What is a Castle Hotel?
A castle hotel is basically a castle, or castle-like structure, that offers overnight accommodation. What exactly constitutes a castle, though, has long been open to interpretation.
A purist will demand that a castle have primarily a defensive function: thick, high walls, turrets, a moat, etc., and they will have to be from the Middle Ages or earlier, before the proliferation of the cannon.
For most people these days, though, a castle can be pretty much any building that, well, looks like a castle. Only a minority of modern castle hotels are in the former, authentic type of castle structure.
This is due mainly to the enormous difficulty of renewing or preserving such ancient buildings, most of which will have been in ruins for centuries.
In the U.K., most castle hotels are housed in revivalist architecture projects from the 18th and 19th centuries, with Neo-Gothic being the most prevalent. They are sometimes known as castle follies.
In Italy, as another example, they tend to be older, from the 15th century onwards, but most also date from after the arrival of the cannon, and so again they were for aesthetic, and not defence.
The U.K. is generally acknowledged as being the world leader in castle hotels, and Scotland, with over 30, has the most in the U.K.
England’s though seem to be more historically glamorous with many having connections to infamous royal figures of the past – King Henry VIII and his wives, for example, Queen Victoria, and many more in between.
Most castle hotels will market their historical connections, offering guided tours, history lectures, etc. Many castle hotels are also reportedly haunted, something which, for some, only adds to the attraction.
What We Do:
We choose the best castle hotels (and some other similar historical buildings) in each of, at present, eleven European countries, lists we strive to update on an annual basis.
All our chosen castle hotels will date back at least 100 years and should wear their history on their sleeve. Though they will generally have modern comforts, facilities, and services, they should also retain the aesthetics and atmosphere of a much earlier time.
Our chosen castle hotels will have many stories to tell, of tumultuous family drama, political intrigue, and of local gossip, myths, and legends. These are the things that make these historic hotels unique and special, and we endeavour to showcase them all in a fitting manner.
Our Review Process:
Learn all about our review processes here.
Affiliate Disclosure:
If you make a booking through some of the links on this site, we may earn a small commission. As we are entirely ad-free and do not accept any kind of payment for listings, this is the only way we can keep our site going.
Please know that this absolutely does not affect the price you pay in any way, nor does it in any way affect our reviews or recommendations.
Press Enquires/Contact Us:
For further information about manorcastles.com, or about castle hotels in general, feel free to contact us, and we will get back to you promptly.
Ronan McLoughlin – Founder/Editor
info (at) manorcastles.com
