Queen-Sized Holidays

QUEEN-SIZED HOLIDAYS
Do new movies like Marie Antoinette and The Queen make you want to live -- or at least vacation -- like royalty? DEANNA MacDONALD visits the former home of a Laotian regent, a Tuscan castle complex, and other imperial residences that have been revamped to welcome paying commoners
DEANNA MACDONALD
Special to The Globe and Mail
October 14, 2006

I may not have one drop of blue blood in my veins, but I have lived like royalty. I have spent the night in a princess's house in Laos, a laird's lodge in Scotland, a faux palace in Egypt and a real one in India, and in each I had a momentary glimpse of a life of unapologetic luxury. If I added them all up, I have lived like a queen for, say, about a week.

For a few fleeting moments, usually after the second glass of champagne or as I sink into zillion-thread-count sheets, the compensations of the regal life are clear. But it also has its drawbacks, which are almost as fascinating, as demonstrated by new films such as Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette and Stephen Frears's The Queen.

Despite the shadow of the guillotine and the paparazzi, many of us would love to experience, even for a day, such an extravagant life. And thankfully, in our democratic age, a bit of aristocratic pampering is available to nobles and commoners alike as a growing number of palatial residences have become upscale hotels. These days, travelling like a king or queen simply requires a bit of hauteur and a gold card.

Here, then, are eight exceptional examples of lodgings with royal pedigree. They range from off-with-their-heads-expensive châteaux to hideaways that allow even a splurging backpacker a bit of majestic indulgence. Just remember to keep an eye out for revolutionary crowds with pitchforks.

Popes and queens in Tuscany

The medieval Queen of Montemaggio once called the Relais La Suvera home, but this castle complex near Siena is best known as the former abode of Pope Julius II, a Renaissance warrior prince and art patron (who commissioned the Sistine Chapel from Michelangelo). Its current owners, the Marchese Giuseppe Ricci and his wife, Principessa Eleonora Massimo, recently opened the estate in the Tuscan hills to guests. Its layout befits its royal pedigree, with a rusticated papal villa, a 12th-century stone tower, a 16th-century church, an idyllic swimming pool, organic vineyards and formal 18th-century gardens. Plush rooms are dotted with family heirlooms, from the Baroque bed of an Italian duke to an original portrait of Marie Antoinette, the inspiration for an eponymous suite.

A chatelaine's château

Moving from the house of a principessa to that of a chatelaine, the rolling Beaujolais countryside 20 kilometres north of Lyons is home to the truly knightly Château de Bagnols. This 13th-century castle, complete with moat and turrets, was opulently restored as a hotel in the late 1980s by its British owners, Lord and Lady Hamlin. Bagnols' 21 rooms and apartments are a sumptuous mishmash of crushed velvets, historic frescoes, canopied beds and Napoleonic baths. Service is personalized and gracious -- everyone from the manager to the chambermaid will remember your name -- and meals in its Michelin-starred restaurant La Salle des Gardes are served before one of the finest Gothic fireplaces in Europe.

Elephantine elegance in Laos

The fabulously named Kingdom of Lan Xang (literally, "a million elephants") was centred on the city of Luang Prabang, which is today a World Heritage Site. In this ancient city on the Mekong River, the Villa Santi Hotel offers a surprisingly affordable taste of royal life in Southeast Asia. Located between the Royal Palace (now a museum) and the magnificent Wat Xieng Thong, the Villa Santi was built in the early 20th century as the royal residence for the wife of King Sisavang Vong, and is today owned by the king's descendent, Princess Manila. The structure is a mix of Laotian and French-colonial styles, and its 24 rooms are decorated in a "royal Lao" theme, with rosewood furniture, local textiles and fresh flowers everywhere. Sipping a chilled green tea on its arcaded courtyard, surrounded by palms and lotus flowers, you expect the elephants to wander by at any moment.

At home with the maharajah

While royals living in palaces like Versailles went in for a shock-and-awe approach, modern life in a post-revolutionary aristocratic household tends to be more understated, exuding a sort of sumptuous hominess -- which, of course, involves dozens of unseen servants and comfortably worn, priceless antique furniture. One such place is the wildly romantic Ahilya Fort, home of the Indian maharajah Prince Richard Holkar of Indore.

The prince rents out 14 rooms (two are luxurious tents) in this 250-year-old palace complex on the River Narmada in Madhya Pradesh state, and guests are free to wander around the fort's library, gardens, temples, swimming pool and ghats. Every wish is catered to, from massages to gourmet meals -- Prince Holkar himself, a noted gastronome and cookbook author, personally oversees the kitchen. Breakfast, including select teas from Darjeeling and coffee from Coorg, is served on 16th-century ramparts built by the Mughal emperor Akbar.

Laird-ly luxury in Scotland

On the other side of the world, a comparable experience can be had in the Scottish Highlands, where Lord MacDonald of MacDonald, High Chief of the Clan Donald, runs Kinloch Lodge with his family. One of the "Top 100 Small Hotels in the World," according to Condé Nast Traveler magazine, this former noble hunting lodge on the edge of Loch Na Dal feels more like a posh home filled with portraits of Georgian ladies and gentleman in kilts, glowing fireplaces and chintz sofas.

"We want people to feel comfortable enough to curl up with a book on the couch on a rainy day," says Isabella MacDonald, whose celebrity-chef mother, Lady Claire MacDonald, draws as many guests to Kinloch as do the plush accommodations and breathtaking scenery. A bestselling cookbook author and star of a TV cooking series, Lady MacDonald's scrumptious offerings range from breakfast scones and Mallaig kippers to local specialties such as salmon and venison.

Royal routes, haute hotels

In addition to palaces and castles, there are also historic hotels that have catered to blue-blooded travellers for centuries. Travel as we know it -- for education, enlightenment and simple pleasure -- has its origins in the 18th century, when the offspring of the aristocracy embarked on "Grand Tours." By the 19th century, many wealthy commoners also wanted to travel in style, and soon huge hotels imitated the scale and lavish decor of palaces. From the beginning, they attracted royals -- as well as those who could afford the kingly rates.

Built in the 1890s by Thomas Cooke to house travellers on his Egyptian tours, there are few hotels that retain the aura of the golden age of gracious travel like the Old Cataract Hotel in Aswan. Guests have included everyone from Czar Nicolas II to Princess Caroline of Monaco to Agatha Christie (who wrote much of Death on the Nile in the hotel). Overlooking the felucca-dotted Nile and the temples of Elephantine Island, sunset cocktails on the hotel's justly famous terrace is perhaps the closest one can get to feeling like a modern-day pharaoh.

Moving from Africa to the Alps, après-ski has always been a regal affair at Badrutt's Palace Hotel in Switzerland. This faux-castle was built in 1896, and remains a favourite with the jet set for its discretion and luxury. Don't be surprised to find yourself on a nearby ski lift with frequent guests like the Sultan of Brunei or Prince Charles (or at least their bodyguards).

But perhaps the epitome of the grand old hotel is one of the originals, the Paris Ritz. The ultimate in style (Coco Chanel lived here for years) and discretion (King Edward VIII often arrived incognito), the Ritz has remained the elegant haunt of the ruling classes. Located in one of Paris's most noble squares, it is just a 30-second chauffeured-ride from the Place de la Concorde, where poor Marie Antoinette lost her head long ago. If nothing else, this provides a gentle reminder that even the royal treatment is something to be enjoyed in moderation.

Pack your crown

Château de Bagnols: Bagnols, France; 33 (4) 7471 4000; http://www.bagnols.com. Rates range from $625 for a "traditional room" to $3,230 for the "residence suite."

Villa Santi Hotel: Royal Sakkarine Road, Ban Wat Sene, Luang Prabang, Laos; 856 (71) 252 157; http://www.villasantihotel.com. Doubles from $195.

Relais La Suvera: Pievescola (Siena), Italy; 39 (0577) 960 300; http://www.lasuvera.it. Doubles from $550. The Marie Antoinette Suite starts at $1,210.

Ahilya Fort: Maheshwar, Madhya Pradesh, India; 91 (11) 5155 1575; http://www.ahilyafort.com. $165 a person, all meals included.

Kinloch Lodge: Sleat, Isle of Skye, Scotland; 44 (1471) 833 214; http://www.kinloch-lodge.co.uk. Accommodation, including breakfast and dinner, starts at $200 a person.

Sofitel Old Cataract Hotel: Abtal El Tahrir Street, Aswan, Egypt; 20 (97) 316 000; http://www.accorhotels.com. Doubles from $170.

Badrutt's Palace Hotel: Via Serlas 27, St. Moritz, Switzerland; 41 (81) 837 1000; http://www.badruttspalace.com. Double rooms start at $490.

Paris Ritz: 15 Place Vendôme, Paris; 33 (43) 163 070; parisritz.com. Doubles from $965.