shower, before getting my glad rags on for the evening. We are dining at the Shangri-La's in-house Shang Palace, the only Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in France, led by executive chef Samuel Lee, and with gold-accented decor. The many highlights include slices of wagyu beef with crispy garlic, chilli and spring onions, and every bite of the meat releases a little of the marbled fat to delectable effect.

Our last day starts with a guided tour of the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris, the former haute couture house of the late French fashion legend near our hotel.Memorable features include a sign during an exhibition on gold (now succeeded by one titled Shapes & Forms) where he describes “dresses that flowed as if made from molten metal… everything was a pretext for a magical evening!”

I have had a truly magical trip, and while Paris has faced its troubles in recent weeks and years, it has always kept its head held high, while it will have a key role in the global spotlight with the Olympics coming to the city in 2024. The colour of the top medal has run through the trip like a thread, and as Mr Saint Laurent once said, “One thinks of gold… when one thinks of glory.”

Rooms have classic interiors with creams, blues and golds, and those with an Eiffel view have a vista of the iconic Parisian landmark. Photographer: Marcelo Barbosa

A Superior Room at Shangri-La Paris starts at €1,500 per night and an Eiffel Tower Suite starts at €4,100. Shangri-La Paris, 10, avenue d'Iéna, Paris 75116, France, tel + 33 1 5367 1998. Eurostar's fares for one-way London to Paris start at £39 for Standard Class, and £275 for Business Premier.