In my mind, the gate that I stumbled upon while wandering, sort of lost, in the city of Versailles, was my own discovery, a secret entrance to the vast park surrounding the world’s most famous palace.
Of course this is not the case. A guard stood off to the side, taking advantage of the warm sunshine, and there were cars parked here and there. But there were no crowds or ticket takers. This grille, like a few others scattered around the city, allows access to Versailles’ nearly 2,000 acres of green space, which is free and open to the public every day of the year. Since I’d toured the palace a few years ago, I’d decided to devote this visit to exploring the city and more of the royal park.
My home base was Hôtel Les Lumières, a 31-room Relais & Chateaux hotel that opened in late 2024 and sits just outside the palace gates.
I was greeted by Mickael, who took my bag and explained that the hotel is set within a pair of restored mansions constructed around the same time as their iconic neighbor across the park. The buildings had separate histories — one was even a small hotel for a while — and treasures from each era remain, including the original facades, 17th-century marble fireplaces, a grand staircase from 1907, and on some of the floors, beautifully detailed mosaics.
My first stop was La Galerie Lumières, where breakfast, tea (with pastries by celebrity pâtissièr Pierre Hermé), and lunch are served under 20-foot ceilings edged by ornate moldings and hung with sparkling crystal chandeliers. My table looked out over the gilded entrance to the palace; sipping coffee and eating a croissant that shattered into tawny shards, I felt just a little bit French.
A Love Letter to France
It would have been easy to create a hotel in Versailles that pays tribute to Versailles; instead, the owners of Les Lumières created a place that celebrates France. It starts in the rooms and suites, each of which are named for the philosophers, writers, explorers, and scientists — think everyone from Voltaire and Descartes to social reformer Olympe de Gouges and navigator Louis-Antoine de Bougainville — from France’s Age of Enlightenment, the period from about 1715 until the French Revolution in 1789 where ideals such as liberty and equality began to take shape. And just in case you’re not quite sure about the contribution of, say, Denis Diderot, the hotel supplies a full history of each room’s namesake. There are also tools to help you along your own path toward 21st-century enlightenment, including a gratitude notebook, a meditation sound box, and a soothing weighted blanket that feels like a hug.
Rooms are sleek and spacious, with neutral walls and a few boldly colored accents. I loved that the windows actually open; some offering glimpses of the palace. The smaller of the two buildings that comprise the hotel has only nine rooms; it would be perfect to buy out for a vacation with friends or family members.
I chose to ensure my enlightenment at the spa, a subterranean space done in pale wood. Instead of a traditional waiting area, it has a small tea room where I discovered stacks of books — art, history, self-help — that offer a break from the modern world. My massage, which vacillated between deep tissue and full-on relaxation, was both dreamy and therapeutic.
Hôtel Les Lumières’ love letter to France continued in the small but glamorous Les Philosophes bar, where only products sourced from French soil (or French territory) — including cola, tequila, and whisky — are served. I didn’t try the Breizh cola, which comes from Brittany, but the bar’s esprit d’agave had all the earthy green notes I associate with Mexico’s agave distillate. It would have made a delicious Margarita.
The hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, La Table des Lumières, mixes dark wood, a bit of velvet, and wrought iron for a décor that’s cozy but sophisticated. Windows look out toward Versailles; at night, when you can catch glimpses of the palace bathed in the golden glow of spotlights, it’s especially dramatic. But the view doesn’t distract from the food. Chef Erwan Le Thomas, who worked at the Shangri-La, the Peninsula, and Fouquet’s within the Hôtel du Crillon, has created a plant-focused menu that will delight vegetarians and leave omnivores wonderfully satiated. Traditional dishes like an onion tart with Comte cheese were beautifully executed; but I also adored more creative accompaniments like the potato ice cream that gave the beet salad a creamy jolt of cold, much the way frozen yogurt adds another dimension to a bowl of fruit. Instead of duck confit, Le Thomas created a confit of pumpkin, which was tossed with pillowy gnocchi. Meat is offered as a side dish that can be added to any main; my roast pork and my husband’s venison were both perfectly cooked, juicy, and flavorful. I thought that I would need the meat to make the meal feel complete but I didn’t — Chef Le Thomas’s way with vegetables gave them the heft to carry the meal.
A Run Through of the Neighborhood
Versailles is divided by the palace into two distinct districts. Hôtel Les Lumières lies in the older Notre-Dame neighborhood, which sprung up with the palace in the late 17th century. It’s home to Versailles’ famous antique market, which occupies the city’s original jail complex; the city’s large food market; the 1682 Notre-Dame parish church; and lots of shops, cafes, and pretty squares. It’s also where I found Musee Lambinet, an 18th-century mansion filled with artworks, furnishings, weapons, and other pieces from the Renaissance to the mid-20th century. There’s an entire floor devoted to the history of Versailles and the French Revolution that helps pull together the how’s and why’s of Versailles, the Enlightenment, and the Monarchy.
An avid jogger, I pulled on running shoes to explore Versailles’ Saint Louis district, where Louis XIV gave 473 of his most faithful servants plots of land on which to build homes that could not be tall enough to obstruct the view of the palace. This large area is also home to the baroque Saint-Louis Cathedral, where Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antionette attended the opening mass in the fateful year of 1789. Nearby is the Potager du Roi, the King’s kitchen garden, where farmers, in their zeal to provide the royal family with fresh produce all year round, ended up developing horticultural innovations that, given the lack of scientific knowledge, are awe inspiring.
To create this marvel of a garden, Swiss Guards were tasked with draining a huge swamp; the water was used to create the serene Lake of the Swiss Guards, where I joined dogwalkers and joggers for a trek around the lake. To get back to the hotel, I made my way to the Sailor’s Gate, jogged along the Grand Canal, wound my way past the palace, and popped out, breathing hard, just a few steps from the front door. Even better, my trek allowed me to indulge in another of Pierre Herme’s decadent creations.
My visit to Versailles might not have taken the most traditional approach, but, thanks to my time at Hôtel Les Lumières, I was able to take a deep dive into this fascinating era. Next time, I’ll stay even longer.
Feature image, courtesy of Les Lumières
