In the heart of the district where Paris discovered freedom and its music
Paris abounds in countless legends. That of Saint Germain des Prés reached its apogee in post-war France, as the country euphorically discovered freedom and the music of its liberators, jazz. The nation's youth was literally bursting with life, hopes and ideas.
This vibrant, dancing, artistic and intellectual momentum blossomed in the melting pot of the Seine's Left Bank around the Church of Saint Germain des Prés and the Sorbonne University. Its emblematic landmarks were Brasserie Lipp, Café des Deux Magots, which even treated itself to the luxury of founding its own literary prize, and Café de Flore, all of which stand either opposite or next to the Best Western Premier Au Manoir Saint Germain des Prés.
Avant-garde theatre also came to the forefront in this neighbourhood that witnessed the first staging of Samuel Beckett's play, Waiting for Godot in 1953. Artists and photographers also flocked to the district (in 1937, Picasso put the finishing touches to Guernica in his studio on Rue des Grands Augustins, where his friend Man Ray often dropped by), as did many singers, of the likes of Jacques Brel, Charles Trénet, Charles Aznavour and Serge Gainsbourg, who were all regulars in the neighbourhood, when they didn't actually live here. This boisterous crowd typically met in the district's cellar bars, among which the scandalous Bar Vert and the Tabou. These music cellars were packed with night owls artists who gathered to listen to the New Orleans jazz and frenetic Bebop tempos played by Sidney Bechet, Miles Davis and Duke Ellington at the Club Saint Germain or the Blue Note, other local institutions.
During this period, Saint Germain des Prés was one of the world's most vibrant cultural nerve centres and the Manoir Saint Germain des Prés, not yet a Best Western Premier, was its hotel. The building was built in the 18th century. The guestrooms' windows command a fine perspective of the legendary Boulevard Saint Germain and its rooftops and church, the oldest in Paris. As its name suggests, the hotel offers the impeccable comfort one would expect from a stately home, coupled with a snug ambience depicted by walls hung with Jouy fabrics, alcove beds and on the top floor, guestrooms tucked under the eaves. It is difficult to remember you are in the heart of one of the French capital's most exhilarating and enticing districts, such is the peace and quiet that reigns in the establishment. The wainscoted breakfast room hung with romantic paintings and the graceful winter garden further accentuate this sensation of seclusion and exclusivity. An authenticity that heightens the melting flavour of the hot croissant you bite into the morning.
There is absolutely nothing artificial in the delightful "village" charm of the Best Western Premier Au Manoir Saint Germain des Prés, which simply perpetuates the neighbourhood's immortal character. All the musicians and artists that regularly stayed in this microcosm after the war or who continue to sojourn here today are unanimous in their acclaim of its charm which remains that of a timeless village with its church, tiny cobbled square, café terraces, perfect to sit and watch the passers-by and maze of narrow streets whose architecture is centuries old and where one regularly catches sight of well-known faces. Saint Germain des Prés embodies an Art de Vivre that has ever been devoted to freedom and authenticity. The Best Western Premier Au Manoir Saint Germain des Prés is definitely one of the village's most genuine institutions. This is certainly one of the two reasons that so many night-loving artists and intellectuals stopped off here to recharge their batteries after dissipating their inexhaustible creative energy and thirst for life in the local cafés and cellars. The other reason is undoubtedly the matchless location of the Best Western Premier Au Manoir Saint Germain des Prés… To get any closer to the action, you would have to set up a camp bed!
| Best Western Premier Au Manoir Saint-Germain des Prés |
| 153 Boulevard Saint Germain, Paris, France - FR-75006 |
| Phone: +33 (0) 1 42 22 21 65 Fax: +33 (0) 1 45 48 22 25 |
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