Villa Alessandra

La Villa Alessandra, a white masonry building whose windows have boxes of flowers and wrought-iron detailing, has a lovely, quiet courtyard. After stepping through the entrance under a half-crown style awning, guests will find themselves in a spacious lobby whose orange wicker chairs and tables, cadet-blue doors and trim, pine-paneled reception desk and bar invoke a Provencal inn -- albeit a tired one. An espresso machine and electric kettle are next to shelves of liquor, for classic French aperitifs. There are just three wicker bar stools here, but clusters of tables and chairs make up the lounge/reception area. With its white-tile floor and absence of rugs, the space lacks warmth. The basement breakfast room has chartreuse doors and orange walls with cushioned wrought-iron chairs and tables. Despite its cheery colors, the room feels a bit grim. Hallways feature a blue chair rail and tassel-tied floral fabric for curtains and accent lighting. 

The 17th arrondissement is mostly residential. The Parc Monceau, an English-style park that was the subject of several Monet paintings, is about a 15-minute walk of the hotel. Along the way, travelers can take in the lovely town houses and impressive Haussmann buildings. The Arc de Triomphe, along with the Champs-Elysees, is about a 10-minute walk south of the hotel, and the Avenue Wagram, a historic street of hotels and theaters, is a five-minute walk away. Ternes, the closest metro station, is a six-minute walk. Guests might want to visit the Marches Biologiques de Batignolles, a covered organic-food market, that's a 16-minute metro trip in the direction of the Place Clichy. Charles de Gaulle Airport is a 35-minute drive, while Orly Airport, in the opposite direction, is a 45-minute drive from the hotel.

Rooms at La Villa Alessandra are rag-roll painted in the warm yellow prominent in southern France, but the decor feels flat. Dated bedspreads and seat cushions are in a yellow-and-blue Provencal pattern. A few framed botanical prints add a stately touch. The black, wrought-iron beds, advertised on the hotel's website as "canopy beds," are either four-poster or a two-poster headboards with some muslin fabric. Sweet views include charming apartments and cobblestone courtyards. The smaller rooms have little additional seating, aside from a desk chair and a small, cushioned bench for a suitcase. All rooms have flat-screen TVs, safes, small armoires, and minibars with wine and soda. Larger rooms have seating areas, often under the eaves, loveseats, wooden armchairs, and glass-topped coffee tables --  but the spaces feel cramped. Bathrooms, with glazed terra-cotta floors, shower/tub combos with glass partitions, and white-and-orange tiles, have harsh lighting, and the tiles need regrouting. Antiquated, wall-mounted hairdryers have old-style hoses. Toiletries are by Zennao. 

La Villa Alessandra serves breakfast (for a fee) in a basement room sporting Mediterranean colors or out on a shaded terrace. And the lobby has a petite three-seat bar, but there's no full restaurant serving other meals. The conference room, although small (it seats only 20 people), has warm lighting and walls and fabrics in soft yellow and creams, and the chairs are made of the white-washed wood of southern France. The business center has computer stations, but guests have complained about the irregular Wi-Fi connection. The hotel has a concierge, a rental car center, and limited hour room service. It also offers dry cleaning and babysitting services for a fee, and is pet-friendly.