Lovers of Clifton’s Lido heading for holidays in the French capital will find the Molitor Paris by MGallery a luxurious home from home.

Like its Clifton counterpart, the original Piscine Molitor – with its ‘Life of Pi’ connection, where Tarzan icon Johnny Weissmuller was a lifeguard, as well as where the modern bikini was unveiled to the world in 1946 – survived years of abandonment before receiving an upmarket new incarnation.  

Opened in 1929, closed in 1989, Paris’s street artists painted on its walls for decades before an €80m rebuilding project, involving extensive demolition and reconstruction, was completed in May.  

Almost all of its 124 rooms overlook an outdoor pool kept at a comfortable 28C year-round, with an indoor pool, restaurant, bar and Clarins spa seriously upping the chilling ante. A rooftop terrace and bar provides opportunities for selfies with the Eiffel Tower prominent in the background.

Bristol’s graffiti massive will be delighted to know their genre remains central to Molitor’s MO, with ‘Pool Art Life’ being its guiding themes. A new exhibition, ‘Under the Wave’ showcasing 25 artists’ work, opened on October 9. 

One permanent piece on display in the lobby is a gold Rolls Royce, formerly owned by Eric Cantona, tagged by Harlem graffiti artist JonOne. Feet away stands a Harley Davidson, customised with a Jim Morrison paint job in honour of the Lizard King’s grave, an enduring tourist attraction, across town. 

Such playful touches evince a refreshingly relaxed mood – I am comfortable breakfasting in fatigues, trainers and tennis shirt despite the surroundings’ impressive smartness, and attract no disapproving looks.

Indeed, some of quirkiness which saw raves staged during the wilderness years remains, with the emptied indoor pool hosting a tennis match featuring Serena Williams and Rafa Nadal four days after Molitor’s launch. 

My room is stylish and modern with a sumptuous bed and Ladurée macarons, but its USP is a four-foot round window opening onto the pool. The effect is little short of jaw-dropping, and I am not surprised to discover this is where the boss – a former chairman of Paris Saint-Germain FC – stays when in town.

Sport is all around, with David Beckham’s former teammates, Stade Française’s rugby players and Roland Garros, location of the French Open within 10 minutes’ walk. Two Metro stations, Michel Ange Molitor and Porte D’Auteuil are similarly close. This may be the 16th arrondissement, home of Carla Bruni, but prices stop short of eye-watering, with restaurant dishes like cod fillet from €23, (veal €24) and double rooms starting at €210, room only, with guests enjoying free admission to both pools. Spa day membership for non-guests is 180€.

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