There are few things I find more enjoyable than spending the night in a spacious private room, meeting friendly staff and interesting travellers, and doing all of that in one of my favourite cities. But last week Generator Hostels added a whole new element to the hostel experience with Khayma: their stunning new rooftop bar in Paris.
With an unrivalled view of the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, Khayma is also the perfect location to watch the sun set over the rooftops of Paris…
Generator Hostel, Paris
For years now Generator Hostels has grown from their relatively unassuming beginnings to take the hostel world by storm.
Mostly, this has been through renovations of their older properties and deep investments into the design of each new property.
Now, with 14 properties worldwide, they seem to be taking hostels back to their roots. Each of their properties are definitely still design-led, but I’m quite excited to say that their focus this year on the guest experience is definitely shining through already!
And what better way is there to improve the guest experience than by opening a rooftop bar in Paris?
P.s. Can you tell from the photo below how excited I was to be in this stunning double bed private and be at the launch party of Khayma?
Khayma: Generator’s New Rooftop Bar in Paris
I was in the city of lights with another incredible blogger, Rosie, who’s lifestyle blog you can check out by clicking here. We’d arrived to Generator Paris around 4.30pm and were both desperate to get some shots of the view from the rooftop before sunset.
We didn’t quite make it in time. But actually, sunset was the perfect time to arrive.
Not only was the orange glow the perfect backdrop for the Sacré-Cœur Basilica, but it was also the perfect way to welcome in Spring!
And it seemed as if Winter was well and truly behind us as we sipped our cocktails and tried to find the perfect lighting to photograph…everything!
Framed in exotic green foliage and with copies of ‘Parallel’ (Generator’s very own lifestyle magazine) thrown around, the rooftop bar was an assault on our senses.
And then, the bar staff were ready. As we’d arrived so early, we were first in line to try the signature Khayma cocktails!
Not being much of a gin fan, I left Rosie to try ‘The Persian Rose’; a blend of Bombay Sapphire, rose water and cherry liqueur. My cocktail of choice was the ‘Khayma Martini’. I’m a huge espresso martini addict but, never one to play by the rules, Generator had chosen to infuse theirs with their own cardamon infused coffee.
But the cocktails weren’t the only delicious treat on the menu that night. Let me introduce you to…
Chef Luke Thomas
Okay, so I’m not referring to Chef Luke Thomas as a delicious treat. Although he’s very sweet, and at only 23 years old this guy already has his own restaurant… in Dubai! So line up boys and girls.
But seriously, meeting Luke and also seeing the trust placed on him by Generator CEO Fredrik Korallus to provide the most exciting menu at each Generator property was quite the honour.
Especially considering I had already been stuffing my face with his ridiculously good pitta bread and lentils for a good hour before we met.
In fact, at one point I thought the pot of houmous that I had been faithfully returning to had been taken away. Panic began to creep up on me until I realised that Rosie had nabbed it and brought it to our table. You know what they say… great minds think alike.
But before you start salivating over the food we were treated to at the launch party of Khayma, I just want to quell any fears you might have that we got special treatment that night.
Because here’s the deal: Luke Thomas works in partnership with Generator Hostels. Which means that when an ordinary Joe like you or me books ourselves into a Gen for the weekend anywhere in Europe, his food will be on the menu. Bada-bing bada-boom.
Khayma: The Sexiest Rooftop Bar in Paris?
So you’ve seen the bar, the view, the cocktails and the food available from the restaurant downstairs. But what exactly makes this rooftop bar in Paris so special?
Well, while I think that it would be awesome if it was open to the public, Khayma is the one rooftop bar in Paris that is exclusively just for Generator hostel guests!
Feel like a VIP yet? I know I did!
Open every day (unless there’s a party!) from 4pm to 10pm, with bar staff are there to whip you up a ‘Persian Rose’ cocktail while you watch the sun set over Montmarte, it’s hard to imagine why you’d want to spend your evenings anywhere else. Even in Paris.
Of course, there is a cost that comes with luxury. The cocktails are priced between 10 – 14 EUR, and other alcoholic drinks begin around 5 EUR. But to be perfectly honest I’d be quite happy forfeiting a fancy lunch to treat myself at Khayma in the evening.
For those that agree, make sure to check out these 5 exciting & affordable places to eat in Paris on a budget.
And if you’re still not sure that my photos of the view have done this rooftop bar justice, here’s a photo of Generator’s CEO who was also smitten.
And it definitely wasn’t even his first time up there!
Sleeping in Style
Finally, unfortunately, the launch party was over. Rosie and I headed to the basement club for a bit of a boogie, and then we may or may not have climbed a fence to sneak into my favourite Parisian park after dark.
So you can imagine how overjoyed I was to crash out into this spacious double private room… also with a view of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica!
With an en-suite bathroom, and even a rail to hang my clothes (if I ever actually took the time to unpack), I was pretty happy to call this room my home for two nights.
Have you ever visited a rooftop bar in Paris? Let me know where it is in the comments!
And finally I have to give a huge shout to the Generator Hostels team, and the team at Purple PR, for inviting me over to Paris to witness this incredible launch. As always opinions are honest and entirely my own. And as someone as passionate about hostels as I am, it’s always a pleasure to see such beautiful spaces being created to ever enhance the guest experience!