Not a drop of blue blood? Now you can experience all the princely pleasures for yourselves at these luxurious palace hotels.
By: Becca HensleyHotel Du Palais, Biarritz
Built in the 19th century to please the beautiful Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, who yearned for her native Spain, Hotel du Palais lies on the Bay of Biscay, just a stone’s throw from the Spanish border. A jewel-box chateau, the rose-and-cream structure attracted the queens and kings of Europe and Victorian aristocracy, who promenaded in hoop skirts and parasols along the seaside Promenade. After WWII, jet-setting celebrities like Frank Sinatra met in the hotel to see and be seen. Today, couples can play Belle Monde visitor ensconced in their suites filled with twinkling chandeliers and Old World art and old-school manners. The hotel still requires gentlemen to wear jackets when dining at Michelin-starred La Villa Eugenie. Room rates start at $318 a night.
<strong">What to Do: Zip into Biarritz and sample some of its bars, cafés and shops or just dig your toes into the Atlantic beaches or cross into Spain’s Basque country for a meal in epicurean hot spot San Sebastian. Oenophiles should head to Bordeaux for the day and lunch at one of the region’s many chateaux. At night, put it on the table at the casino — fun is just a roll of the dice away.
Photo Credit: Hotel Du Palais, A Member of Leading Hotels in the World
