Travel: Fit for a King

Monarchs, tyrants and oligarchs have over the ages nurtured oppression, sponsored scourges, incest and hemophilia. But they also taught the world the fine art of luxury, leaving behind them a landscape dotted with opulent castles, lodges and retreats no latter-day head of state (even if he could afford it) would ever be permitted to call home.

Today, their houses still stand. Some have been left to molder into drafty decay. But many of them have been updated with hot running water and good food, and have opened as inns. More and more tourists, tired of Hiltonia, have sought them out, willingly sacrificing a color telephone in every room for a sense of history and splendor. The best of the current batch of castle-hotels offer not only the built-in magic of a legendary site but also the charm of Old World prices—just the thing for a democrat who feels, as Toots Shor once observed of millionaires: “I don’t want to be a king; I just want to live like one.” Samples:

West Germany

> Schlosshotel Kronberg, ten miles outside Frankfurt, was built in the late 19th century by Empress Victoria of Germany. “Nothing should avert the eye,” she instructed the architect, and nothing does. Surrounded by an extensive park through which an 18-hole golf course now meanders, the castle holds the empress’ extensive library and art collection. Guests can scrawl postcards at Emperor Frederick Ill’s personal desk. The hotel beds 60 at prices ranging from $16 a day to $45 (for a suite).

> Schloss Auel, 16 miles outside Bonn, was built at least six centuries ago, remodeled 400 years later. Napoleon slept there; his canopy bed, lengthened to accommodate the man-sized Emperor Alexander I of Russia during his stay, is still there. More recent guests include former West German President Theodor Heuss, Henry Ford II, and Margaret Truman. The hotel was recently expanded to 40 rooms, each furnished differently. Prices range from $7.50 for a double to $11.25 for a suite.

France

>The Hotel de la Cite is set inside the medieval fortress city of Carcassonne, accessible both to the French Riviera and the Spanish Costa Brava. Built 120 years ago on the ruins of the former episcopal palace, it has 70 rooms ranging in price from $6 to $15 a day, including tax, service and breakfast.

>The Château de Mercuès, within easy distance of the prehistoric caves of Lascaux, lies 340 miles south of Paris on the main road to Biarritz and Spain. It overlooks the Lot River valley from a 400-ft.-high rocky escarpment that the Romans used as an armed camp. A medieval castle was built in the 11th century, became a British stronghold 400 years later. Behind the crenelations and conical towers are 24 rooms, half with bathrooms, ranging from $5 to $12, service included.

Italy

> The Tower of Cala Piccola sits on a promontory 100 miles up the Tyrrhenian coast from Rome. Built by the Saracens in the 13th century, the tower has been converted into a bar and restaurant, surrounded by secluded cottages, each with its own view of the sea. Offering near-total privacy, the tower draws those who seek escape from it all (last year, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton). Rates begin at $20 a day.

> Villa San Michele, just outside Florence, is a converted 15th century Franciscan monastery whose facade and grand loggia were designed by Michelangelo. Guests dine in the same refectory in which the ancient monks once broke bread. Its 32 rooms (all with private bath and telephone) run from about $17 to about $20 a day for full pension.

England

> Great Fosters, only half an hour from London, is believed to have been built by Henry VIII in the 16th century. Its residents have included Henry’s doomed queen Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth I and James I. Great Fosters’ unique feature is its celebrated gardens, trimmed through the centuries by fleets of gardeners. Its antique atmosphere is further heightened by the formality of its more than 50 servants. The 22 guest rooms range from $10.50 a day (for a single) to $24 (for a double suite).

Scotland

> Sundrum Castle, five miles southeast of Prestwick, was built before the 14th century, remodeled into a superb example of an 18th century baronial mansion. Set on a wooded hillside, its 160-acre site affords excellent facilities for shooting and salmon fishing. Guests dine on the very spot where manacled prisoners were once thrown to rot while the wicked barons feasted in an upstairs hall (now the ballroom). Its 24 rooms rent for a minimum of $4.50 a night.

> Lochnaw Castle stands on the shores of its loch surrounded by some 90 acres of beechwood. Built in the 15th century, tiny Lochnaw can accommodate only ten guests, in rooms (two with baths) ranging from $47 to $77 per week.