Paris-based graphic designer/travel blogger Anne Ditmeyer of the fantastic Prêt à Voyager gives designtripper a special account of her favorite neighborhood hotel, Hotel Amour, which was pulled together by the one-named Parisian art/nightlife impresario André and is known for its artist-designed rooms. For more on living in and visiting Paris, make sure to check out her blog! Here’s what she has to say:

Walk into Hotel Amour and you’ll think you’re in the wrong place, in the heart of a restaurant with a chill vibe and great buzz. Turn right and you’re at the front desk that feels more like a hostess stand than a reception center. Check in and you’ll disappear around the corner through a discrete door that takes you next door and upstairs to the series of 24 rooms behind the facade of a typical Parisian apartment building. Reminiscent of the Ace Hotels in the US, this independent hotel brings together decor that ties together vintage classics with a modern sophisticated feel, but where each room takes on a flavor of its own. Designed by various names in the French design scene the painted walls and unexpected color palettes matched with crisp white bedspreads keep the understated simplicity without losing a drop of style. The duplex room I visited was encompassed by untraditional black walls, and felt like a stylish city loft despite its first floor location. Perhaps even more appealing than the inviting interiors is the price tag that is friendlier than most in Paris.

With an address (8 Rue Navarin, 9) tucked in the delightful 9th arrondisement, just south of Montmarte—the same neighborhood I call home—and off the main tourist track, Hotel Amour is one of only a handful of boutique hotels in Paris which finds the balance between style and function. Around the corner from the hotel is the famous Rue des Martyrs with a view up to Sacre Coeur, which is pedestrian only every Sunday until 2:30pm. It’s the kind of place where the neighborhood brings as much charm as the hotel itself. There is even the added bonus of having one of the meilleure, or best, baguettes de Paris just down the street at Delmontel (39 Rue des Marytrs, 9). The location alone allows for great exploration of independent shops nearby and an overall setting that just feels French.