Waldorf Astoria – Trianon Palace, Versailles, France

We arrived in France extremely jetlagged.

Overnight flight with a 3.5 year old and 1.5 year old… I would say none of us got sleep, besides the 3.5 year old, who secured his age in hours of shuteye. 11pm departure, 11am arrival, 6 hours of flight time. 1 hour of customs and immigration. 30 minutes of getting checked bags and car. 1 hour of driving to hotel.

Tiredness and joy at every step.

As we made it to the Waldorf Astoria, the clouds parted, and sun gleamed over Versailles. France enveloped us with its sounds and smells, and soon we forgot about the lack of sleep, all of us living in a daydream, perfect French countryside-meets-urban-life bustling all around us.

Our room wasn’t ready. Normally this fact frustrates me, especially when we arrive so close to our guaranteed check-in time – but how could we fret? Rather than fuss, we made our way to the courtyard, sun shining down upon us, and ordered lunch as the kids played in the grass and we laughed about how wonderful it was to be in Versailles.

The Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace, a property named after the adjacent estate whose most notable resident included Queen Marie Antoinette, provided an excellent lobby lounge menu complete with two club sandwiches. I had to opt for the smoked salmon version, it felt de rigueur in the moment.

We frolicked around the gardens while awaiting our food, me very eager for my club. I noticed a Frenchman – sitting alone dressed to the nines with blue slacks and loafers without socks, a pink button down tactfully avoiding enough buttons to show off his chest, with a scarf wrapped around his neck, holding a thin cigarette – carefully put his smoke down and use a fork and knife to eat his smoked salmon club sandwich. A good reminder I was in France. And low and behold, the couple just next to us also were enjoying their club sandwich, fork and knife in hand.

Either that was the way people ate sandwiches in France, or this club suffered from terrible holdability issues. I would find out soon.

Elegantly presented and layered, it was easy to see why the smoked salmon club sandwich was so well ordered at the Waldorf Astoria Trianon Palace in Versailles. Hands down some of the best smoked salmon I have ever had. Seriously. It would be good to note that this fact was only compounded when they served this same smoked salmon for breakfast 6 days in a row – smokey, salty, savory, and oh so salmony, I was in heaven with each bite down. Lovely, whipped chive cream cheese perfectly balanced the fish, and the added hardboiled and sliced egg added a pleasant protein to the heartiness of the meal. The lettuce – while not flavorful – produced and excellent crunch with each bite down, echoing the soft yet crusty beautifully toasted bread. Yes, this was a club to be proud of.

Yet, sadly, holdability issues echoed throughout the club sandwich. Nearly impossible to eat without utensils, my excitement for the smoked salmon club sandwich slowly faded as I looked at the cream cheese on my hands and the mess of a meal on my plate. Indeed, I could look past this flaw, but nevertheless, it was a flaw everyone around me experienced simultaneously.

The side French fries and salad didn’t offer anything unique, but did complement the meal… as did the freshly baked baguettes and fresh, slightly chilled lightly salted butter, which came with every meal we sat down for. Bread and France clearly were a match made in heaven.

We finished up, received our room keys, and proceeded to check in…