Airelles Château de Versailles, le Grand Contrôle

This review is complex for me. I would not change my choice to stay at the Airelle Versailles property, and aspects of it were exceptional. However, there are things that deserve to be noted to other travelers that are drawbacks. I will annotate the good things as my primary act. First, my interactions with Eva were very positive during the stay. She was helpful and kind in an appropriate manner. Second, the access to the chateau is what made me willing to spend this amount of money on the stay and I was delivered the promised product. There were two private tours with exceptional guides. The access was unparalleled. Additionally, we had free rein of the gardens with specialized golf carts. That was a dream for me. Third, the rooms are beautifully appointed and very clean. Finally, the coffee (lattes) and tea selection (white peony etc) are truly excellent. Regarding the negatives: first, the food. What is served at the afternoon tea is nearly inedible. The man at the table next to me actually spit out food from his mouth into his hand and then put it into a napkin. The flavors are severe and unpleasant, and this nouveau cuisine is overdone. Second, the “royal” dinner was not worth it from a culinary perspective. The food is in a very similar vein to what is served at tea so it is harsh in flavor, hard to eat, and oddly paired. Additionally, the town of Versailles itself has truly excellent restaurants. My recommendation to other travelers would be to pursue the gourmet food in the town itself and avoid the hotel restaurant. This applies to pastries as well. The patisseries in the town are delightful. The breads I was served during my stay were not as high quality as what I found in town. Finally, the behavior of the other guests is not regulated on the tours at all. Our guide at the petit Trianon was overwhelmed by American high school aged children and their parents refusing to stay with the group and wandering off even after being chastised multiple times as well as other group members constantly talking over her and having loud private conversations. Similar things occurred on the evening tour. I did not realize that the cost could imply entitlement and I was shocked by the rudeness. It also made the tours, at times, quite difficult. This is not the fault of the hotel but an overall vibe for the stay. If you are passionate about French history and Versailles, this is likely a worthwhile pursuit. Consider other options for food and pursue the restaurants and patisseries in the town.

Best hotel on earth. Service at a Royal level. The private tours were fantastic. It seemed that the Chateau was ours alone. The tea by Ducasse was to die for and the tour of the apartments at sunset , completely private was once in a lifetime. The petite Trianon was opened just for us as was the hall of mirrors. An opportunity to experience the palace the same way royalty did. Except with better food and beds!!

This was an absolute dream come true... I'm still pinching myself that it actually happened! The experience at this hotel is unreal, and the private tours of Versailles--without the crowds--is a once in a lifetime experience that I will never forget. The hotel is beautiful, the rooms are incredible, and the staff is beyond friendly, helpful and accommodating. The underground pool and spa is so beautiful, the activities available on the palace grounds, afternoon tea, the Marie Antoinette wake-up call, breakfast in the dining room, fresh fruit and macarons in the room, and even personalized luggage tags and pajamas! Wow, just amazing! One of the best, most unforgettable experiences of my life. Ten stars!!!!

This is expensive but definitely worth it if you can afford it. This was my third visit to Versailles but quite unlike my previous visits a child hood visit by car in 1980 and a day trip from Paris by train in 2014. Though of course both of those visits made a great impression which was why I was up for a third visit. We stayed in a two bedroom suite in the petite contrôle annexe it was very beautiful and comfortable. In fact the entire property of the grand contrôle is very beautiful and comfortable with great attention to detail in terms of decor and presentation. You really need to stay here for two afternoons and two mornings to be able to view the main highlights of Versailles and take advantage of staying here. One evening for the tour of the queen’s apartments and the hall of mirrors and a second for the kings apartments and the hall of mirrors but approached from the opposite side. One morning for the gardens of the petit Trianon and a tour of the queens hamlet and another morning for the gardens of the grand Trianon and the petit Trianon ( aside from the queen’s hamlet) . Separately you should ask the concierge to arrange entry tickets for both Trianons and visit them inside us in one of the golf carts. We also did horse back riding in the grounds of the palace and boating on the grand canale and also had lunch one day by the grand canale in the cafe overlooking it. All in all it was very enjoyable experience from start to finish and I would definitely recommend it . Notes to the management in case you read this review. 1. Housekeeping for room 310 The remote for the toilet for in the main bathroom is missing. The suite phone and iPad for the main bedroom were dead despite our not using them but when we actually did need to make a phone call on the last day we could not use them so you need to ensure that if you relying on devices they are charged regularly. 2. service. The staff were all very polite and friendly but at times it felt like that no one was in charge not really acceptable at this price point. Obviously le grand contrôle is a unique property so some issues with the service were not really a big deal but it wasn’t a great advert for the Airelles brand and would make me think twice about visiting any of your other properties which obviously don’t have location as their main draw. Examples. 1. On the first day at breakfast we were given dinner menus instead of breakfast menus so we obviously declined to order anything just assuming it was a strange peculiarity of the establishment to offer dinner for breakfast - again not a great advert for your chef. 2. We ordered room service for our teenage daughter for breakfast but the finished tray was never removed when the room was serviced. During the course of the day I asked three times for the tray to be removed ibut it was never collected. In the evening when we were leaving for dinner we happened to depart when the ladies came to do the night service so asked them mys