For when you really want to let down your hair, only turrets and towers will do. Luckily, there are crenellated stately piles with a past all over Europe, from sprawling castelli in rural Italy to repurposed forts in Palma — all waiting for you to check-in and channel your favourite Disney prince or princess. Read on for a few of our favourite luxury castle hotels…
NOBIS HOTEL PALMA
Mallorca, Spain
Who said a thousand-year-old Arabian palace wouldn’t suit modern, Scandi-style interiors? Not us, especially after we got a glimpse of Nobis Hotel Palma, where frescoed walls, wooden beams, arabesques and archways sit alongside statement pieces by Carl Hansen, Audo and Flos. The masterminds behind the interiors were from star architect Gert Wingårdh’s studio.
There are courtyards to cool off in, a small spa set in what was once an escape route for the palace’s family and a roof terrace with views of Palma’s famous Gothic cathedral, plus lots of arches, decorative tiles and even remnants of script. The 17th-century reception room, with its nine-metre-high ceilings, is now, of course, a well-dressed bar. Even the gym is in a vaulted room with authentically crumbling stone walls.
CASTELL D’EMPORDÀ
Empordà, Spain
The Castell d’Empordà approach to history is to ensure it’s alive and well, but not through educational tours in stifling heat or endless dreary lectures – instead, guests are encouraged to learn about the fort’s fabled past, which dates back, rather specifically, to the 18th of March, 1301, over good food, wine and conversation. By 1413, the castle was under the possession of the Margarit family, a scion of which once sailed with Christopher Columbus. The adjacent chapel was constructed in 1600. In 1973, Dalí made a bid for it with his artworks as currency, but the owners preferred hard cash. Soon after, it was abandoned until it was rescued by the current custodians and turned into a luxury castle hotel in 1999.
The Catalan castell is just east of Girona, between the peaks of the Pyrenees and the cliffs and coves of the Costa Brava. Fittlingly, given its explorer-lord heritage, the mediaeval retreat is graced with treasures from all over the world, from Indian silk curtains to Moroccan floor tiles. Of course, vaulted ceilings, stone walls and window seats where you can fleetingly be king or queen of all you survey are all present and correct, too.
CASTELLO DI RESCHIO
Umbria, Italy
If you’ve always harboured a deep resentment for the Medici family and the opulent lives they must have led, you can let it go and get a taste for the aristocratic Italian life at this vast Umbrian estate instead. While you won’t technically be castellano, you can at least pretend to be – and you’ll have a 3,700-acre duchy to temporarily lord over. The real owner is an architect and, yes, an actual count – Count Benedikt Bolza, and his wife, Donna Nencia, purchased the land in 1994.
The 10th-century castle at the heart of Castello di Reschio has some of the best rooms in the house, but you’ll also be able to stay in the not-that-modest-at-all outbuildings, surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and woods. The estate was lovingly restored over many years and the detail and effort that has gone into it shows. The Etruscan fortress is on the edge of Umbria, so you’ll be able to head over to equally photogenic neighbouring province Tuscany with ease – in fact, it’s so close you can see it. Helping you to settle into the ducal way of life are horseback riding and the Bathhouse, a spa set in the castle’s ancient wine cellars.
THE CASHEL PALACE
County Tipperary, Ireland
Ireland masters the art of the country house hotel and there are countless expansive estates to choose from. But if you’re seeking something a little more stylish and less shamelessly chintzy, your options start to get a little numbered. Enter the Cashel Palace in County Tipperary, proof that country piles and a more contemporary decor can go hand in hand.
The Palladian residence was built in 1732 for the Archbishop of Cashel by star 18th-century architect Edward Lovett Pearce, and was perfectly positioned for prime views of the town’s most famous sight, the Rock of Cashel. This group of mediaeval buildings, on a limestone outcrop in the Golden Vale, is one of the most visited monuments in Ireland, with the ruins of a Gothic cathedral, an abbey, Romanesque chapel and tower all part of the historic cluster.
Back at your palatial pad, you’ll be able to enjoy landscaped, suitably majestic gardens, a sleek indoor pool, excellent cocktails over some good old Irish craic, and plenty of chandeliers and gilded artworks. Famous faces to pass through over the years have included Elizabeth Taylor, Jackie Kennedy and Princess Diana.
CASTLE ELVIRA
Puglia, Italy
Down in the heel of Italy’s effortlessly stylish knee-high boot, Castle Elvira is a fairy-tale fort with 37 acres to its name. It’s the perfect Puglia hotel if you want to swap a conical trullo, rambling masseria or model Apullian village for a stay in a castello instead. Though its turrets and towers may give you other ideas, the castle was actually only built in the early 20th century, but these are delusions of grandeur we can live with.
The terraced grounds are just as royalty-ready, with towering palm and cypress trees, pristine lawns, enchanted forests, citrus groves and an outdoor pool. Indoors, the portraiture lining the walls features more modern subjects than usual, from a giant gorilla to the King himself. Niche claim to fame: legends of Eighties pop Bananarama filmed a video for their 40th-anniversary album here in 2022. Co-owner Harvey B-Brown (whose brilliant bio reads: artist, director, fashion and costume designer, castle owner) is on hand to head up painting and drawing workshops, there are rickshaw bikes for guests to cycle through orange and lemon groves, and sundowner spots include the rooftop (long hair at the ready). There’s even a grand piano in the sitting room, where guests are invited to commence an impromptu sing-along.
Peak princess accommodation includes the Tower Park Suite, set in an 18th-century tower in the castle’s grounds with an ancient well in the garden, a star-vault ceiling and a sunken bath tub.
Ready for another fairy tale? See more straight-out-of-a-storybook stays in our pick of the best château hotels in France