Hôtel Amour

Find the hotel on a side road off shopping street rue des Marytrs in South Pigalle. To blend in with the Parisian bobos (bourgeois bohemians) who have made the once-shady neighbourhood so fashionable, ask the taxi driver for SoPi. Footsteps away, the delightful Musée de la Vie Romantique evokes the Romantic era in a beautiful 1830s townhouse and flower garden where Romantics Georges Sand and Frédéric Chopin attended literary salons. Hilltop Montmartre, with its white-domed basilica and seductive city panoramas, is two stops north along line 12 from St-Georges metro station – or you could, of course, walk.

Love is the passion and purpose here and there is no escaping it – romancing couples only please. The spirited trio behind the daring themed hotel consist of graffiti artist-stroke-nightclub baron André Saraiva, hotelier Thierry Costes and restaurateur Emmanuelle Delavenne, whose combined talents contribute to a boutique hotel that is playful, highly individual and just a little bit risqué. The retro quirks begin on the street outside with a candy-floss pink façade and "Eau Chaude à tous les Etages" painted in retro lettering, mirroring typical 1950s "hot water on all floors" hotel signage.

Understated in that very casual-chic way that Paris does so well. Staff might come across as a tad arrogant on first appearance but keep your cool and they’ll soon become your friends. Services and facilities are limited: Hôtel Amour is more like rooms above a restaurant really. The compensation is Amour’s beautiful glass-topped terrace garden, made for lounging over cocktails on sultry summer nights. When the need for more physical action strikes, head down to the chintzy mint-green tiled basement for a game of table football. The bistro menu is also available to order as room service.

Black corridors lead to 28 retro-styled rooms, each individually arranged with vintage furniture picked up in flea markets, mildly erotic art works and pin-up posters and a nicely curated choice of reading matter (love-related art and design titles such as "Parisian Brothels: Immoral 1930s Architecture", although it's all predominantly in French). Some rooms are saucier than others, although none are likely to overly offend – express any specific dislikes or desires when booking, including if you fancy a room with art works by that year’s resident artist. Room tech is limited to old-school radio: there are no televisions and no air-con (it can get hot in summer), but then who would want to watch television in a hotel made for love? 

Bathrooms likewise vary across the house. Petite doubles only have shower, while some doubles sport bath tub in the actual bedroom. Kudos to the Superior double with its insanely gorgeous, baby-pink retro tub with legs, and private terrace. 

Fantastic. The hotel "reception" is tucked discreetly in one corner of the fashionable, ground-floor bistro – a local lifestyle hub and buzzing drinking and dining spot open from 8am to 2am daily. Strictly seasonal, bistro-style dishes such as gooey oven-baked goat’s cheese with thyme and honey, springtime asparagus with poached eggs, roast chicken, hand-cut steak tartare, burgers, pasta and salads are served for lunch (noon to 5pm) and dinner (7pm to midnight). The daily plat du jour (€17 [£14.50]), served weekdays, is excellent value, as is Amour’s weekend brunch which includes a vegetarian version (€23 [£19.75]). In warm weather, dining and drinking spills outside into the gorgeous terrace courtyard. End your day with late-night drinks – the bistro stays open, and filled, until the wee hours most nights and the house cocktails come highly recommended.

Breakfast is a continental affair, with a wide choice of coffee and teas, croissants, muesli and pastries on offer. Tartines, and several egg-based dishes are available for those looking for something more substantial, as well as a good-value set petit déjeuner.

Double rooms from €160 (£137) in low season; and from €270 (£230) in high. Breakfast excluded (around €15 [£12.80]).

There is one room adapted for wheelchair users.

No. It's a somewhat saucy romance hotel dedicated to lovers.