Paris with Baudelaire

Born in Paris in 1821, Charles Baudelaire was an author of critically acclaimed essays and poems.

But it was his concept of the “flaneur” that is perhaps his best and most appreciated legacy, especially among non-fluent French-speaking tourists like me.

Baudelaire coined the term to describe a person who, like him, took great pleasure in aimlessly strolling around city streets. There are, it must be said, few finer places on Earth for this than Paris.

The city was in flux in Baudelaire’s day, the subject of a gigantic regeneration project overseen by Baron Haussmann, the prefect of Napoleon III. The changes Baudelaire witnessed — allied with the enduring facets and characteristics of France’s capital — provided boundless inspiration for his writings.

I’m mentioning him as there’s a bar and restaurant named after Baudelaire at Le Burgundy, the hotel I’m staying at. On quiet Rue Duphot, in the First Arrondissement, at the centre of Paris, this place is perfectly situated for a flaneur, with beguiling options to potter around in all directions.

Le Burgundy is an interesting title for a Parisian hotel, as it’s the English name for Bourgogne, the vineyard-laced region of eastern France that also gives its name to boeuf bourguignon, that classic French dish of beef slow-cooked in a red wine sauce.

Mystery remains as to why the hotel used the anglicised name, but it’s thought it could have been a marketing strategy to attract well-to-do English-speaking tourists when it opened in the 1850s.

Not that this looks or feels like a stuffy old hotel. It has undergone several refurbishments over the last 125 years and has been regularly freshened up in the past decade by its current owners.

Modern artworks brighten both the public areas and the 59 rooms and suites, with each floor boasting a different colour scheme. All rooms have perks like coffee machines and, most strikingly, double doors separating the entrance-lobby and sleeping areas, shutting out any potential noise from the corridors.

The entry-level Classic rooms, at 23sqm, are larger than average for Paris, with nightly rates — from about $800 — that are not over-the-top for such a chic, central address. You could splash out more, of course.

Superior and Deluxe categories offer more space, and a separate shower and bath (the Classic rooms have either/or). Some options have little balconies overlooking Rue Duphot, including junior suites (which will get a face lift this year when the carpets will be replaced by traditional Parisian parquet).

We’re in the 81sqm Apartment — one of the signature sprawling suites on the top (sixth) floor. Ours sleeps up to five, and is priced from around $2750 a night.

Natural light pours into the larger of the Apartment’s two lounges, from which we peek out over the silver mansard roofs at the distant Eiffel Tower.

There’s an outdoor balcony-terrace on the other side of this lounge, which has cosy seating and coffee-table books, and one of the biggest TVs I’ve ever seen outside of an electronics store. There are three more, smaller Chromecast-enabled TVs in this suite, including one above the whirlpool tub in the marble-adorned ensuite, which adjoins a large bedroom with a king bed.

All guests at Le Burgundy are given complimentary access to the basement 250sqm Susanne Kaufmann spa, which has a 15m heated pool, gym, sauna and steam rooms and — for an extra cost — pampering treatments.

You may fancy a post-massage tipple upstairs at Le Charles, a cosy streetside lounge-bar that has a ceiling fresco inspired by Les Fleurs Du Mal — a volume of poetry Baudelaire wrote from 1840 to his death in 1867.

Also alluring is the prospect of afternoon tea with champagne and delectable offerings from esteemed pastry chef Leandre Vivier.

Meanwhile, across the hotel’s covered courtyard, there’s Le Baudelaire, which really comes into its own at lunch and dinner with the seasonal dishes of executive chef Mylo Levin. A variety of tasting menus are offered. They’re ostensibly three, five and seven courses, but you can virtually double those numbers when you add in all the amuse-bouches and petits fours.

Well lit with super-comfortable seating, this charming restaurant has had a Michelin star since 2011, and fully merits it. The dishes — with ingredients like bluefin tuna, scallops, black truffle and Jerusalem artichoke — are artfully styled and full of tantalising flavours. Service here is attentive but relaxed and unsnooty.

Also making a good impression are the silky smooth wines (we’re fans of the Chateauneuf-du-Pape reds), the sourdough bread, and the pleasingly aromatic cheese trolley. Even if you decide to stay elsewhere in Paris, I’d recommend booking a table here (bank on spending at least $250-$300 per person).

It can be popular, so reserve in advance. On the Friday evening we dine here, the other tables are occupied by French, Chinese, Russian and Dutch diners.

The next morning, we’re back at Le Baudelaire for breakfast. There’s a continental buffet and a la carte menu with warm options. In the light of day, I cast my eye over the leafy patio (a nice spot for a cocktail in summer, I’d imagine) and at the restaurant carpet (patterned with Baudelaire’s writing).

Mulling over my flaneur-inspired plan for the day, I sip my coffee, tuck into poached eggs and croissants, and eavesdrop on conversations between two American families at the neighbouring tables. They’re exchanging tales about their Parisian adventures so far. Their enthusiasm is infectious, and makes me eager to get out and about to explore more of this perennially intriguing city.

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