A review of Airelles, Le Grand Contrôle at Versailles
Dédié à ma grand-mère. Dedicated to my Granny, who loved all things French, all things history and all things royal.
I’ve never stayed anywhere *quite* like this hotel. It offers something truly special and unique – after hours access to the Palace of Versailles – whilst staying in the epitome of sumptuous luxury in a hotel attached to said Palace. Pair that with 10/10 service and facilities and you have the making of one of the most special places at which I’ve ever had the privilege of staying.
Location of Airelles
Located directly next to (attached) to The Palace of Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle is the former home of the King’s Financial Controller – appropriate given my job!
Versailles is a former royal residence of the French Kings commissioned by King Louis XIV (he of the large hair), located about 10 miles from Paris. It is truly opulent, like an enhanced Buckingham Palace, and lies in acres of parkland and gardens to enjoy.
Getting to Le Grand Contrôle is simple – this is a luxury hotel, so there is a limousine service to pick you up and drop you off from wherever you may be, as long as you’re in the vicinity of Paris. This covers airports, train stations, or city centre hotels.
Accommodation at Airelles
Pauline, our butler, checked my Mum and I in and showed us to our room. We were upgraded to a suite, and found ourselves in the Loménie de Brienne Suite.
The suite was absolutely beautifully done in 18th Century style (though probably not what I’d choose for my living room!). Through the suite door we walked to a corridor, which led to a sumptuous living area decorated in pinks and reds, leading through to a shower room, and separate toilet – all in beautiful neutral stone and well appointed.
Back out to the corridor and it was through to the gigantic bedroom with 18th century furniture, a fireplace and the comfiest bed you’ve ever slept in with luxury sheets.
After that it was through between the wardrobes to yet another corridor leading to another toilet, a desk area overlooking Versailles and through to a second bathroom housing a roll top bath.
The excellence was in the details. No normal rubbish hairdryer – it was a Dyson. No charged minibar – it was free and stocked with jelly babies, macarons, home made chocolate, alcohol and soft drinks. No basic slippers – there was a whole pressed night gown, with padded slippers and a silk eye mask. You get the picture, it was BEAUTIFUL.
WOW Mum and I said – we couldn’t believe we were able to stay somewhere like this. We truly felt like royal Queens.
Food& Drink at Airelles
Food and drink at the hotel is posh, to say the least. At breakfast we were seated in a glorious dining room complete with chandeliers and all the tableware overlooking the gardens. Choices were served from a menu (you could order everything if you wanted for no extra charge), so we tucked in to poached eggs, porridge, avocado toast and some crepes with a cup of tea. Champagne is also on offer if you so wish, as are multiple juice choices served from an old globe (of course!).
For dinner, you can order off the a la carte menu, or elect to stay at the hotel on a Royal Stay – meaning you are served a 5 course meal inspired by 18th Century French dishes. The Feast was designed in partnership with Alain Ducasse (he of 21 Michelin star fame).
We tucked in to everything from sole, to venison, to Fois Gras and caviar, as well as some lovely wine. In total the meal took us 3 hours to get through, and we slept very soundly afterwards!
Amenities & Experiences at Airellles
The hotel offers a number of sumptuous communal rooms to enjoy, including a gorgeous sitting room and an upstairs library perfect for curling up and reading a book on a cold day.
There is also a beautiful Valmont spa with luxury loungers to sit and enjoy the pool, or indulge in a massage/treatment from the extensive spa menu.
But let’s talk about the main star of the show. The hotel offers after/pre hours tours of the Palace of Versailles so there’s no need to see it with all the crowds. We took an after hours tour of the King’s Apartments, including the Hall of Mirrors. Can you even believe how utterly amazing it is?!
We also took a pre hours tour of Le Petit Trianon, Marie Antoinette’s house. The guides were absolutely amazing, and we learned so much about history, art and French culture of the time. It was so special to see these amazing places without the crowds and we absolutely loved both tours.
Finally, the hotel also offers golf buggies to self drive around the estate – again you could do this pre or post opening hours to enjoy the Palace’s grounds without other tourists. This was so much fun to do and we had a blast exploring.
Underpinning all these experience the service at Airelles is second to none. Our butler Pauline was there for everything we needed – from getting us blankets for the golf buggies as it was cold out, to changing our departure time twice so we could have longer in the hotel, to insisting we have a photo in front of the tree, to meticulous service at breakfast and dinner, we really did feel like we had the royal treatment.
My Granny would have loved this experience, and Mum and I toasted to her while we had our dinner. It was such a special thing to do with my Mum and I am so grateful to Airelles for having us. I hope you enjoyed the post – stay safe and happy travelling!
