"The Ritz Paris is an icon on the Place Vendôme, and it’s the stuff of romance and urban legends. A line forms every night at the no-reservations Bar Hemingway, named for the larger-than-life author who claimed to have “liberated” it from German occupation. (In 1944, the hotel doubled as a Nazi headquarters, and Hemingway was among those who helped to reclaim it.) A no-expenses-spared restoration unveiled in 2016 restored the grande dame’s luster: The 142 guest rooms are decked out with empire furniture, floral silk fabrics, and marble fireplaces. At the Ritz Paris, the fashion crowd vie to bed down in Coco Chanel’s former apartment, now a dedicated suite still housing the designer’s art collection, velvet banquettes, and Chinese lacquered screens. Culinary enthusiasts learn recipes at the Ritz Escoffier School, an homage to the culinary maestro who pioneered a new kind of hotel experience with César Ritz, aka “King of Hoteliers, and Hotelier to Kings.” (He was such a legend, he bequeathed the word “ritzy” to the dictionary.) And pastry fans reserve the Salon Proust for afternoon tea featuring fresh madeleines by pâtissier extraordinaire François Perret." - Jennifer Flowers