There’s a reason Serena Williams stays here when she’s in Paris

Avenue Kléber entrance to the Peninsula Paris Hotel.

You wouldn’t expect to go to Paris and eat in a Chinese restaurant. But then again, here we are, eating glistening shards of duck skin in a grand, red and gold-toned room so high-ceilinged your neck cranes just looking up. LiLi opened in the Peninsula Paris hotel five years ago, to much acclaim. In a city where its own food is the norm when eating out, it’s refreshing to be seated eating lobster dumplings, claypot chicken and most of all, that duck.

L’Oiseau Blanc restaurant on the rooftop of the Peninsula Paris Hotel.

Let’s just take a moment to honour the bird, shall we? Just as in the highest-ranking restaurants of Beijing, the duck is brought to table in its entirety, head and all, looking more like a shining, golden sculpture than a piece of food, before being whisked off and sliced nearby with expert precision. The skin and fine slices of breast are then brought to the table with stacks of house-made pancakes, hoi sin and the usual condiments of cucumber, spring onion and unusual (but surprisingly complementary) capsicum, cut into perfect matchsticks. Crunch; salt; sweet; delicious.

The lobby of the Peninsula Paris Hotel features a sculpture called Dancing Leaves by Luděk Hroch.

The sculpture consists of 800 hand-blown glass sycamore leaves.

But the Peninsula Paris isn’t just about food. Its distinction as a Palace by France’s tourism board (a step above five star) draws guests of the calibre of Serena Williams and Alexis Ohanian, who stayed here recently. Our base-range deluxe room is spacious with a large dressing room and luxe marble bathroom.

Marble bathroom in the deluxe suite.

Dressing room in the deluxe suite.

The spa takes up a large portion of the basement, with a beautiful, 20-metre long pool, hot tubs, sauna, hammam steam room and water ‘experience’ (a fancy sort of shower with mood lights). While you’re here, check in for a treatment. The Shenti massage changes tack depending on the time of day: invigorating in the morning; balancing in the afternoon; and restful if you receive your treatment in the evening. Our morning massage pairs gentle motions with quick, energising pressure, and we walk out feeling refreshed and ready for the day.

The Crystal Steam room in the spa of Peninsula Paris.

The hotel is situated a matter of metres from the Arc de Triomphe on prestigious Avenue Kléber. Right outside the hotel you’ll find a Velib Velo station, so you can hire a bike and explore the city like a local. It’s not as scary as you think, we promise – Paris is one of the friendliest cycle cities in the world, with bike lanes a common sight. (Maybe just take the sidewalk on the roundabouts though, where rules seem not to apply and things can get scrappy.)

Views from L’Oiseau Blanc restaurant.

Back at the hotel, as is the way with Parisian hotels near the Champs-Élysées, the rooftop restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc is highly acclaimed. But it’s small, so bookings must be made in advance. Can’t get a seat at the table? Make use of its adjoining rooftop bar instead. With views over the Eiffel Tower, we linger here until the wee small hours sipping Champagne and watching the Grande Dame’s glitter show as the clock turns over into a new hour. If you’re going to come to the City of Lights, we say to ourselves, then this is how to do it.

The terrace of L’Oiseau Blanc restaurant.

Boutique within the Peninsula Paris Hotel.

L’Oiseau Blanc indoor dining area.

Vogue Living experienced Peninsula Paris as a guest of the hotel.

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