Paris' stately Hotel Ampère is the perfect departure setting for European Waterways' barge trips through France. From here you are eased gently with grace and style into luxury barge travel. Guests are gathered up on Sunday afternoon before departing for La Belle Époque, the Nivernais Canal and the beautiful Yonne Valley of Burgundy.
Three stars never reflected such class as at the Hotel Ampère. A pink stucco exterior reflects traditional French charm. Simple arrangements of orchids on both sides of the entry vestibule are an enticing welcome, drawing you into a warm world of pomegranate, sage green and gold. Gentle watercolors in a loose, flowing style grace rooms and hallways.
Here there is a room for everyone. Two of the hotel's eight floors are non-smoking. Of 100 rooms, several are especially designed to accommodate physically-challenged travelers. There are three rooms with wider doors and lower card access. In these rooms the WC and bath are all together in one large, beautifully-tiled bathroom, with towel bars and access handles set lower into the tiles. For someone suffering from asthma, there is even a room with blond hardwood floors instead of wall-to-wall carpeting, and special non-allergic products are used by the staff who clean the room.
For the business traveler, there is the ability to be connected in the room directly to the internet and a personalization of the room's telephone number. There are also two conference rooms completely AV-equipped.
After a day of business, shopping or sight-seeing, the hotel's piano bar provides a nice wind-down before dinner. A full service restaurant featuring upscale French cuisine opens onto a charming inner courtyard, Le jardin d'Ampère. From the same kitchen, room service is available 24/7.
The Hotel Ampère is just 30 minutes from Charles de Gaulle airport and within walking distance of the metro station Pereire. Its location is perfect for visits to the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe, Champs Elysees, Montmartre and Notre Dame Cathedral. The hotel also operates a car park for 55 cars. Other services provided by a friendly staff include airport shuttle and valet parking.
Photos and feature by Carolyn Proctor, Las Vegas Jetsetters Magazine Correspondent.