Hotel Crayon By Elegancia

The two floor-to-ceiling casement windows flanking the entrance to Hotel Crayon convey its openness. Inside, bright pops of color -- acid green, mustard yellow, and poppy red -- add good-humored fun to the lobby. A honey-pinewood floor, a casual coat rack with colored-tipped hooks, a coffee table strewn with magazines, the warm glow cast by mismatched pendant lights, and the creative doodles and scrawls on stark white walls create an artsy guest-house vibe. Bookshelves span a wall, and there's two long tables, one bearing a big bowl of fruit, along with an honesty bar; coffee and tea are available here for free. Breakfast is served in a snug basement with Mondrian-style prints on its stone walls, and a floor made up of large squares of gold, gray, rose, and white. Hotel Crayon draws mainly couples and solo travelers, but families and business travelers find their way here too.

Located on a charming, typically Parisian street, Hotel Crayon is close to several major tourist attractions. The Louvre is a six-minute walk from the hotel, while the Palais-Royal and the Forum des Halles shopping mall are within a 10-minute walk; the Tuilleries Garden is about a 15-minute walk. Louvre-Rivoli, about a five-minute walk, is the closest metro station (Line 1) and is one stop to the transit hub of Chatelet, where several metro, bus, and RER lines converge. The Marais is about a 20-minute metro ride from the Louvre-Rivoli station (get off at Hotel de Ville or St. Paul). Charles de Gaulle Airport is about a 40-minute trip on the RER from Chatelet, or a 35-minute drive, depending on traffic. Orly Airport, which is south, is about a 30-minute drive.

Rooms at Hotel Crayon are on the small side with views of the street or courtyard. As expected, the color palette is bold and includes mustard-yellow walls and curtains with a cobalt-blue closet and desk, or gray walls with bright green accents. Chairs upholstered in Marimekko-style fabric pair with vintage wooden desks in some rooms. Beds are mounted on skirted box springs, and some have beautiful Venetian-mirrored headboards. Framed photos, pencil-and-pen artwork, and line-drawing wall murals give rooms an "art student" vibe. All rooms come with flat-screen TVs, safes, air-conditioning, and free Wi-Fi. Rooms are individually designed, and might include classic French novels or an Asterix comic book by the bed. Bathrooms, with playful blue, green, and white tiles, are tiny but make efficient use of space, with little bowl basins or squared-off modern sinks atop vintage wash stands, and stall showers. Magnifying mirrors, hairdryers, and organic bath products in cool, colorful packaging are all tucked into the space. Diffuser perfume boxes allow guests to choose their room's scent, one of the signature touches in this idiosyncratic hotel.

Wi-Fi is free at Hotel Crayon, as are newspapers, shoe shines, and coffee and tea in the lobby. There is an express breakfast and a buffet breakfast option, but neither is included in the room rate. Airport transfers can be arranged. There is no fitness center, but Crayon guests get reduced rates at a nearby spa. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout.