Hotel Prince de Conti is a new jewel in Paris

The 17th century was a significant one for Paris. The revolution was some way off, and the royals were embellishing their capital with regal squares, palaces and bridges.

I’m crossing Pont Neuf, which was completed in 1607, during the reign of King Henri IV, who’s portrayed, astride a horse, on a bronze statue about halfway across this multi-arched stone stunner, the oldest surviving bridge spanning the Seine in Paris.

I see the Louvre sprawling on the Right Bank and below Pont Neuf, there’s the leafy western tip of the Ile de la Cite, the 850m-long island that splits the river and has the Notre-Dame Cathedral at its eastern end.

I’ve now reached the Left Bank of the Seine, where this particular slice, by Pont Neuf, is called Quai de Conti.

A minute later, after walking down quiet, narrow Rue Guenegaud, I check into my home for the night, Hotel Prince de Conti. The building it occupies also dates from the 17th century, although I’m immediately struck by some distinctively 21st-century technology: an electric fireplace that uses mist and LED lighting to stimulate a convincing flame effect.

This — and the friendly English-speaking French receptionist — gives a warm, inviting ambience to the snug lobby of this family-run boutique hotel, which reopened in December 2025 after a 14-month refurbishment.

Also making a positive first impression are the decorative fabrics, nostalgic artworks and vibrant colour scheme, adding character to the public areas and the 23 rooms and suites.

This is one of four addresses in France’s capital operated by Paristory, a group managed by two sisters, Alexandra and Julie Marang. The quartet are in absorbing pockets of Paris, and Hotel Prince de Conti is on the doorstep of Saint-Germain-des-Pres, a 6th arrondissement enclave laced with atmospheric lanes, storied cafes, and contemporary galleries.

The intimate aura of this district is reflected in the hotel, where even the biggest suites — which can sleep four — are no larger than 31sqm (connecting options are available, however, if you’re travelling as a larger family or group).

Most rooms are 14sqm-16sqm, including the ones with terraces in the hotel’s compact tree-dotted inner courtyard, or those overlooking Rue Guenegaud, like the third-floor Superior room (No.314) that my partner Celine and I enjoy a good night’s sleep in.

As well as a very comfortable queen bed, it has a huge wall mirror, a coffee machine, a marble desk below a framed Chromecast-enabled wall TV, and bathrobes in the sliding wardrobe. We have a walk-in shower in our ensuite, but some rooms have bathtubs instead (when booking, you can make your preference known).

We like the room’s cosiness, but some guests — especially if those travelling with two large suitcases — may find this too much of a squeeze. What’s pleasantly surprising is how quiet things are. We can barely hear a murmur of traffic. It’s almost hard to believe Quai de Conti — which receives a steady stream of traffic 24/7 — is only 100m away.

The hotel is somewhat shielded from noise pollution by its hulking neighbour, the Monnaie de Paris (Paris Mint), which is set in a vast neoclassical riverside palace from the 18th century. The institution itself is much older, founded in AD864, more than a millennium before the Perth Mint, and has a museum extolling its history and treasured coin collection (open from Tuesday to Sunday).

Well placed for Parisian explorations, Hotel Prince de Conti is a nice base to return to.

Guests can hang out in the basement lounge, which has funky retro decor, coffee-table books about Paris, and an honesty bar with a selection of tipples, ranging from simple to sophisticated.

A portrait of the Prince de Conti — a noble from the House of Bourbon that once ruled France — adorns the wall. It’s one of several nods to the past scattered around this hotel. On the wall of the lift, for example, you can examine a bygone map of Paris, while the room keys — electronic, but attached to green leather tassels — evoke an earlier epoch of travel.

What remains timeless is the French knack for crafting fantastic pastries. The warm, flaky pains au chocolat we have for breakfast here are among the best we’ve had in Paris for ages. They’re part of a well-stocked continental buffet in the breakfast room adjoining the lounge-bar, where I overhear a few Australian couples conversing.

I’m half-tempted to ask them how they found out about this hotel, considering it has literally just reopened and online reviews are relatively scarce.

But they made a good choice staying here, I reckon. It’s chic and charming, the location is good and, with rates from around $500 per night, you don’t need to break the bank (or into the Paris Mint).

+ Steve McKenna was a guest of Hotel Prince de Conti. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication. fact file + To book a room at Hotel Prince de Conti, see princedeconti.com + For more information on visiting Paris, see parisjetaime.com + To help plan your trip to France, see france.fr