Travel Like a King By Staying In These Amazing Castles Through AirBnB
Now you can rent European castles straight out of “Game of Thrones”.
Whether sharing a room, renting a flat or sleeping underwater in a shark-infested tank, if nothing else AirBnB sure provides vacationers with a ton of lodging options. One of the popular platform’s best qualities is offering travelers a taste of local history and flavor they might otherwise miss by staying in a standard hotel. And nowhere is that more evident than in its selection of stately castles, palaces and chateaus throughout Europe.
While you might assume they’re inaccessible or not affordable, many are open and pretty reasonable. So check out this list of our favorite regal getaways.
1. Dunskey Castle, Portpatrick, Scotland
With just one person in each of the 16 beds spread throughout its nine bedrooms, this surprisingly affordable Scottish castle—set amongst a sprawling 2,000 acres of forests, glens, beaches, walled gardens, lochs and waterfalls—works out to less than $25 per night per person. A fully equipped kitchen, period furniture, a huge library and billiards room round out the estate’s indoor amenities.
2. Palazzo Villa Rosa, St. Julian’s, Malta
Though the style of this Maltese treasure—with its large pool and barbecue area—may not be what you think of when you picture a traditional European castle, it comes with all the trimmings to make you feel comfortably regal. Even better, this private palazzo is just a five-minute ride from local beaches, pubs and shops. Then again, you may not want to leave its air-conditioned splendor.
3. Lisheen Castle, Tipperary, Ireland
Despite central heating throughout, you can still experience the special ambiance of “open turf fires” in all the reception rooms—unrelated to how the castle burned to the ground back in 1921. In fact, now that this castle’s been painstakingly restored and renovated, it even comes with Wi-Fi.
4. Turin Castle, Mayo, Ireland
Situated on 16 acres of rustic pasture lands in the ancient barony of Kilmaine, this castle certainly sports a less flamboyant facade than others on this list, yet fully maintains its rich heritage. With room for a dozen guests, Turin makes for a classic and unique countryside getaway.
5. Chateau Junayme, Aquitane, France
Set within 1,000 beautiful acres of vineyards near Bordeaux, this chateau’s best known vintage is a rare 1966, reportedly worth $1,500 a bottle—just a little bit more than it costs to rent the place for a night. Though there’s a minimum week-long stay, perhaps if you found seven bottles lying around you could quickly offset your group’s lodging expenses?
6. Castello di Santa Maria Novella, Toscana, Italy
This thousand-year old castello proudly stands aloft the highest point between Florence and Siena, offering 360-degree panoramic views of the Chianti region’s rolling hills and verdant valleys in Tuscany. At over $4,000 a night, it ain’t cheap. But it’s a spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime setting for an event or reunion with your buddies.
7. Augill Castle, Cumbria, England
Built in 1841 as a Victorian gentlemen’s folly (cause that’s what they did for folly back then), this multi-turreted castle goes for about $8,200 a night, including breakfast and dinner. That makes it the most expensive on our list. Then again, it’s also able to accommodate up to 30 adults in its 15 bedrooms. So though you could rent it by the room, it’d be way cooler to round up your best crew and have your run of the entire castle.
h/t: Business Insider
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