‘Versailles in the clouds’: Inside the palatial, French-inspired hotel in a misty Vietnamese mountain town that’s gone viral on TikTok… and rooms are just £89 A NIGHT

‘Versailles in the clouds.’

That is the nickname given to it by local Vietnamese media Hotel de la Coupolewhere I have just arrived.

This is thanks to its flamboyant, French-influenced design and location in lofty Sapa, a town perched 1,600 metres above sea level in the shadow of Vietnam’s highest mountain – and often shrouded in thick fog.

Although less than a decade old, the mustard-colored building it occupies is a grand pastiche of Belle Époque architecture.

The hotel’s swimming pool, ‘Le Grand Bassin’, is flanked by emerald columns and statues of swimmers. Tassel chandeliers hang above the pool.

The flamboyant Hotel de la Couple, known as ‘Versailles in the Clouds’. Ailbhe MacMahon checks in

Ailbhe writes of the hotel: ‘Although less than ten years old, the mustard building it occupies is a grand pastiche of Belle Époque architecture’

The hotel’s swimming pool – ‘Le Grand Bassin’ – is flanked by emerald columns and statues of swimmers, with tassel chandeliers above their heads

The cocktail bar ‘Absinthe’ is decorated with feathers, tailor’s mannequins and vintage suitcases, while a catwalk of 2D models runs through the middle of the hotel’s French restaurant (named ‘Chic’).

Although more turn-of-the-century than 18th-century in style, I think the five-star hotel would get Marie Antoinette’s gilded seal of approval. That said, it doesn’t suit her notoriously expensive taste – rooms start at just VND2.8 million (£89/$112) per night.

This nostalgic glamor fortress is part of Accor’s ‘MGallery’ boutique hotel collection and is the work of award-winning American interior designer Bill Bensley.

For inspiration, he turned to the history of Sapa, once a quiet hamlet populated by local hill tribes. In the early 20th century, the French, who had colonized Vietnam for more than six decades, transformed the mountain-ringed town into a vacation spot for wealthy settlers, opening a sanatorium for military officers and building private villas.

The hotel’s design may be a rosy take on the impact of French colonial rule. Bensley says he “based the hotel’s story on how local hill tribes influenced Parisian haute couture in the early 20th century” after seeing a vintage Vietnamese bamboo hat in the French capital.

Ailbhe’s Superior Room features retro French prints and heavy yellow curtains

The elegant black and white bathroom in Ailbhe’s Superior Room

He then decorated the hotel with flea market finds from Paris and beyond.

I get my first chance to admire the treasure trove of curiosities when a doorman takes my bags, leads me to an emerald armchair and offers me a cup of hot chocolate – the signature welcome drink.

Old-time music by jazz trombonist Jack Teagarden hums through the hallways as a piccolo escorts me to my Superior Room on the seventh floor. I feel like I’m on the set of a Roaring Twenties drama. Gatsby would throw a spectacular party here.

When I open the door to my room, I see retro French fashion prints, heavy yellow curtains and a balcony overlooking Sapa town and the cloud-capped mountains of Hoàng Liên Son.

At the end of the corridor lie the chandelier-lit Nuages ​​Spa and the ‘Athleticum’ gym.

The ‘Absinthe’ cocktail bar is decorated with feathers, tailors’ mannequins and vintage suitcases

The French, who colonized Vietnam for more than six decades, turned mountain-surrounded Sapa into a holiday destination for wealthy settlers, Ailbhe explains. Above – the expansive balcony of the Chic restaurant

The ‘Athleticum’ gym with its floor-to-ceiling windows offers an even more impressive view

Elevators decorated with antique ornaments take me to the top floor, where there is a royal ‘ballroom’ for events.

Even the pink children’s playroom is theatrical, designed like a circus tent.

The lavish decor makes the hotel go viral on TikTok. One clip, by a Vietnamese influencerhas earned 1.7 million views. Another, by one US-based TikTokerhas just under a million.

I see guests posing for photos everywhere, from the pool to the breakfast buffet at the ‘Chic’ restaurant. I don’t blame them – the building makes a fantastic backdrop.

This ‘fortress of nostalgic glamour’, part of Accor’s ‘MGallery’ boutique hotel collection, is the work of award-winning American interior designer Bill Bensley, Ailbhe explains. Upstairs – the glamorous lobby

“Between the drama of the landscape and the hotel itself, staying here feels like stepping into a fantasy world,” explains Ailbhe

A bridge connects two wings of this ‘gorgeously over-the-top palace’

A bird’s-eye view banquet at the Absinthe bar, the lavish decor making the hotel go viral on TikTok

However, the breakfast is not only photogenic, it is also rich in Vietnamese delicacies. On the tables are a Pho soup station, sweet Sapa chestnut cakes and traditional banh mi sandwiches [a baguette-style bite].

And the service is slick. “A pot of Americano, right?” asks the hostess, remembering my coffee order from the day before.

The 249-room hotel occupies only part of the building. In another wing there is a cable car station, accessible to guests through a special passage through the hotel garden.

This cable car takes tourists to the starting point of the world’s longest non-stop three-cable funicularwhich travels 20,610 feet (6,282 m) to the summit of Vietnam’s highest mountain – 10,325 feet (3,147 m) Fansipan.

The staff also arranges trekking tours so you can explore this part of northern Vietnam.

My guide May, who belongs to the Red Dao tribe, meets me in the lobby for a walking tour of the nearby villages of Ma Tra and Ta Phin (from VND400,600/£13/$16 per person).

We pass rice fields, dozing puppies, a lively wedding and a bamboo forest. May points out the plants used to dye clothes or treat ailments as we walk. It’s the icing on the cake of my visit to Sapa.

Later, from my balcony, I see the fog spreading over the city.

Between the drama of the landscape and the hotel itself, staying here feels like stepping into a fantasy world.

It’s not quite Versailles, but it is a beautiful, lavish palace.