Living out a Versailles fantasy at Airelles Le Grand Contrôle

Behind the walls of Versailles, Airelles Le Grand Contrôle reimagines palace life for the modern traveller – all candlelit salons, spoiling rituals and effortless joie de vivre

Unlike the regular suit and tie ensemble you see most hotel staff wear in many five-star hotels these days, the very French bellboys who greet us upon arrival at Airelles, Château de Versailles, Le Grand Contrôle are wearing breeches, 17th-century replica waistcoats, stockings and felt hats reminiscent of a scene out of The Three Musketeers. As we walk through the cobblestoned courtyard with potted palm trees, we are further greeted by well dressed staff who warmly usher us past a three-tied dessert plate of multi-colored Laduree macarons, pastel dragees and a heaping bowl of fresh fruit with my favourite, seasonal figs on display.

I resist the urge to pop a macaron in my mouth as I take in all the splendour of the setting. I am, after all, on the grounds of Château du Versailles and in the very same 1681 building – Le Grand Contrôle – designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart, the French architect who imagined and conceived Place Vendôme and the Chapel of Les Invalides in Paris. Bien sur, being proper here is almost mandatory. And yet, despite the formality of Airelles Le Grand Contrôle, I am incredibly at ease – as are, it seems, the other guests I see, who are casually dressed in ath-leisure wear.

As I stand in the grand lobby, surrounded by decadent desserts and historical artefacts dating back to 1788, I talk with General Manager Julien Revah, who helped open Airelles as more than just a hotel but a destination property in 2021. He tells me Le Grand Contrôle was a place where musicians, ambassadors and “thinkers” of the Enlightenment era gathered more than two centuries earlier. It remains a national heritage, with millions of visitors arriving at what was first a hunting lodge commissioned by Louis XIII in 1623, before being transformed into the grand palace by Louis XIV. It is, no doubt, one of France’s greatest national treasures, and as a guest of Airelles, you have unprecedented access to it all. 

Stepping into a private wing of Versailles

On a short tour of the hotel, in between learning where breakfast is served and the location of the 24-hour gym, my butler tells me that Airelles – the Parisian hotel group behind other elegant hotels including La Bastide de Gordes in Provence – won the bid to reimagine Le Grand Contrôle as a five-star luxury hotel in 2016. While no exact figure the 50 year lease has been revealed, the priceless experience proves worthy, with travellers flying in from all corners of the world to live, sleep and dine in the very rooms where history was made. 

Airelles Collection’s interior architect Christophe Tollemer was responsible for the property’s design, taking inspiration from the Trianon Estate, also located on the palace grounds, to recreate something truly authentic and reminiscent of the 18th-century French royal court. Think ornate wooden panelling, crystal chandeliers, sumptuous period furnishings, and more than 400 pieces of art that were restored over four years by a brigade of artists, historians and artisans and amounting to some US$48 million – a drop in La Pain Des D’eau-Suisse, which can be seen from the hotel.

In the main stairwell, we pass by royal portraits of Jacques Necker and his wife, who were the last residents of the Palace before the French Revolution, before arriving at my opulent suite (one of just 15) where Pierre Frey fabric wallpaper adorns the walls. I’m tempted by the artisan snacks inside the complimentary mini fridge, but there is something even more compelling on offer. The Chateau du Versailles may close at 6pm to tourists, but as guests of Le Grand Controle we have exclusive after-hours access to the 2000-acre gardens and private tours of the Palace, which includes the Hall of Mirrors, Petit Trianon and also the Grand Trianon. 

Royal access

With not a tourist in sight and no more than 20 in our group, we take a private tour of the King’s and Queen’s Apartment inside the Chateau du Versailles, drinking up the history of how the various monarchs lived and partied. The tour ends with the piece de resistance: a selfie in the Hall of Mirrors without a reflection of another mortal to taint the perfect shot.

Back at Le Grand Controle that evening, a royal feast is underway. Designed by Alain Ducasse, who now has his protege Stéphane Duchiron in the kitchen, the recreation of a Louis XIV-style dinner party invites guests to adopt a royal status and join in theatrics, which some guests admitting they chose to opt out of because it sounded “overbearing”. For my part, I bask in the drama and rather enjoy being called the Duchess of Bourgogne – my favourite wine region in France – for a few hours. From the pea tartlet amuse bouche and 2002 Femme de Champagne, which pairs beautifully with the caviar in the second course, to lobster, veal and my favorite trout pithivier with Ducasse’s signature puff pastry, I savour every morsel of the seven courses that follow. 

There’s the indulgence of sinking into a red velvet sofa in the main salon with a bergamot tea, Laduree macarons and sweet blueberries – all Marie Antoinette, without the high hair.

The remainder of my stay at Airelles Le Grand Contrôle passes in a blur. There’s the 6am run around the palace grounds with just a single gardener in sight and the quick dip in the hotel’s underground swimming pool, the piping hot sauna and the luxurious Valmont facial. There’s the indulgence of sinking into a red velvet sofa in the main salon with a bergamot tea, Laduree macarons and sweet blueberries – all Marie Antoinette, without the high hair.

It’s at Airelles Le Grand Contrôle that I came to understand the real meaning of joie de vivre – and revel in it, I did.

Hotel notes

Rates at Chateau de Versailles start from €2,200 (approx AU$3,911) per night for Deluxe Rooms and €3,600 (approx AU$6,400) for Suites.