Creative Commons licensePhoto by flickr user slasher-fun

It started with the daddy of them all, Costes, so cool and self-assured that it doesn't even have a website. But these days Costes is not alone; Paris has a clutch of seriously hip hotels, and here we list our favourites...ones that work well as practical places to stay but that are also fun, with a palpable buzz of expectation around them. Some are Design hotels with a capital D...which is not to say that all Design hotels that open their doors automatically make the grade... they may think they have a right to instant fame and 'must go there' popularity but a few empty white walls and coloured plastic chairs does not a hip hotel make. A truly hip hotel needs real soul, even if it's light only burns bright for a short time. The order by which the hotels are listed bears no reflection on our preference.

Written by Fiona Duncan