Talk about spoilt for choice! Cosseted or contemporary, simple or decadently baroque. Sensual, shimmering and feminine - partitions of pale organzas, crinkly taffetas, fabrics à la Marie Antoinette. The rectangle is out, undulation is in; carpet is out, parquet is in. Soft velvets in chocolate, apricot and prune, bedheads in burnished crocodile (fake). Interior patios and private terraces in old and new neighbourhoods: the Marais, the Bastille, the Canal Saint Martin and all the way up to Montmartre. Bars with warm fires and deep sofas, flea market finds, a grand piano in the lobby and a Parisien beauty who sings at cocktail hour. Saunas and hammams, 18th-century staircases, Empire antiquities, home-made jams and croissants, country-house style. Where to find a private chauffeur or a bicycle rental. Can't get to the Caribbean? Come to Paris Plage 21 July - 20 August.
These Special Places are just that special, for they have been selected for their fascination and character, their top quality in their category and also for the people who run them.
