5 rue Tholoze, 75018 Paris

Hôtel des Arts Montmartre

Name: Hôtel des Arts Montmartre
Address: 5 rue Tholoze, Paris, 75018, FR
Rating: 4.8

Hotel 4-star with spa in Paris

Presentation

Hôtel des Arts Montmartre does not try to stand out from the street. Its façade, with its slightly faded tones, blends into the Abbesses neighborhood, between a bakery that smells wonderful from dawn and the frontage of an old neighborhood cinema. You push open the door and the tone changes immediately: fresh flowers on the lobby tables, photos of the staff on the wall, a welcome that puts you at ease without overdoing it.

Here, we are in the third generation of the same family, established since 1960. You can see it more in the details than in the speech: fabrics by Jean-Paul Gaultier for the Lelièvre house, percale sheets, lavender or orange blossom bath products from L'Occitane placed on the edge of the sink.

The rooms, about fifty in total, come in several formats: single, double, twin, some with a view of the Eiffel Tower in the distance, others with a small balcony overlooking the rooftops of Paris. Parisian square meters are what they are, between 10 and 16 m² depending on the category, so it is better to know that before booking if you like having space to put down your suitcase. This compact format has at least one advantage: every nook and cranny has been thought through, from the small desk tucked under the window to the macaron left as a welcome on the pillow.

In the morning, the buffet is set up around seven o'clock, in the basement. Fresh bread, pastries, cured meats, smoked salmon, eggs made to order, and coffee that does the job. Breakfast, like parking or the airport shuttle, is charged in addition to the room rate. A pay-as-you-go approach rather than an all-inclusive package, which means you only pay for what you actually need.

Also in the basement, in the dim light, the hammam awaits those who want to relax after a day climbing the slopes of the Butte. Reservation required, forty euros for half an hour, but the space is entirely privatized during the session. Right next door, a small Technogym-equipped fitness room runs from morning until late evening for those who prefer to work up a sweat rather than perspire in the steam.

When you head out, you are ten minutes on foot from Sacré-Cœur, and the neighborhood does the rest of the work: cobbled lanes, artists' studios, shaded terraces. The Wall of Love, a little further down on Place des Abbesses, is worth a detour: three hundred and eleven declarations of love in two hundred and fifty languages, painted on enamelled lava tiles.

If you arrive in the middle of the afternoon, take a look at the self-service bar in the lobby: you note your drinks on a form, soft drinks are free, and there are often a few breakfast pastries left to nibble on before heading back out to explore the Butte.

Summary of some positive reviews read on the Web

Very professional staff at reception. We were moved to another room without asking, higher up with a view of the rooftops and the Eiffel Tower in the distance.
Quiet street just steps from the metro, Sacré-Cœur ten minutes away on foot uphill. Lots of little restaurants around, no need to book.
Small but clean room, comfortable bed, renovated bathroom with bathtub and removable showerhead.
Decent classic breakfast. In the afternoon, self-service bar in the lobby, you note your drinks on a form, soft drinks are free.
A Labrador lives at the hotel, hanging around the lobby and letting guests who pass by pet him.
Reasonable prices for the neighborhood, decent room, serious service, no frills.