Hip Hotels: France [Paperback]

Herbert Ypma (Author)

Book Description

Series: Hip Hotels | Publication Date: April 2001

France has it all - a rich history, an incredibly varied geography, a gastronomic culture that is unsurpassed, and a tradition of good living that remains blissfully untainted by the stresses of modern life. Hip Hotels: France brings together the most authentically individual of France's hotels in the country's choicest destinations. Choose the futuristic vision of Jean Nouvel or the hearty hospitality of an Alpine farmhouse, a fisherman's but on the South Atlantic coast or the hip modernity of Le Corbusier's Unite d' Habitation in Marseilles, a Mecca for devotees of modernist architecture. Some are established, some are virtually unknown, but every one of these hotels is a unique response to the geography, cuisine and design heritage of its location. So whether you are an adventurer, a gourmet, or a design aficionado - or all of the above - Hip Hotels: France will enable you to plan your itinerary through city, town, coast and countryside. This third volume in the phenomenally successful Hip Hotels series is once more guaranteed to set you dreaming. It has all the slick of City and all the variety of Escape - all in one amazing country.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Ypma, founder of the Interior Architecture magazine, has put together a sumptuously illustrated book of hotels in France. These are not the usual hotels or hotel chains, however, but instead those that have a special appeal owing to their unique interiors and locations. They include medieval ch teaux, alpine chalets, rural farmhouses, and modern city hotels. Arranged alphabetically by city, the guide offers a brief history as well as a description of each hotel, which is accompanied by photographs, mostly color, of the exterior as well as the interior. Ypma has also included addresses, telephone numbers, and room rates, which range from cheap to very expensive. Not a necessary purchase but certainly an attractive addition to any travel collection, this lush guide will prove most useful for design fanatics planning a truly stylish trip to France. [This is the third book in Thames & Hudson's upscale "Hip Hotels" travel series; also available are Hip Hotels: City and Hip Hotels: Escape. Ed.] George M. Jenks, Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg, P.
- George M. Jenks, Bucknell Univ., Lewisburg, PA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A great travel find. -- National Geographic

Destined to become the bible for traveling fashionistas—or those who just wish they were. -- Entertainment Weekly

His well-edited selection of the best-designed places to stay will have readers scrambling to make travel plans. -- Travel & Leisure

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Thames & Hudson (April 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0550170030
• ISBN-13: 978-0500282687
• ASIN: 0500282684
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,527,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A visual feast, January 24, 2002

By 

Renaaah "Renaaah" (Bronxville, New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hip Hotels: France (Paperback)

This book is one of the most beautifully photographed I've seen in years. Not only did it inspire me to stay in the Villa Gallici when I was in France over the Christmas holidays, but I have spent hours poring over the gorgeous pictures, finding inspiration for the decor of my new house.

One great drawback of the book is that it doesn't include a map of France at the front or back, showing where the hotels are located. (My boyfriend is French, and even he didn't know some of the towns where the hotels are situated.)

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Waste of money!, May 1, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Hip Hotels: France (Paperback)

What a waste of money!!!! I was sooo exited about receiving this book, and especially because the reviews were so good. But a complete dissapointment. Hardly any pictures. Each hotel has a page or two briefly describing it, with artsy pictures which i hate, cause you only see a close of a stupid door handle, or a side of a table. IT MAKES ME INSANE WHEN PICTURES ARE LIKE THAT. PUT THE WHOLE PICTURE IN FOR HEAVENS SAKE! So if you think this book will show you complete pictures of hotel rooms, and lobbys your mistaken. Dont bother!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspired me to go to some new places in France., December 30, 2001

By 

"larkhtx" (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hip Hotels: France (Paperback)

I bought this book for my designer husband because of the architecture and interior design of the hotels. He loved it. As the travel planner of the family I found myself reading about the hotels and areas we haven't visited yet, and was inspired to vary our usual French holidays to include some of the hotels in the book. If the rates in the book are fairly accurate, many of the hotels are accessible to most travelers or within reason for a splurge stay. I would have liked more and bigger photos of some places like La Columbe d'Or, but generally the descriptions and photos were interesting as well as attractive. This is not a Fromer's guide or hotel guide but a glimpse of some of the more interesting places to stay in France.