The Domaine de Montcel had several lives before becoming an exceptional hotel. The legacy of its long history includes an 18th-century family château, a two-hundred-year-old cedar tree, a listed garden and monumental works of art... A unique natural and cultural heritage that can be fully appreciated when staying at this new 4-star establishment ideally located on the edge of the Bièvre Valley.
Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf, founder of the Royal Printed Canvas Factory that revolutionized the decorative arts with its Toile de Jouy, surely had no idea that his family estate would have such an eventful destiny. While the site has continued to inspire creativity, becoming the college attended by Nobel Prize winner Patrick Modiano and painter Gérard Garouste, and then housing the Fondation Cartier in the 1980s, it also served as the headquarters of the German Air Force during the Occupation, before being abandoned for several years.
From 2013 onwards, architects, landscape architects and artists embarked on a complete renovation of the estate, transforming the former private residence of the 18th-century industrialist into a château-hotel that, close to Versailles, has been offering epicureans a royal stay since the summer of 2024: restaurants with creative and gourmet cuisine, a spa, top-of-the-range accommodation, a green terrace overlooking the gardens...
All this in the “green lung” of the Ile-de-France region, the Yvelines, and more precisely on the outskirts of Jouy-en-Josas. A charming little town long appreciated by France's elite, and home to HEC, the leading business school founded in 1881, whose campus was inaugurated by Charles de Gaulle in 1964.
It's no coincidence that Oberkampf founded and established the Manufacture Royale des Toiles in 1760 in Jouy-en-Josas (from which he took the name of his famous cotton fabric).
Its location on a tributary of the Seine and in a forested valley close to the royal court and Paris was perfect for his business.
Today, it's the Dolce Versailles that enjoys these characteristics, the establishment having succeeded in combining 18th-century authenticity with a country setting and modernity with an offer comprising:
All set in a 14-hectare wooded park featuring:
These two contemporary creations caused a scandal in the 1980s, but still attract many curious onlookers and art lovers to the Domaine de Montcel today.
EAITING WELL
In the historic wing of the château, 3 places with names evocative of the site's history are accessible: La Toile, La Manufacture and Le Cèdre. Three restaurants close to Versailles, all offering a warm experience in an intimate atmosphere.
The brasserie chic La Toile
Enjoy the view over the English garden as you savor this "Versailles brasserie" revisited classics of French gastronomy. In a setting that brings to life the famous Toiles de Jouy and under the direction of Chef Benoist Rambaud, dishes made with local, seasonal produce incorporate Asian touches to traditional recipes.
Flavors and textures to please the taste buds as much as the eyes, in a bucolic setting where history blends naturally with modernity.
The dessert menu, for example, features an emblematic pastry reinvented by pastry chef César. Mischievously entitled “Render to Caesar what is Caesar's”, it would no doubt have inspired the sculptor of the same name who worked at the estate during the Fondation Cartier era.
Still in this green setting, where nature has been a source of inspiration for centuries, another address awaits professional customers: La Manufacture.
Artistically refurbished by interior designer Sébastien Flamant, three luminous rooms in a row offer a central place to an open kitchen from which modern, inventive dishes emerge before the eyes of gourmets, to be enjoyed after a fruitful business meeting.
The hotel-castle is magnificent and easy to get to.
It's a lovely getaway close to Paris, with beautiful decor and a top-quality spa area.
Finally, Domaine du Montcel cannot be fully appreciated without a detour to the Le Cèdre bar. Through its bay windows offering a view of the majestic bicentennial tree from which it takes its name, it offers a beautiful immersion in this green setting with its large vegetated terrace overlooking the gardens. Inside, timeless Toile de Jouy prints lend a hushed ambience to this place where vintage wines, classic cocktails and creations by inspired bartenders await all epicureans.
SLEEPING WELL
Spread across the different areas of the site (the château, the chalet, the Villa Marie Louise and the Village des Arts), the accommodation overlooks the park and forest. Simple yet refined, their decoration pays homage to the painter Camille Corot, who made the Bièvre Valley one of his favorite subjects.
Bright, soundproofed and sometimes with a balcony, these rooms, suites or apartments offer all the amenities of a top-of-the-range establishment: private bathroom (with walk-in shower and complimentary Sothys products), free high-speed Wi-Fi connection, connected HDTV, plush bathrobes, espresso coffee machine, mini-refrigerator... A perfect combination of modernity, elegance and comfort.
RECHARGE YOUR BATTERIES
The Spa du Dolce Versailles is the perfect place for a wellness break:
The swimming pool is indoors, but extends outside so that you can enjoy the peace and quiet of this natural setting all year round, where, for a weekend or just a few hours, you can live the dolce vita without leaving France.
For its 1st Christmas Eve, the Dolce Versailles wishes to spoil its customers (or their loved ones) with several special offers bookable as gift vouchers on its website.
During this festive season only, for example, you can:
If you don't come to the Dolce Versailles to relax after a visit to the Château de Versailles, the Thoiry Safari Zoo, the Maison Léon Blum or the Musée de la Toile de Jouy, don't hesitate to come and discover it during the festive season.
Valérie from Comme des Français
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