Perfectly located in a quiet yet central street in the 6th arrondissement (Saint-Germain-des-Prés), Hôtel Bel Ami is in walking distance to many restaurants, stores and attractions, making it a great starting point for exploring Paris. During our recent stay, we never took any public transport but could reach all destinations by foot. The area also feels very local, even though you have famous tourist hot spots Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots just around the corner.

But if you keep strolling through the small streets, you can find lots of hidden gems: amazing bistros, cool coffee shops, boulangeries and interesting stores. And on the weekends, the atmosphere is really vibrant. I would also recommend visiting the luxury department store Le Bon Marché and their sister grocery store La Grande Épicerie. It’s a 10-15 minute walk. We got some very delicious butter and cheese there and could store it in the minibar until our departure. And even if you don’t want to buy anything, both stores are great for their atmosphere alone.

I also liked the proximity of Hôtel Bel Ami to the 1st and 4th arrondissements. So you are definitely not only limited to Saint-Germain-des-Prés but can easily get to other parts of central Paris and explore lesser known streets while getting there.

Rating 9/10

First of all, Hôtel Bel Ami features a bar/restaurant offering lunch, dinner, and evening cocktails. We had lunch there once and thoroughly enjoyed it. The menu combines hotel classics with French flair. Their wines by the glass are a particular highlight (at least for my taste), offering excellent quality. The cocktail menu also looks impressive, though I didn’t get a chance to try one.

Breakfast was in a different room/area and quite good. It’s mainly buffet style but you can order a few more dishes á la carte which are then prepared for you. The selection overall was good and so was the quality. Hard to say if this is on a 5-star level. Definitely can’t compete with the breakfast at the Ritz or the Peninsula for example. But then again, the price for one room is much much better and more affordable. Personally, I enjoyed the breakfast and would recommend it.

The hotel also features a spa and a small gym. While I can’t fully evaluate the spa since we only had one quick treatment, that experience was good. The gym is quite basic, with limited machines and equipment. Though it met my needs, it falls short of what you’d expect from a 5-star hotel. However, at least you have some space to work out.

Rating 5/10

I was positively surprised by their rooms. Our first room was nice and clean and big enough, even though on the smaller side like most hotel rooms in Paris. For our last night we were able to try out one of their apartments which was really amazing. It had an additional entrance area with a kitchenette, a separate toilet and lots of space in the main living/sleeping area.

The beds are comfortable and so are the towels (which is even more important to me 😉 ). In both rooms, we had a walk-in shower. Again, when visiting Paris you have to be aware of the room sizes. Placing your luggage might become an issue. I booked the second smallest/lowest room category and we could still fit two large and one small suitcases plus a backpack on the floor and chair.

The rooms were very quiet thanks to well-insulated windows, but we encountered one significant issue: The neighboring restaurant transforms into a nightclub on certain nights, playing loud music. Since our room was on the first floor near this venue, we couldn’t sleep until after 2 AM during our second night. Fortunately, the hotel staff responded sympathetically and promptly moved us to a different room the following night. To avoid this problem, request a room numbered higher than 10, especially on the first floor.

Rating: 8/10 (not considering the noise issue, this would make it a 1/10 honestly)

As mentioned, Hôtel Bel Ami has a dedicated breakfast restaurant plus a bar for lunch, dinner and drinks. They also offer Sunday brunch which I heard is very good but I haven’t tried myself.I won’t repeat what I already commented on the food. If you want to explore Paris even more, go and have breakfast outside the hotel. There are so many options nearby.

I personally like to start the day with hotel breakfast and this one is perfectly fine. I suggest you try some of their à la carte choices as they are better than the buffet itself but then again cost extra. I would say the food quality is above many 4-star hotels in Paris but probably at the lower end of 5-star range.

I would always recommend to have lunch and dinner in Paris not in your hotel (unless you maybe stay at one with an outstanding restaurant, but even then….), but the bar at Hôtel Bel Ami is definitely a very good option if you – for whatever reason – want to eat something while at the hotel. Our food and drinks were delicious.

Rating: 6/10

The service was excellent, with consistently friendly staff throughout our stay. They handled the noise issue particularly well.

Besides, I have to mention the staff at breakfast. They were super nice and attentive.

Before our stay, I contacted their concierge team for restaurant recommendations and reservations. All their suggestions were excellent, and they handled everything efficiently.

We also made use of their valet parking which comes at no extra cost. On a downside, parking was very expensive – but I guess, that’s Paris and I did not want to look for proper parking nearby.

To sum it up: Service definitely was one of the highlights of our stay.

Rating: 9/10

For a 5-star hotel in Paris, the price was excellent. I booked via American Express and got some nice benefits like complimentary breakfast. If you want to learn more about how I got an amazing deal on Hôtel Bel Ami and how my process was to select and book it, check out this post: “6 steps how I always book the best hotels anywhere“.

Prices can vary a lot and for our two upcoming trips, I did not choose this hotel as it was too expensive (for what it offers).

With advance planning and some flexibility in your dates, you can secure excellent rates at Hôtel Bel Ami—often lower than some 4-star hotels and offering exceptional value for the experience.

As mentioned, our rate included breakfast, but I would say, it’s also a good value if you book it separately while you are there.

That said, this price rating factors in Paris’s typically high hotel costs.

Rating: 9/10 (based on the price I paid and taken into consideration that hotels in Paris cost far more than elsewhere)