GRAND EUROPE
Grand Europe - Luxury Travel Magazine
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Grand Europe | |||||
| By: Hilary Doling And Prue Rushton, Issue 26 - Autumn 2006 | |||||
| (different types of accommodation) | |||||
| SWEEPING DRIVEWAYS LEAD TO EUROPE’S MOST ARISTOCRATIC ADDRESSES. HERE THE WORLD’S GRANDEST CASTLES, CHATEAUX, PALACES AND STATELY HOMES OPEN THEIR DOORS FOR EXCLUSIVE STAYS. WE BRING YOU THE CREME DE LA CRÈME. | |||||
| Over centuries, the layers of style and culture were laid down in Europe. Wealth and nobility brought with them the sort of monumental residences that only time, money and the urge that drives people to seek out art and beauty could create. Circumstances change and time moves forward. Much of what was built by the aristocracy has now been made-over and given new life. Today you can stay in a castle from the middle ages, the palazzo of a Venetian Prince or the holiday villa of a Grand Duke. Here, we present the essential luxe list of Europe’s most noble estates. WATER WORLD Water has always played an integral part in luxe real estate. Something about blue on blue also signals holiday escape and Europe is sprinkled with magnificent addresses that revolve around the meditative pool of a lake or the turbulent romance of the sea. Back in 1960 J Paul Getty was drawn to the grand stone walls overlooking the Tyrrenean Sea of La Posta Vecchia, restoring the 17th century villa just outside of Rome as his own seaside retreat. Today, Getty’s penchant for classic style and antiques still decorates the rooms with Gobelin tapestries Venetian lamps and Carrara marble bathtubs. Even on the wildest days you can lounge protected in an indoor pool whose arched windows take in the changing fate of the sea, while black sand from the beach is now used in one of its beauty therapies. It’s a similar windswept romance that surrounds Le Fort de l’Ocean, once a 17th century granite fort guarding the Atlantic Ocean at Le Croisic on the French coast. The walls now protect a tranquil zone of gardens and outdoor pool, or you can retreat inside to the classic elegance of sitting rooms and bedrooms that watch over boats returning to shore. The lake-filled calm of the Lombardy region for over 2000 years has inspired writers, poets and artists. While Mussolini, installed by the Germans in Villa Feltrinelli, may not have understood its charm, legendary hotelier Bob Burns totally got it, transforming the exquisite 1892 family villa into an exclusive Lake Garda resort. With a mi casa, su casa approach, there is a help yourself bar and 24-hour pantry. Bedrooms are filled with frescos, but the star address has become known as Bob’s Boat House where you can order in your personal chef or have the 1920s-style La Contessa boat pull up for a cocktail cruise. Once a 16th century cardinal’s residence, the legendary Villa d’Este expands this grand lake style at Como with 158 rooms, seven dining rooms and the whiff of Riviera-style glamour. A floating pool in the lake maximizes the water experience, while waterskiing, sailing or windsurfing are the only things that change the lake’s tranquility. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| - La Posta Vecchia, Palo Laziale, Italy, +39 (0) 69949501, www.relaischateaux.com | |||||
| - Le Ford de l’Ocean, Le Croisic, France, +33 (0) 240 157 777, www.fort-ocean.com | |||||
| - Villa Feltrinelli, Gargnano, Italy, +39 (0) 365798000, www.villafeltrinelli.com | |||||
| - Villa d’Este, Cernobbio, Italy, Leading Hotels of the World, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
| TRUE ROMANCE - Schlosshotel im Grunewald, Berlin, Germany. This private mansion has been lavishly restored under the artistic direction of Karl Lagerfeld, +49 30 895 840, www.schlosshotelberlin.com | |||||
| - Chateaux de Codignat, Puy de Dome, France. Fifteenth century chateau with romantic turret boudoir perfect for a lovers tryst, +34 7368 4303, www.relaischateaux.com. - Hostellerie du Clos, Verneuuil-sur-Avre, France. A house-like fairytale castle, +33 232 322181, www.hostellerieduclos.fr FAIRYTALE FANTASY Set in the great southwest of France are chateaux from the middle ages with their fortified turrets and towers. The grey-slate spires that stretch skywards like the lances of knights conjure up a dream world that somehow has little to do with war and everything to do with romance. It’s this same bucolic, medieval charm of the Chateau de Castel-Novel, set between Correze and the Dordogne that wooed the writer Collette who wrote: “Everything is too beautiful, I am quite drunk.” The chateau was owned by her husband, the Editor-In-Chief of Le Matin, and Collette lived and brought up her daughter here amongst the centuries-old rose bushes and wild orchids. Today you can stay in her room and overlook the achingly beautiful countryside that inspired novels like Le Ble en Herbe and Cheri. The countryside features heavily in chateaux-life, and Chateau de Mercues is no exception. For seven centuries the counts and bishops of Cahors, the oldest wine region in France, used the Chateau as their summer residence. It is perhaps no surprise that there is an enormous underground cellar stacked with oak barrels of wine. Today, apartments and rooms that mix modern and medieval style look out across vineyards, with tempting wine as a central theme of any stay. Chateau de la Treyne continues the chateaux fantasy with its pale towers perched high above a river overlooking the Dordogne. With a history that dates back to the 1300s, the red Louis XIII apartment transports you to the time of its mid-17th Century restoration. Its Michelin Star restaurant, however, reminds you of all the comforts of now. Chateau de Mirambeau reinforces this kind of mix, housing a 21st century style health and beauty centre inside its 15th century ramparts that once sheltered dukes and protected princesses. Set between Bordeaux and Cognac, like many of today’s chateaux it has a pool and tennis court and other modern-day pastimes, but always the fascination that sets them truly apart belongs to other ages. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| - Chateau de Castel-Novel, Varetz, France, +33 555 850 001, www.castelnovel.com | |||||
| - Chateau de Mercues, Cahors, France, +33 565 200 001, www.chateaudemercues.com | |||||
| - Chateau de la Treyne, Quercy Perigord, France, +33 565 276 060, www.chateaudelatreyne.com | |||||
| - Chateau de Mirambeau, Mirambeau, France, +33 546 049 120, www.relaischateaux.com | |||||
| - Chateau de Chevres, D’or, Cote d’Azur, France, www.chevredor.com - Chateau de Fere, Champagne, France, www.slh.com | |||||
| VENETIAN PALAZZOS - Palazzo Vendramin, exclusive little sister to the famous Hotel Cipriani, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
| - Hotel Danieli, the original 14th century palace of Doge Dandolo, lavishly adorned with pink marble. Run by Starwood, like the Hotel Gritti Palace, +39 041 522 6480, www.danieli.hotelinvenice.com | |||||
| - Londra Palace, Tchaikovsky was inspired to write his fourth symphony in room 106, (02) 9411 5512, www.slh.com. - Bauer Il Palazzo, 18th century palace on the grand canal, rich tapestries, stucco ceilings, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
| PARIS CHIC A key feature of the décor of Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris are the lavish displays of flowers everywhere, the work of floral designer Jeff Leatham. It is this attention to style that makes the George V stand out in a city where great hotels abound. The palatial rooms, ornate chandeliers, ballroom, balconies and brocade make this hotel Art Décor building a truly sumptuous place to stay. It is no accident that we chose the beautiful Hotel Le Bristol as the setting for our cover shoot. Renowned for its magnificent gardens the hotel’s interior is pretty special too with creams and golds, elegant drapes and fabulous furnishings. The more discerning of the world’s rich and famous consider the Hotel Le Bristol their own special secret address because checking in here is like staying in a grand private home. The elegant Le Meurice was lovingly refurbished a few years ago with amazing attention to detail. Its rooms have gracious 18th-century furnishings and luxurious fabrics. The unique rooftop Belle Etoile Suite offers sweeping views from the 3,000-square-foot wrap around terrace. Hotel de Crillon is an extravagant symphony in gilt and gold and lush silk furnishings. Its original design, commissioned by Louis XV is still as stunning today. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| - Hotel George V, +33 14952 7136, www.fourseasons.com | |||||
| - Hotel Le Bristol, + 33 15343 4300, www.hotel-bristol.com | |||||
| - Hotel de Crillon, Leading Hotels of the World, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
| - Le Meurice, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
| - Hotel de la Vendome, www.slh.com | |||||
| - Saint James Paris, www.slh.com | |||||
| VILLA STYLE - Villa La Massa, Florence, Italy. Renaissance residence on the banks of the Arno managed by Villa D’Este, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
| - Hotel Belle Epoque, Baden-Baden, Germany. Neo-renaissence villa with fine antiques, near the mineral spas. Small Luxury Hotels, (02) 94115512, www.slh.com | |||||
| - Villa Fiordaliso, Lombardy, Italy. Amid cypress trees and olive trees on the banks of Lake Garda. Beautiful stained glass windows, www.relaischateaux.com | |||||
| - Villa Cora, Florence, Italy. Once home to Napoleon’s wife Empress Eugene, with Murano glass chandeliers and regally draped beds, +55 229 84 51, www.villacora.it | |||||
| CASTLE KINGS Suits of armour, wood panelling, secret passages and oil paintings of ancestors staring down at you from the walls are some of the experiences that these vast stone castles offer. If you wish to arrive at Skibo Castle, Scotland, by helicopter, you can land on the lawns. Since Madonna and Guy Richie got married here many celebrities have done just that. The exclusive Carnegie Club founded by Peter de Savary – a private network of prestigious golf clubs around the world – has it base here and is named after the former owner, Andrew Carnegie. Four-poster beds and serious luxury abound. You can stay one time at Skibo as a guest, but then to return you have to join The Carnegie Club (at an annual rate of £3,000 per family). Another Peter de Savary property Bovey Castle in Devon offers luxury staterooms and private granite lodges in the grand grounds for short or long stay guests. Club membership is also available here, twinned with another de Savary property, Abaco in the Bahamas. In the capital stay at The London Outpost, of Bovey Castle, a select boutique hotel. Ashford Castle’s motto is ‘Excellence since 1228’ which is quite an achievement. For 700 years the castle has offered hospitality. Modern guest will find spacious suites, grand wood panelling and a reputation for fine food. Amberley Castle, in West Sussex, is a fortified castle that has been a home for nine centuries. Elizabeth I and Charles II have both slept within the thick walls. This is England's only medieval castle hotel, complete with a tree house like a mini fairytale castle in the grounds. At midnight the mighty portculis is lowered as it has been for generations. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| - Ashford Castle, Co Mayo, Ireland. Leading Hotels of the World, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
| - Amberely Castle, nr. Arundel, West Sussex, England, +44 1 798 831 992, www.amberleycastle.co.uk | |||||
| - Skibo Castle, nr. Inverness, Scotland, www.castleuk.net | |||||
| - Bovey Castle, Devon, England, +44 1 6474 45016, www.boveycastle.com - Glenapp Castle, Ayrshire, Scotland, www.glenapp.com | |||||
| - Dromoland, Co Clare, Ireland, www.dromoland.com | |||||
| GRAND ESTATES In many ways these were the social clubs of old Europe, dating back to the 1600s. Inside their walled parklands with their extravagant architecture, the considered passions of the glamour set who gathered there were thrilling – played out through endless weeks or weekends of fishing, hunting, cocktails, dances and discussion. These ‘house parties’ were legendary for their excess and the whiff of scandal that often accompanied visitors and their entanglements. Just a skip from London, Cliveden House changed from being a refined favourite of Queen Victoria’s to ‘the place to be seen’ when it was bought by William Wardorf Astor, America’s richest citizen, in 1893. In the hands of his son and daughter-in-law Lady Nancy Astor, it became a social hub drawing everyone from Charlie Chaplin to President Roosevelt. Later, John Profumo and Christine Keeler would also become part of the ‘Cliveden Set’. Today, through the ‘Cliveden Club’ a Rolls Royce or helicopter make it easy to mix business in London with pleasure. A flotilla of vintage launches can transport you and your friends up river to Henley Regatta. Thirty-nine rooms are named after the famous who flocked here, with the Lady Astor Suite being the most sumptuous of them all. It is the 18-hole championship golf course, as much as the grand gothic inspired architecture that has made Adare Manor, Ireland, a renowned destination. Its 21st century estate life makes it remarkable. Here, you can discover trout-fishing in the beautiful River Maigue that winds through the 840 acres estate, go laser clay pigeon shooting, ride a horse out of their equestrian centre or simply soak up spa life. Ponder more choices in the restaurant overlooking formal French gardens to the river. - Cliveden House, Berkshire, England, +44 1628 668561, www.clivedenhouse.co.uk | |||||
| - Adare Manor, County Limerick, Ireland, +353 61 396 566, www.adaremanor.com | |||||
| SAINTLY STAYS - Parador San Francisco, Granada, Spain. This 14th century former convent is in the grounds of the Alhambra, +948 221 440, www.parador.es | |||||
| - Hostellerie Abbaye de la Pommeraie, Selesdtat, Alsace. Once part of a Cicerian Abbey, +33 3388 9207 84, www.relaischateaux.com | |||||
| PALACE HOTELS - The Xara Place, Mdina Malta. A stylish oasis in the fortified city of Mdina, +356 21 450 560. - Hotel Imperial, Vienna, Austria. Built for the Prince of Wurttemberg. Antiques date from the Austro-Hungarian empire, +43 1501 100, www.luxurycollection.com | |||||
| - AC Santo Mauro, Madrid, Spain. The Ritz Madrid is better know and grander but this 19th century palace is an elite secret, +91 319 6900, www.ac-hotels.com | |||||
| - Grand Hotel Continental, Siena, Italy. The most beautiful hotel in an already beautiful city. The fresco walls are truly magnificent, +39 577 56011, www.thecharminghotels.com | |||||
| - Tiberio Palace Resort & Spa, Capri, Italy. You’ll never want to leave the spa in this cool marble and white hotel run by JW Marriott, +39 819 787111, www.salvatorenaldigroup.com | |||||
| PRIVATE VILLAGES La Residencia, Deia, Mallorca, Spain has evolved from a cluster of ancient manor houses which Richard Branson's former brother-in-law turned into a small hotel in 1984 to a private sanctuary for the rich and famous. Princess Diana’s favourite suite was 61, which has a private garden and pool. We also recommend the Luxury Tower Suite. Situated in the ancient tower, the oldest part of the hotel building and thought to have been built by the Knights Templar. Another hotel which is really a village is Les Deux Abbesses, in the Loire region. A cluster of beautifully restored houses in the little hamlet are the private guest quarters linked not by corridors but by a maze of paved and cobbled streets. - Les Deux Abbesses, Saint-Arcons-d’Allier, Loire France. +33 47174 0308, www.relaischateaux.com | |||||
| - La Residencia, Mallorca, Spain. +34 971639011, www.hotellaresidencia.com MODERN MANORS From the outside they all evoke Brideshead Revisited – all large, stately homes set in impossibly manicured gardens made for a stroll, or gin and tonic at sunset. Today, their insides are more geared towards Brad and Angelina, revved with jacuzzi, beauty spas and a contemporary take on classic English. Close to London, The Grove has travelled the centuries from being the pre-Elizabethan home to a line of Earls of Clarendon through to the weekend retreat for media darlings and execs. The drawing rooms are about relaxed luxury, each creating a different mood and atmosphere. In the bedroom, there are quirky takes on traditional with four-poster beds made of Perspex while a new west wing celebrates modernism with glass walls and curved corridors. Watch out for the World Golf Championships being hosted by the Grove later in the year. Situated near Bath, it is the Aquarius Spa in Whatley Manor that has drawn award-winning attention. Here, the futuristic swirl of the hydrotherapy bath is countered by Roman columns, while the bathrooms inside the 15 rooms and eight suites have Philippe Starck tubs sometimes set against exposed beams. Decorated in warm, low-key chocolates and neutrals Whatley is meant to feel like an alternative home for the jet set – although how many homes have their own private cinema? The volume has been turned up on colour at Cowley Manor. Citrus green, pinks and puces in a mix of mid-20th century designs have seen it voted as the ‘coolest hotel in the world’, yet something remains defiantly country retreat about it. A sunken outdoor pool and spa building – where you can brave a ‘Cor Blimey’ full body wax – are like a secret Mies van der Rohe zone that doesn’t seek to tamper with the otherwise traditional setting. It’s a careful touch that allows these manors with their modern makeovers to bring together the best of old and new. | |||||
| Details: | |||||
| - The Grove, Hertfordshire, England, +44 (0) 1923 807 807, www.thegrove.co.uk | |||||
| - Whatley Manor, Wiltshire, England, +44 (0) 1666 822 888, www.whatleymanor.com | |||||
| - Cowley Manor, Gloucestershire, England, +44 (0)1242 870 900, www.cowleymanor.com | |||||
| HISTORIC HOMES More traditional manor choices: - Gravetye Manor, Sussex, England. Only 30 miles from London with oak panelled rooms, log fires, +44 1342 810 56, www.gravetyemanor.co.uk | |||||
| - Buckland Manor, Worcestershire, England. Mentioned in William the conqueror’s Doomsday book. 13th century, 13 luxury rooms, +44 1386 852626, www.bucklandmanor.co.uk | |||||
| - Hambleton Hall, Rutland, England. Waterside grand manor with sumptious rooms, +44 1572 756991, www.hambleton.co.uk GOURMET RETREATS Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, in the Oxfordshire countryside. Chef Raymond Blanc has won two stars for his modern take on French cuisine. Much of the ingredients used have been grown in the gardens of this 15th century manor house. Rooms are all individually designed. The 13th century Chateaux de Bagnols is fittingly enough in Beaujolais. Its Salles des Gardes restaurant is has one Michelin star and what is reputed to be the largest Gothic fireplace in Europe. The stone-walled, Le Cuvage, part of the château’s original wine-making facility, is now used for wine tastings. The rooms are decorated with rare antiques, thick tapestries, velvets and shimmering silks. Superstar chef Alain Ducasse’s first hotel project outside France is L’Andana eight kilometres inland from Catiglione della Pescaia, in Tuscany, Italy. In the former residence of Leopold II, Duke of Tuscany, Ducasse and his partner in the venture, wine producer Vittorio Moretti offer a true gourmet experience. Ducasse already has two hotels in his native France. Magnificent views of the Tuscan countryside help you digest the fabulous food. Details - Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons, Great Milton, Oxford, England, +44 (0) 1 844 278881. - L’Andana, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy. Leading Hotels of the World, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
| - Chateau de Bagnols, Beaujolais, France. Leading Hotels of the World, (02) 9377 8444, www.lhw.com | |||||
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