- Royal heritage: Built by Empress Victoria of Germany in 1893, with ties to the Prussian and British royal families.
- Notable former guests: Empress Victoria, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, and many more.
- Film connection: Used as Sandringham House in the Princess Diana film Spencer.
- 5-star luxury: Fine dining restaurant, beauty salon, English-style gardens, and 18-hole golf course.
- Lavish interiors: Packed with antiques and artwork from Titian, Rubens, and Gainsborough.
- Prime location: In the spa town of Kronberg, just 20km from Frankfurt Airport.
- Check dates & prices here
In the lovely old spa town of Kronberg, conveniently near Frankfurt Airport, Germany, Schlosshotel Kronberg is a beautifully evocative building, both inside and out.
Though only dating back about 130 years it has plenty of 19th & 20th century historical intrigue and strong connections to both the Prussian and British Royal Families (see the history section below).
On the subject of the latter – Schlosshotel Kronberg was recently chosen to double for Sandringham House in the upcoming film Spencer, starring Kristen Stewart and based upon the life of Princess Diana.
It is these days a top-of-the-range 5-star hotel, undoubtedly one of the best in Germany, with tremendous facilities.
These include an 18-hole golf course, a fantastic fine dining restaurant, a beauty salon, and beautifully atmospheric old English-style gardens.
The interiors are resplendent with an amazing array of antiques and art pieces; treasures such as original paintings by Titian, Rubens, and Gainsborough, and the whole experience is one of tremendous grandeur and opulence.
There is hardly a thing out of place anywhere, and though the rooms and suites are generally slightly more modern in style they too have an undeniable old-world charm.
The Rooms:
Their rooms and suites range from single rooms to top-of-the-range suites, the best of all being the 130 square meter, two-level, two double bedroom Grand Suite.
None of the accommodation choices will disappoint though, even the ‘single rooms’ would be worthy of a much grander title in any other hotel.
Room facilities are of course modern where they need to be with each room coming with WiFi, satellite TV, mini-bar, Lavazza coffee machine, and elegant bathrooms, all with a bathtub and/or a jacuzzi.
Prices:
Check out all the details on the booking page here.
Facilities & Things to Do:
Room service can bring you any meal you like from the restaurant, including breakfast, to dine in the room if you so choose.
Breakfast isn’t included in the rate, but is worth the extra, as are any of the meals you may sample from their very highly rated restaurant located in one of the Castle’s most grand halls.
There is an outdoor rooftop terrace lounge, the Victoria Lounge, which is open for drinks and light meals/tapas in the summer.
There is also a surprisingly lively bar, Jimmy’s American Bar, which has live music from Thursday until Saturday and serves until 2am.
Service at the castle is excellent, from the reception staff to the concierge service from where you can arrange everything from shoe shine and laundry to chauffeured limousine hire and professional photography.
There is a Beauty Cottage in the gardens where you can have all sorts of spa, massage, health, and beauty treatments including what they call, and this is a first for me, a Golfer’s Massage.
Which brings us on to the golf course. President Eisenhower stayed at the castle during the American occupation and apparently somehow played a few games of makeshift golf on the lawns.
The Hesse family was thus inspired, so the story goes, to build an actual golf course in 1954 as an extra attraction for their new hotel.
They didn’t do it by half measures either, going for a full 18-hole course, which has a handicap of 36 and is open from April to October.
The Location:
If you’re looking for a castle hotel near Frankfurt, Castle Kronberg couldn’t be better positioned, especially given the fact that it’s also only 20km from Frankfurt airport (The hotel offers a shuttle service).
For those not familiar with the city, Frankfurt is one of Europe’s most important business and banking centers.
This may not be much of an advertising slogan for the average tourist but it is also a lively, dynamic place with great restaurants, nightlife, shopping, and cultural activities.
It has history too and a very pretty old town section which is lovely to wander around. The old town is sometimes described as the New Old Town, as it was almost completely destroyed in WW2 and then rebuilt with an impressive level of care and respect for historical detail.
Take the time to wander some of its atmospheric streets and admire some of its many lovely ‘old’ buildings the likes of the medieval origin Lutheran Old St. Nicholas Church, Kaiserdom St. Bartholomäus, and the renowned Old Opera House, or Alte Oper.
A Little History
The hugely impressive Castle Hotel Kronberg started its life in 1893 as Castle/Schloss Friedrichshof, when it was built in honour of the late King of Prussia, and Emperor of the newly formed Germany, Friedrich III, by his wife the Empress Victoria.
Built by the Prussian Royal architect Ernst Eberhard von Ihne, it was a reworking of the classic German Renaissance style with some British touches, notably Tudor, as the Empresses herself was English, Queen Victoria of Britain’s eldest daughter.
She spent most of her time there until her eventual death in 1901 when the castle was inherited by her youngest daughter, Princess Margaret of Prussia, wife to Landgrave Karl Friedrich von Hessen, head of the illustrious House of Hesse.
Some Guest Reviews:
“Delighted to have stayed in the house built by the eldest daughter of Queen Victoria. It was wonderful to stay in such a historic building with all its associations with British and German royalty. The paintings and objects on display from the people who had lived in and used the schloss was fascinating….”
“Simply wow!!! This is the most impressive hotel I have ever stayed at. The will meet your every need with a smile. Castle is beautiful. The grounds are exquisite. I will definitely be back on my next trip to Germany. A must stay….”
