HILUXURY – Hawaii Luxury Magazine

Your Castle Awaits at these Four European Hotels with Regal Heritage

We like to think we live in a castle of our own making, but nothing compares to a stay in the real thing.

Europe boasts the finest selection of fortresses, spanning centuries and architectural styles – each offering a journey back in time, with all the modern conveniences a luxury traveler expects. Here are four enchanting options in France, Scotland, England and Ireland.

MEDIEVAL STATE OF MIND

The rolling terrain of southwestern France, midway between Biarritz and Monte Carlo, sings my eyes to sleep with a panoramic lullaby until, as if painted by a Surrealist’s frenzied brush stroke, the medieval walled city of Carcassonne appears on the horizon. Tucked amid its 52 blue and red-roofed turrets is my fantasy abode for the night: the one-bedroom Terrace Suite in Hotel de la Cité, the only hotel inside the 12th-century citadel. Built in 1909 in the neo-Gothic Revival style, the hotel has 40 rooms and 21 suites, none identical, plus the Michelin-star La Barbacane restaurant and a serene swimming pool. Famous guests who’ve gazed upon its stained-glass windows, beamed ceilings and mosaic floors have ranged from French novelist Colette to movie star Johnny Depp. But tonight, this luxurious Orient-Express-run hotel (inside this UNESCO World Heritage fortress) is mine.

The Terrace Suite is awash in soothing hues of ivory and butter yellow, with elegant French furnishings. And yet the best feature on a warm spring evening is the expansive terrace, with its breathtaking views of Carcassonne’s ancient ramparts. Relaxing here at sunset, I select a Bordeaux from the hotel’s 10,000-bottle wine cellar and drink in its deep ruby red deliciousness – and the magical realm that surrounds me.

HIGHLANDS IDYLL

I’ve never wanted to hunt, and I am pretty certain I never will. But walking the grounds of Inverlochy Castle, a circa-1863 storybook manse set on a picturesque lake in the shadow of Scotland’s Ben Nevis peak, I can almost understand the appeal. Those who do feel a thrill in donning woolen tweed, calling the dogs and stalking deer or pheasant can do so (mostly in fall and winter), while the rest of us can simply luxuriate in Inverlochy’s splendor – as did Queen Victoria, who sketched and painted here in 1873. Fittingly, I’ve chosen to stay in the Queen’s Suite, a light-filled first-floor accommodation with a wonderful four-poster canopied bed draped in rich gold and magenta fabric. It’s one of 17 rooms and suites, all decorated in soothing pastels and rich jewel tones. The castle’s centerpiece is its soaring, salmon and ivory-hued Great Hall, while its three elaborate and intimate dining rooms serving Michelin-starred, modern British cuisine. If the weather is gloomy, there are plenty of fireplaces to cozy up to with a good book, but during two glorious spring days I discover that Inverlochy’s true appeal is its easy access to Scotland’s great outdoors – hiking, river rafting, golfing, mountain biking and horseback riding are all right out the massive front door.

WALLED WONDER

“Now this is a castle,” is a phrase often muttered as one drives up to the massive, 900-year-old English countryside fortress known as Amberley Castle. Set amid the emerald splendor of West Sussex, just 30 minutes from London, its 60-foot-tall gray-stone walls and watchtower completely encircle peacock-studded gardens and a luxurious manor, offering 19 elaborately decorated bedrooms with whirlpool baths. Connoisseurs of all things medieval should head for one of the fabulous four-poster suites in the Manor House – my favorite is the Arundel Bedroom, with its dramatic canopy bed and intricately carved double window overlooking the lower court.

Luxurious meals are enjoyed in either the Queen’s Room with its 12th-century barrel-vaulted ceiling and cozy fireplace, or the Great Room, built in 1165 and featuring Norman architecture decorated with tapestries and suits of armor. And yet here, “castle cuisine” is anything but ancient, featuring tempting contemporary dishes celebrating fresh regional ingredients, much of it organic – from scallops and salmon to halibut and lamb. Most magical of all on a late spring day is a walk around the tranquil 12-acre grounds, happening upon rose-covered archways, a sun-dappled koi pond and a charming 1920s topiary.

EXCEPTIONALLY ECCENTRIC

Ravens-big, black and bickering-are part of the mystical moodiness of Ireland’s Adare Manor, an architecturally hodgepodge dwelling of Gothic castle-like proportions. Which is totally apropos, since it was built in 1852 by the Second Earl of Dunraven. Close to Limerick, the manor is unapologetically eccentric, with 52 chimneys, 75 fireplaces and 365 leaded glass windows. And yes, there are gargoyles. I step inside the turreted entrance and journey back in time as I wander through the soaring, chandeliered entrance hall to the splendidly paneled Oakroom Restaurant and the magnificent 162-foot-long Minstrel’s Gallery, modeled after the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles. There are 62 bedrooms in the manor, the most impressive being the Presidential Suite, a regal red-and-gold sitting room paired with the former bedroom of Lady Caroline Wyndham (aka Mrs. Second Earl of Dun-raven). The 840-acre grounds are equally stunning, bisected by the trout-filled River Maigue and home to a circa-1850 formal French garden and a towering, 350-year-old Cedar of Lebanon. Modern touches include a Robert Trent Jones Sr. designed golf course and the Treatment Rooms spa-but it’s the old (and, some say, gently haunted) parts of this manor that make it exceptionally intriguing.