Castle hotels ★★☆
Stay in a real castle and live happily ever after (temporarily) as King and Queen of the castle
Castles are among the top sights in Britain—so why not spend the night in one?
True, many castles are private and off-limits, and others are open purely for sightseeing, but many British castles operate little B&B operations, rental rooms, or cottages—and a few have been wholesale converted into castle-hotels.
Since there are few enough Lords of the Manor these days to pay for their upkeep and keep them lived-in (old homes deteriorate rapidly when vacant), tatterdemalion land barons (and the National Trust) are helping preserve the buildings (and fund their upkeep) by renting them out.
So say cheerio to the modern world—even if only for a few nights or week—and move into your own British castle.
Top castle hotels in Britain
An 11C castle become a Relais & Chateaux hotel between Southampton and London in West Sussex
- Landmarktrust.org.uk - This organization helps oversee and preserve over 190 historic buildings—from castles to mansions to cottages—across Britain. Since there are few enough Lords of the Manor these days to pay for their upkeep and keep them lived-in (old homes deteriorate rapidly when vacant), the Landmark Trust has hit upon the perfect solution: preserve the buildings (and help fund the organization!) by renting them out.
- Celticcastles.com - Castles in England (14), Scotland (39), Wales (1), and Ireland (19) (plus 8 in France)
- Castleandpalacehotels.com - Not the most complete, but by far the most user-friendly site, maintained by professional travel writer and guidebook author Pamela Barrus (always gotta give props to my colleagues). All castles—9 in England, 4 in Scotland, 2 in Wales—are hand-selected. The interface is quick and intuitive: Click on a country, click on a region, then click on a castle (or palatial hotel) to get a concise but info-packed single page on the property, complete with photographs, prices, direct contact info, brochure-like descriptions of the castle and its history, and a few choice words and tips on the hotel from Pamela herself. Other nice touches: basic intel on how castle hotels work in each country, useful phrases in each language for booking a room, information on holding weddings, etc. She also just has a good eye for castles. I've written about them myself—for guidebooks and magazine articles—so I know what's out there and can tell you that Pamela tends to pick some of the best.
- Castlesontheweb.com - Bukoos links on the "Accommodations" page. Could do with some organization though: some are booking engines, some direct links, some hotel reservations services... still, most seem to at least hook you up with bona fide fortresses. Happy hunting.
- Relaischateaux.com - One of the granddaddies of refined luxury, an association with extremely high standards (and price tags) with more than two-dozen properties in the U.K. Not all are castles, despite the name, but even the manor houses, palaces, mansions, historic villas, and regular hotels are of the utmost in comfort, quality, charm, history, and are usually really, really expensive.
- Historic-uk.com
- Visitscotland.com - The Web site of Scotland's tourist board lists 180 Scottish castles and other historic homes that have been turned into hotels, self-catering flats, B&Bs, and even a hostel—fancy staying in a real medieval castle for just £15/$28?
- Luxuryscotland.co.uk - More than 30 properties in Scotland—some modern, some lodges (one a train), but several are hotels converted from castles or castle-like old manors houses. All of them are luxurious.
