Waldorf Astoria Versailles Trianon Palace: Where Parisians Go For Luxurious Weekend Getaways

There’s a very good reason why well-heeled Parisians from the past and present go to Versailles to spend their weekends. A five star hotel, the Waldorf Astoria Versailles Trianon Palace offers a blissfully quiet, peaceful and luxurious escape from the hustle and bustle of the City of Lights.

The grand dame of Versailles, the Waldorf Astoria Versailles Trianon Palace is surrounded by lush gardens. It offers everything you might expect at a five star hotel. It has world-class dining by Gordon Ramsay, a Guerlain Spa, an expansive indoor swimming pool with hammam and sauna, two fitness centers and tennis facilities.

As it is located adjacent to the Versailles Park, an 800-hectare expanse that is open day and night, there are an abundance of outdoor activities from which to choose, such as walking, jogging and biking ((the concierges can arrange a bicycle rental) horseback riding, boating and beautiful spots for picnics. It is also an easy twenty minute stroll through the Versailles Park to reach the Palace of Versailles and all that it has to offer.

An excellent alternative to staying at a hotel in Paris, the Waldorf Astoria Versailles Trianon Palace is a respite away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Paris is only 30 minutes away by car, so it is close enough to go there for the day for shopping, dining or visiting one of its many historic sites or museums. It is easy to get to the hotel, as both Orly Airport and Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport are within an hour from the property by car.

The town of Versailles and the nearby Palace of Versailles have much to offer, from special exhibitions at the palace to concerts at the Opera House and the Marche Notre Dame, the second largest food market in France.

Gracious Style

The hotel was designed and constructed to serve as a luxury hotel when it opened in May of 1910. Then called the Trianon Palace Versailles, frequent guests were notable and included tennis player Rene Lacoste, artist Jean Cocteau, playwright Marcel Achard, actress Sarah Bernhardt and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, who stayed at the hotel during their honeymoon.

The hotel was completely renovated in 2008 with a gracious style that echoes that of the Palace of Versailles. Fiona Thompson, Thompson, Director of Design of the London agency Richmond International, introduced a contemporary, plush, and elegant style to the original decoration of the hotel, while paying particular attention to conserving what had given Trianon Palace Versailles its fame from the very beginning.

Since its redesign, the hotel has been awarded several interior design prizes for its lobby and communal spaces, which you will notice as soon as you enter the original gate to the property and step inside the hotel. Once inside, you will see a large and elegant black and white marble gallery with palatial ceilings, off of which are the check-in lounge, the concierge station, two restaurants and a cocktail lounge. The gallery dead-ends at the entrance to the historic Salon Clemenceau where the terms of the Treaty of Versailles were drafted (the treaty was eventually signed on 28 June 1919 in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles).

One of the hotel’s nicest attribute are is gardens that are filled with roses, sculpted bushes, weeping beech, black pine and cedar trees. The garden was designed and planted to create a unique experience, for guests to stroll and wander through on beautiful days. During sacred festivities such as Easter and Christmas, the grounds are also used for games, providing family fun during these traditional times. The tennis facilities are located in a beautiful spot within the garden.

Next year the hotel will add bee hives in the garden and eventually, it will make its own honey.

Guest Rooms And Suites

The hotel’s 85 guest rooms and 15 suites are beautifully decorated and blissfully quiet. Many overlook the Trianon gardens and some have views of the Palace. All rooms and suites have oversized bathrooms with heated floors and deep soaking tubs. Rooms are comfortable and designed in an intimate, plush style with a muted color scheme. Many have decorative fireplaces and Juliette balconies.

On the 6th floor of the hotel, nestled under the roof, are the Terrace Suites. These are highly sought after, and are accessed by a private elevator, or, for something a little more fun, a hidden staircase concealed at the bottom of the hall on the 5^th floor. These charming sloped-ceiling suites have views of the Chateau of Versailles.

The expansive Versailles Suite, located on the 2nd floor, is spread out across 150 square meters. With blue-shaded walls, smoky grey velours and silver leather. There is a catering kitchen and a dining room that can accommodate eight guests.

Dining At The Waldorf Astoria Versailles Trianon Palace

There are two fine dining restaurants at the hotel. The more casual restaurant with an a la carte menu is La Veranda. The brasserie, which is open for lunch and dinner every day, offers outstanding views of the gardens and offers continental and contemporary cuisine, complemented by an excellent wine menu. Here, each morning, guests enjoy a generous breakfast buffet with fresh pastries, fruit, a selection of meats and egg dishes and made-to-order omelets.

The Gordon Ramsay au Trianon restaurant, is a Michelin starred gastronomy restaurant featuring French cuisine. The restaurant is prix fixe with guests choosing a five or seven course menu. The restaurant also offers a Table du Chef that overlooks the kitchen. The restaurant is overseen by Chef Frédéric Larquemin who previously worked at the Louis XV in Monaco, the Dorchester in London and the Plaza Athénée Paris. The chef worked closely with Gordon Ramsay at his restaurant at Claridge’s in London and also trained under Alain Ducasse.

Bar Galerie offers a snack menu all day and evening with foie gras, club sandwiches, burgers and croque-monsieur among its most popular dishes.

On an expansive terrace that runs the length of the gallery, is an area with outdoor tables and chairs. During the summer months, there are barbecues with chefs cooking food over wood-fired grills and a Champagne bar.

Guerlain Spa

The Spa Guerlain is a modern, sleek and luxurious space with 14 treatment rooms spread out over 2,800 square meters on three levels. The spa reception is accessible directly from the rooms by elevator. The Spa Guerlain offers a wide range of treatments for the face, body, hands and feet, provided by highly trained professionals. With options for both women and men and an assortment of specific or mixed treatments.

For fitness buffs, there is a gym available to guests of the hotel and spa that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The expansive heated swimming pool is bathed in natural light. Here you will find locker rooms, chaise lounges, hammam and a sauna.

Visiting The Palace of Versailles

If you are interested in visiting the Palace of Versailles, the concierge can organize a guided tour during opening hours or a private after-hours tour with a guide who can take you to rarely seen areas of the Palace.

You may choose from a selection of private and unique tours, accompanied by a Palace speaker, who will take you on a personalized themed tour during opening hours. There are several tours from which to choose, including visiting the Kings’ private apartments where you will see back doors, little passageways, and other hidden spots where the sovereigns liked to retire to escape from the burdens of life at Court.

Or you may choose to tour the private inner rooms of Marie Antoinette. Located behind the King’s State Apartment, these well-decorated rooms were recently reopened after several years of renovation. Decorated with previous furniture, paintings and works of art, you will learn about her personality, lifestyle and passion for decoration, art and fashion. Another option is to visit the Queen’s Hamlet, built for Marie Antoinette to remind her of country life. The estate is a collection of cottages and gardens built around an artificial lake and it was recently restored.

There is also a tour that will take you to the uppermost floors of the Palace, where the Chimay Attic and South Attic were converted by Louis-Philippe to serve as a museum dedicated to the glories of France. Today, it features small and medium-sized artifacts related to France’s history from the Revolution to the end of the Empire.

Each of these 1 ½ hour long tours cost 1,000 Euros for a group. After the tour ends, you will have free access to permanent collections, the Musical Fountain Show and the Musical Gardens (open seasonally from April to October).

The Concierge can also arrange for a Prestige Tour in which an expert from the palace will take you on a private tour outside of public hours. These tours will give you the opportunity to tour normally crowded areas of the Palace but without other visitors. You will visit the State Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, Royal Opera House and Royal Chapel while having the space all to yourself, which is a truly special and unique opportunity. These tours can be arranged to take place before the Palace opens or after it closes. The cost for a Private tour outside of operating hours is 6,000 Euros per group.

It is best to contact the Concierge team to book these private tours as far in advance in possible as they are offered on a limited basis.

Other Things To Do In and Around Versailles

There are many other activities in the town of Versailles, which has many antique shops and boutiques, all of which are within walking distance of the hotel.

The concierge can arrange for a wide range of options. The concierge can arrange for you to see an opera at the Royal Opera, or get you tickets for the Great Fountain show in the gardens of the Palace. They can also arrange for you to visit a local vineyard where you can do some wine tasting or for a horseback riding adventure in the park. Weather permitting the concierge team can also arrange for you to have a picnic lunch in the hotel’s gardens.

During the month of June each year, the Le Mois Molière takes place in the city of Versailles. A theatre and music festival, it lasts from the 1st to the 30th of June in the streets, parks, theatres and historical sites of the city. Many of the activities associated with the festival are complimentary.

There are countless day trips worth exploring, too. The Loire Valley where you can visit many famous castles, such as Chambord and Chateau de Chenonceau, is within two hours by car from the hotel. Normandy is also not far away and can be visited on a day trip. The concierge team can also arrange for tee times at local golf courses. Several excellent courses, including Le Golf National are in close proximity to the hotel.

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