Versailles, France
Waldorf Astoria Versailles - Trianon Palace
A Francophile Fave
What it is
A neoclassical 1910 retreat retreat with 199 rooms, a Michelin-starred restaurant, and Spa Guerlain with a pool inspired by Greece itself.
What it isn't
Hands off. Service is exemplary, and includes doting concierges, room service, and a business center fully prepped for the top brass.
What we think
Marie Antoinette herself would take comfort in the opulent environs of this particular Waldorf Astoria outpost. (Especially if you book the 1,184-square-foot King Terrasse Castle View Suite, which peeps out on Versailles itself). But each and every room is fit for royalty, with tufted headboards, a palette of platinum and purple, and robes and slippers for lounging the day away. Not that you dare. After all, your direct neighbor here is Louis XIV’s royal domain, and you have things to do. Right on the premises, you can indulge in afternoon tea fireside at Bar Galerie Au Trianon (don’t miss the chocolate shortbread with salted caramel). Or a garden-side terrace luncheon at Terrasse du Bar Galerie, with one of the top cocktails in town. Oh, did we mention that the Michelin-starred restaurant here is modeled after Gordon Ramsay’s London flagship? Arrive hungry.
You're here because
Spa Guerlain is everything one could want from a French ode to bodily bliss, including a palatial pool and cedar sauna.
The Moment
Reclined in your mustard yellow wingback chair overlooking Versailles, you have to pinch yourself: Gordon Ramsay’s Au Trianon is everything you could have hoped for and more. And then you taste your wild venison wellington with glazed chestnut and wonder why Michelin didn’t award them an entire galaxy.
Restaurants & Bars
Gordon Ramsay au Trianon – French cuisine, one star Michelin restaurant
La Véranda - Luxury brasserie-style restaurant
Gallery Bar - Unwind with a drink at Bar Gallery, open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner
Location
Abutting Versailles manicured gardens, and just a few blocks walk from Marie Antoinette’s own private neoclassical estate.