Le Prince Noir - Wine, Sun And History

Somewhere on a mountaintop above Lake George, tucked behind life-size lion statues and Gothic iron gates, sits a place that's hard to believe exists. Highlands Castle is the kind of property that sounds like a fever dream until you're standing on its terrace watching the light change over the Adirondacks, …

There's a building in the Catalan countryside that spent eleven centuries refusing to fall. The Castle of Cardona, perched on a rocky promontory 460 meters (1,500 feet) above the walled town below, repelled Bourbon armies, outlasted Napoleonic sieges, and withstood the Carlists during the Spanish Civil War. Today, it's a …

There's a sandstone spiral staircase inside Schloss Schadau that is considered one of the finest in Europe. The walls are dressed in 170-year-old Parisian leather. The ceiling in the Bubenberg Salon is not actually wood - it just looks that way, painted with such virtuosity that the illusion holds even …

This isn't one of those hotels that calls itself a castle because it has turrets painted on the wallpaper. Peckforton Castle is the real deal – or at least as real as a Victorian landowner's fantasy of medieval life could get. Built between 1844 and 1850, it comes complete with …

Rising from the rocky heights of Pico de los Hidalgos, the Parador de Alarcón offers something most hotels can't: the chance to sleep in a genuine 8th-century fortress. With just 14 rooms, this converted castle in Spain's Cuenca province delivers an intimate experience that feels more like staying in a …

Perched on a wooded hillside in Málaga's genteel El Limonar neighborhood, the Soho Boutique Castillo de Santa Catalina occupies one of the most romantically improbable spots you could imagine for a hotel. This 1930s Moorish Revival villa sits directly atop the foundations of a 17th-century hilltop fortress – and you …

The conch shell sounds at dusk, echoing across the ancient stone walls of Ozu Castle. Smoke rises from matchlock guns as armored samurai fire a welcoming salute. This isn't a theme park attraction or historical reenactment - it's your check-in experience at the world's only castle hotel where you can …

Schloss Lieser is a majestic hotel that visually resembles Hogwarts rather than a classic hotel with ornate staircases and beautifully preserved rooms. It lies in the heart of Germany's scenic Mosel Valley, right on the banks of the Moselle River. The hotel has stunning views of the rolling hills, vineyards, …