For that ‘Downton’ feeling
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-style castle. It burned to the ground in 1901 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 border between two cities). Cost, info: Rooms from $279 per night; $199 per night on select Sundays; bit.ly/clare montclub
Colorado Springs, Colo.
The Broadmoor started as a dairy farm, but in its incarnation 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. 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. Cost, info: Rooms from $436
a night; blantyre.com
Adare, Ireland
Adare Manor, once the ancestral home of the second Earl of Dunraven, exudes 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 and relish having arrived. Cost, info: Rooms from $360
a night; adaremanor.com