Chez Pépé Merle, the B&B experience that makes you discover Paris differently

In the heart of the 11th arrondissement, Claire Berni welcomes you to Chez Pépé Merle, her bed and breakfast, for an authentic Parisian experience. A charming, tastefully decorated place, with services tailored to the stay of your dreams.

At Pépé Merle, it's a family affair. After the war, in 1946, Claire Berni's great-grandfather Marcel Merle bought the factory at 131 rue du Chemin Vert, in the 11th arrondissement. Transformed into a boiler works, the building housed numerous fridges, hot-water tanks and cable cars for ski resorts until 1986, when it closed, having become too polluting and noisy for a Paris undergoing rapid transformation.

The next generation used it as a small garage and parking lot until 2006, when part of the first floor remained as a vestige of this industrial period. Today, as you walk past the building, you'd be hard pressed to imagine the full history of this building, which houses a real gem, the chambres d'hôtes de Pépé Merle, a tribute to the different generations who have succeeded one another there. With the building still in Claire Berni's family, she decided to follow the Anglo-Saxon model and turn it into a guest house, one of the only ones in Paris. Indeed, the term is more common in the countryside, while hotels are flourishing in the capital.

Far from a hotel atmosphere, the entrepreneur has succeeded in giving her rooms a true Parisian soul, inspired by her sense of decoration and her passions. From €139 per night, couples, families or friends can enjoy themed rooms in the colors of different Parisian neighborhoods, a tasty local breakfast and made-to-measure services during your stay in Paris. Grand Palais, Oberkampf, Ménilmontant or Saint-Michel?

In the Grand Palais room, with its en suite bathroom, you'll enjoy a fashionable, luxurious ambience for a comfortable, elegant night's sleep.

The Oberkampf bedroom is inspired by the eponymous baron, inventor of the weaving machine and toile de Jouy, with its colorful baroque motifs.

Ménilmontant is a working-class neighborhood with a village feel, which you can feel in this room that seems to come from another time. As a family suite, it can open onto the Saint-Michelroom, with its more childlike theme of comic strips and the neighborhood's famous bookstores, which is perfect for children.

Have you fallen in love with one of the rooms and one of its pieces of furniture straight out of a history book? You can buy it, thanks to the B&B's partnership with an antique dealer. Are you a fan of fashion or jazz? Your host can create a tailor-made tour of Paris to suit your passion. Whatever the length and purpose of your stay - a wedding night or a visit to a Parisian museum - Claire Berni can help you plan everything, so you don't have to worry about a thing.

With a host who invites you in as if you were at home, there's no doubt that by the end of your getaway, you'll be true Parisians!