Advertisement

Can’t get to ‘Downton’ castle? These will satisfy your manor cravings

Share

If the “Downton Abbey” movie reignited your love of elegance and grandeur, how about a regal experience at a grand hotel steeped in history? Here are four places that have that touch of class.

Oakland/Berkeley

Perched in the Oakland Hills with views of San Francisco Bay, the original building on what is now the grounds of the Claremont Club & Spa was built as a private English castle. It burned and was later rebuilt as a hotel resort, opening to the public in 1915. Roam the 22 acres and revel in the surrounding gardens for a taste of a noble English estate (which straddles the dividing line of two cities).

Cost, info: Rooms from $279 per night; $199 per night on select Sundays; bit.ly/claremontclub

Advertisement

Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Broadmoor started as a dairy farm, but as a hotel, it has been dazzling guests since it opened in 1918. It’s home to 10 restaurants, a robust art collection, a movie theater and falconry. The only masterpiece more majestic than the property itself is the Rocky Mountains backdrop. The 784 guest rooms and suites have half-canopy beds and marble baths, which give them a timeless appeal.

Cost, info: Rooms from $450 a night; broadmoor.com

Lenox, Mass.

Blantyre, built in 1902, is a 110-acre estate surrounded by lush woodlands in the Berkshire Mountains of western Massachusetts. (“Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes has been a guest at this property.) Blantyre’s grand staircase is reminiscent of a castle’s, typical of the Gilded Age mansions built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The estate was purchased in 2016 and given a multimillion-dollar upgrade but kept the best of the heritage that befits a historic site.

Cost, info: Rooms from $436 a night; blantyre.com

Adare, Ireland

Advertisement

Adare Manor, once the ancestral home to the second Earl of Dunraven, exudes a 19th century splendor. This neo-Gothic 840-acre estate, filled with limestone arches and gargoyles, is a retreat worthy of any royal. In fact, members of the British royal family are said to have visited in 1897. After a recent renovation, the property has 42 new guest rooms, a redesigned golf course and a grand ballroom. Step into the stately Great Hall with its carved wood-paneled walls, tapestries and black marble fireplace, and relish having arrived.

Cost, info: Rooms from $360 a night; adaremanor.com

Advertisement