I found Hotel Crayon to be a charming little boutique hotel in an absolutely perfect location.

As soon as I stepped through the front doors of the Hotel my eyes lit up. It was so vibrant and refreshingly bright. There was beautiful art all over the walls, a giant pencil for decoration, exquisite wallpaper, a goldfish named Popeye... It was simply a visual delight, like a macaroon for my eyes.

A massive wave of relief washed over me when I learned that the Reception Staff spoke English and were very warm and friendly. Weren’t the French supposed to hate the British? It certainly didn’t seem so, and incidentally in every single restaurant, bar, café and museum we visited, we experienced only the best and friendliest of service. We were even stopped several times in the street by various French people trying to ask directions or commenting on something nearby us, and again, they were all extremely warm and friendly.

So back to the hotel… I noticed that several reviews mentioned that the rooms were rather small, and although our room on the fifth floor wasn’t massive for the price, I felt that it was of an adequate size. Especially since we only really went there to sleep or to rest our tired feet for half an hour during the day. In fact, it wasn’t really any much smaller than various other rooms that I have stayed in in England.

The bed was very large and comfortable with lovely, sumptuous pillows, and even though my boyfriend said that he didn’t sleep very, that was mainly because of his bad back. My slumber on the other hand very much resembled the proverbial log. I found the dim lighting, and the quietness of the street we were on created a cosy, relaxing atmosphere, cushioning us from the busy city to be found only minutes away.

My worry about getting cold at night was soon put to rest when we noticed that our room had a heating/ac unit installed on the wall, so that we could regulate the temperature to our exact liking (which had to become a compromise for either always hot bf or chill-bound me).

I loved the quaint, vintage-style wardrobe and desk in the room, the earthy, warm terracotta walls, and it was a bonus to also have a full-length mirror in there. Each room is scented with its own aromatherapy as well, which you can ask the reception staff to change if you wish.

The whole place was spotlessly clean, the bathroom was well-lit and the shower was hot and powerful.
Although I would have preferred a bit more counter space in the bathroom for my toiletries, as I ended up just having to put them on the floor.

Small samples of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion were provided, but we needed to go out and buy our own shower gel to supplement what was there. They also provided a complementary shoe-shine sponge, which made me smile since I haven’t shined my shoes since I was in primary school.

Although the bathroom was quite well-lit, I would have also preferred if the bedroom had some sort of overhead lighting, because even though there were a couple of lamps in there, the room always felt a bit too dark for me (especially when I was trying to check in the mirror that my million layers of thermals and clothes didn’t make me look like the Michelin man!).

I absolutely loved that we had free wifi for all our devices, so we could easily upload each day’s photos to facebook or send a quick email to our family, and there was also a big TV, which even had a channel in English (it was only a news channel, but finding it made my day!).

There weren’t any tea or coffee making facilities in our room, but there were some provided downstairs in the lobby, along with other drinks, working on an honesty box system. (I couldn’t find the honesty box though, and was too shy to ask, so we went without).

The location, as I mentioned before, could not have been more perfect for my first visit to Paris. We were literally only about seven minutes walk from the Louvre, ten minutes away from the River Seine, and we found that restaurants, cafes, and the best cocktails you have ever tasted surrounded us aplenty.

We even managed to walk to Notre Dame Cathedral (I can’t say exactly how long it took us because we were dawdling) and it only took us about fifteen minutes to reach the Pompidou Centre (one of my favourite places in Paris). A visit to the Eiffel Tower did require a cab ride, however it was no big deal, it was only about a ten minute drive.

So, in conclusion, what words would I use to sum up Hotel Crayon? I would say that it is: intimate, cosy, charming, quirky, enchanting, arty, friendly, clean, colourful and original.

Oh, and if you do go, be sure to try some of the complimentary macaroons and chocolates in the lobby – your taste buds will explode with deliciousness!