Hotel Molitor, Paris Review

Hotel Molitor is a fascinating hotel, it’s been converted from the derelict Molitor swimming baths. Originally inaugurated in 1929, Molitor was open for 60 years and was one of the most popular Swimming baths in Paris. It closed in 1989 and was listed as a historical monument.

Molitor then became an attraction for artists, becoming a temple of the Paris underground.

It carries its art-deco theme to this day, with a motto of ‘Pool, Art, Life’, it’s obvious that this is more than just swimming baths. The walls are adorned with interesting art illustrations, no plain beige walls can be found here. It’s a truly fascinating building, I would happily take up residence here.

The former swimming baths holds a wealth of history, including being the place where the first bikini was launched back in 1964 - quite a claim to fame. It has been meticulously and lovingly restored, they team restoring the building have managed to retain some of its original charm and character.

“You couldn’t ask for anything more.”

The pool is the main centre piece of the property, there are 4 floors of rooms and suites overlooking the outdoor pool. The scene at night-time is just magical, we visited in October and there were guests swimming outside in the heated pool until around 10pm. It felt almost unreal experiencing this and being so close to Paris in October, it’s an experience I’d happily repeat.

The pool is beautifully illuminated and is constantly subtly changing colour, you can see this reflecting across the surrounding hotel rooms. It’s a huge pool and has various water features throughout, and a collection of comfortable fusion couches and sun loungers surrounding it.

Taking a walk inside you’ll find a huge indoor pool, ordinarily I would stay outside but on this occasion I was truly captivated by what I saw. I’m fascinated by the level of innovation and creativity which has taken place here, the original changing rooms surrounding the pool have been handed to the artists that would frequent the derelict building and tag the walls. Each changing room has been individually designed by a different artist, something for any art lover to see.

My personal favourite was the polished Rolls Royce which adorns the lobby area formerly owned by Eric Cantona, tagged by Harlem graffiti artist JonOne.

Our pool suite was spacious and well designed, with a separate lounge area containing a large table and chairs, and a sofa. The bedroom area had the most comfortable bed and beautiful lighting. The bathroom was stunning too, with a separate bath and shower and complete with Clarins products. There was also another washroom, plenty of wardrobe space, and an espresso machine.

The hotel has a large gym with an extensive range of exercise equipment. But no visit to the Molitor would be complete without a trip to the Clarins spa. It’s located in the basement of the hotel, and it’s a huge complex containing several treatment rooms, and 2 spa suites designed for couples that include Jacuzzi’s. I experienced the super restorative facial treatment, it was a replenishing facial treatment deigned to nourish and hydrate the skin. Worked a treat, I left feeling a lot more vitalised that I did going in, definitely worth a visit.

There is also a bar and restaurant, where we celebrated NYE. You couldn’t ask for anything more from Hotel Moilor - and recommend this to anyone seeking a unique experience.