My peeps know how much I adore boutique hotels at discount prices. We stayed at Hotel le Bellechasse in May of 2008 on our non-stop business trip, honeymoon. It was—by far—one of the hippest, most fun places we’ve been. But that comes as no surprise when ones realizes it was designed by opulent fashion star Christian Lecroix. Each room is a delightful and unique masterpiece containing incredible detail. Even the hardware on the furniture and windows is a sculptural original design by Lecroix. But don’t take my word for it—explore Hotel le Bellechasse on your own!

Okay, so this wasn’t a super discount situation, but you only live once. I’ll feature better deals and how to get them at regular intervals here in future. One thing I will share—before you book any unknown hotel—check out tripadvisor for real reviews. Just be careful to read through them and try to find like-minded souls, or you could be put off. For instance, people who are not used to traveling in Europe or to any highly populated metro area may think a standard room is absurdly tiny and rant about it as if they’d been cheated. Whereas, I would expect the room to be small. You know, that kind of thing. Take heed from those in your tribe and you should be more than fine.

And, if you’re really the curious type, you can watch The Making of Hotel le Bellechasse. Happy trails!