A Very Parisian Long Weekend

In the country… Just an hour’s train ride west of Paris, near the border of Normandy, is a chateau so charming, so French, the resident sheep practically “baa” with an accent. Set on 100 well-manicured acres along the river Eure, the 18th-century Domaine de Primard in Guainville was the private home of French actress Catherine Deneuve for three decades, before it was sold and transformed into the five-star retreat it is today. Head gardener Gérard Germaine, who has been tending to the century-old trees and 250 varieties of roses here for 18 years, still leads tours of the grounds. Fun fact: the lady of the estate liked to keep the boxwood hedges high enough to cover all but the top of her head. The garden remains impeccable, and a major draw; it more than earns its Jardin remarquable status from the French Ministry of Culture. Now under the ownership of the Fontenille Collection—a series of high-end boutique hotels and restored estates in France, Italy, and Spain—Primard is a 40-room hotel and spa that is a beloved spot of weekending Parisians and foodies. Each detail is somehow more romantic than the next: Visitors actually sit out back along the Eure painting en plein air, trying to capture the cacophonous swirl of greens in the water—perhaps the same way the water lilies captivated Monet in nearby Giverny. Many guests are coupled up, on a babymoon, or have returned with a newborn in tow. And there’s whimsy around every corner: a living room has 50-odd fake mushrooms dotting the walls; the lobby hallway has an equal number of escargot climbing up to the ceiling. Many of the guest rooms are in the main house, with painted shutters that open to show off the estate at sunset, oversized soaking tubs, and cushy beds conducive to sleeping 12 hours (should you choose). The vibe is whisper quiet, except for when a bell rings every day at 4 p.m. to invite everyone down for afternoon tea, a decadent spread of fruit tarts, red-velvet cookies, cakes, chocolates, and the beverage of your choice, best enjoyed alongside a game of chess. Bookending the tea are hearty meals at Italian trattoria Ottavio La Tavola and Bistrot Martin, including a not-to-be-missed Sunday brunch with trays of roast chicken and ham, oysters, cured meats and cheeses, a crepe station, a bounty of fresh fruit, bite-sized mousse, and vats of tiramisu. Activities are low adrenaline: lounging by the heated outdoor pool, a massage at the Susanne Kaufmann spa, a game of pétanque, or a short bike ride to visit the farm animals. (Say hi to the Highland cows and the donkeys, which are disarmingly friendly.) Crillon’s shaded central patio is the place to be in the summer, from breakfast to nightcaps. In the city… Though August is now squarely behind us, there is much to learn by spending the dog days of summer in Paris. Yes, it’s devilishly hot (95 degrees F), but it’s so much emptier—an ideal time to visit a museum, get a dinner reservation, have a picnic in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, or lick a dripping ice cream cone from Berthillon in peace. Parisians who aren’t at the beach or lounging by the pool at Primard are relaxing with purpose in their home city. One way to do it in style is by booking the most coveted suites in one of the city’s most historic hotels: Les Grands Appartements at l’Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood hotel, co-designed by artistic director Aline Asmar d’Amman and Karl Lagerfeld just a few years prior to his death. The website will give you the specs—3,606 square feet, views of Place de la Concorde, butler service and courtesy clothing press—but the secrets of these family suites are best explored in person. The designs were inspired by Versailles, literally and philosophically, from the mirrors on the ceiling to the primary bedroom that mimics Marie Antoinette’s (the bed itself has sumptuous privacy curtains). Custom gray velvet furniture and boiserie wall panels, a decorative note from 17th-century France, set the tone, and each detail one-ups the next. Think that’s just a fun mirrored bookshelf? Think again: The shelves slide open to reveal a dressing room the size of a Manhattan studio. If you’re wondering where all the marble in Italy went, it’s in the main bathroom—floor to ceiling, and a standing tub hewn from a single two-ton block of deep-veined Carrara marble. Finally, in the entryway washroom, guests are invited to casually wash their hands at a marble fountain relocated from Marie Antoinette’s gardens in Versailles, now serving as the most historic sink in Paris. A masterpiece unto itself: the Carrara marble bathroom in Les Grands Appartements. Photo: Courtesy of Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel Crillon does a lovely job putting the “family” in family suites. Regardless of which room you book, Le Petit Crillon program is in play, with every staff—to a person—making kids feel like a petit prince or princess. Nothing says “VIP” more, in my humble opinion, than initials monogrammed onto pillows; the hotel’s in-house seamstress tackles this for rooms in the Suites category. The welcome drinks may be Champagne for you, mango and passionfruit smoothies for them, paired with cookies from the on-site patisserie and caramels in tiny crystal dishes. Children receive activity books in every restaurant and on arrival, following the adventures of the Benny the elephant around Paris, and dive toys from the lifeguard downstairs at the Sense, A Rosewood Spa pool, which is lit from above by a skylight. (That pool is a godsend during the mid-day heat.) Staying at the Crillon means you’re only a short walk from the Champs-Élysées, Jardin des Tuileries, and Musée de l’Orangerie, home to Monet’s Water Lilies (Nymphéas) murals, a fitting full-circle study of natural beauty following time spent on the banks of the Eure river.