Whatever rocks your boat. A new concept hotel in the capital of love and romantic ballads is all the rage in Paris these days. The Love Hotel offers rooms by the hour, from 25 Euros per, to couples in search of a moment of ardor, lust, or just plain physical encounters. Be it on your lunch hour, after work, in the afternoon (ah, Love in the Afternoon!), the themed establishment seems to flourish with the locals.
Pirates, Hawaii, Donjons, Captain Cabin, Bollywood Kama Sutra, are some of the aptly baptized offerings of the little inn in the center of Paris. A boutique also offers various sex toys, films, accessories, should you want to spice up your married (or not) life. This is absolutely not an offer of prostitution, as couples are couples of their own device, not offers of any kind of partnership is involved in the process.
This is not a French bordello - but then again, it is not a tourist destination either. The small 16-room hotel is quite loud in decoration, nothing beige or design here, the effect is meant to be stimulating to adults looking for a love/sex break. Nothing one could not do in a regular hotel room, but yet this one is clearly designed for fantasy erotic sessions. The love nests are cozy and over-decorated in their own style, for a visual feast as well as entertainment purpose.
Each slightly scandalous fetish room has huge flat screens where x-rated movies channels can be accessed, plus condoms and gels, and all the trimmings of a regular hotel. A few services can be added such as massages, co-ed saunas, and erotic shows, for additional fees. A welcomed alternative for legitimate and not-so lovers on a budget, this might be a renewal of small struggling hotels that have a hard time filling up their rooms at night, now they could book them during the day.
This is supposed to be a fun destination, and in the city famous for inventing love, this might just be the perfect environment for bored couples and a haven for mistresses and lovers, or just plain sex partners who don't want to do it in a car or a closet at work. Out-of-towners commuters can also adopt the idea of having a daily break without having to trek back to the suburbs, or couples living with parents could also enjoy the freedom of having sex without the hovering presence of a parent in the house.
For that very reason, Japan has offered such a concept for a long time, with over 7,000 such hotels in Tokyo alone. This is the first one of its kind opened in Paris. Other day-use hotels are available in the city, but they are clearly meant for business travelers between two flights or weary clients just wanting to take a nap, a different story altogether.
Quick warning: the door of your sex habitat will open automatically after one hour of discretion, and in some rooms, regular bright lights will come on, so when they say one hour, they mean 1 hour! From various clients 'reviews, it appears that the rooms are not very well insulated from noise from adjacent activity, which in turn could be part of the turn-on experience in a way. No gooey pink syrup oozing out of the faucets, nor unwanted encounters with nude fairies in the hallways, this is all very civilized. And one must be 21 years of age to enter the love castle.
Romance is not dead - and Paris will always be Paris!
INFO: Love Hotel, 88 rue Saint Denis, Paris 75001; Tel 011-33-1-4482-6305; Rooms from 25 Euros per hour; http://www.lovehotelaparis.fr/