Some of the ways the rich can amuse and refresh themselves today include spas in the Maldives with glass floors offering views of brightly coloured fish during treatment, private retreats in the mountains of St Lucia costing thousands per night, and fabulous overnight trains through Rajasthan. But the last word in luxury is still to be found in the heartlands of European civilisation – France – and it almost always involves the creative, bordering on unbelievable co-option of heritage, only possible through the most fabulous contacts, patience and expense.
So after a year of trying, I finally found myself sleeping on the grounds of the chateau of Versailles, in the former residence of the family of Jacques Necker, Louis XVI’s banker, and specifically in the former apartments of his daughter, Madame de Stael, the most famous woman in 19th century Europe.
The chateau, Le Grand Contrôle, has been restored by the Airelles Group and now offers an immersive experience of 1788 quite unlike anything else in the world.
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