SAX IN THE CITY
With the opening of its first Parisian hotel, SAX Paris presents LXR's vision of art de vivre. Written by Bridget Cottrell / Images courtesy of SAX Paris
Although it's frequently attributed to Japanese tourists, during my first visit to Paris over a decade ago, I definitely came down with a mild case of "Paris Syndrome," a psychological condition where a person experiences acute disappointment (among other physical manifestations) due to the stark contrast between their idealized expectations of Paris and reality. Whereas I can now nearly cite verbatim the dialogue from Woody Allen's "Midnight In Paris," the last line of which is "Actually, Paris is the most beautiful in the rain," on my maiden voyage, the deluge that greeted us upon arrival in the City of Lights was but one in a series of letdowns. In the ensuing years, I've had the good fortune to visit Paris several times in all seasons, gifting me with the chance to explore beyond the jam-packed tourist hotspots, and staying in all manner of accommodations, from a rental house in the Latin quarter to a posh suite in haute couture's "Golden Triangle." Somehow, I keep being drawn back to the 7th arrondissement, likely for the warm and fuzzy remembrance of a mother-daughter college-scouting trip where our home base was a tiny hotel slightly past its heyday, and where our sorely lacking grasp of the French language led to some hilariously memorable moments. While the posh neighborhood, located on the left bank of the Seine River, is home to significant landmarks including the Eiffel Tower, the Musée d'Orsay, the Musée Rodin, and 58 slmag.net
Les Invalides, I've always enjoyed its slightly slower pace and sleepiness, particularly after dark (stay in the 9th if you're keen on a lively local nightlife experience). So, when I heard LXR opened its first Parisian outpost in the 7th, I bumped it to the top of my must-visit list. Situated on a tree-lined boulevard between the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides, SAX Paris is located within a renovated 1899 neo-Gothic building, formerly the Ségur telephone exchange, where hundreds of operators manually connected calls. The 118-room hotel is a quietly chic addition to the neighborhood. Unmissable at night due to the red illumination of the façade, it's a bold statement hearkening to the surprises that await inside. Just before reaching the cozy lobby, where a console table was covered with an assemblage of long-stem red and pink roses, my eye was drawn up a set of stairs leading to The Galerie, a long and narrow space outfitted with 200 mirrors and multiple Baccarat chandeliers (making it supremely popular with the selfie set). Just beyond the check-in desk is Arik Levy's glistening crystal sculpture 'Rockstone,' positioned in front of a treillage wall that marks the entrance to Jardin Le SAX, an alfresco all-day dining spot with an elevated heated swimming pool and jacuzzi. As many of the local restaurants were closed for the Parisian summer exodus during our visit, the urban oasis was buzzing long after the bees had called it a night.