Castle Vacations

All this Kate Middleton stuff is totally out of whack. Girl had a baby. Baby was named George. Big whoop.

That said, we have always had a thing for princesses. And tiaras. And castles. (Sorry, we watched a lot of Disney movies as children.)

Luckily, we can now live out that castle-dwelling aspiration thanks to a new crop of chateaus and palaces you can actually rent for vacation.


Lough Cutra Castle, Galway, Ireland (Sleeps 17; $30,000 per week)

Dating back to 866 A.D., Lough Cutra is a dream for history buffs. (The Danish invasion of Ireland took place on this very spot.) But it’s also an idyllic country getaway for pursuits like horseback riding and pheasant shooting.

Rindge Castle, Rindge, New Hampshire (Sleeps 22; $6,900 per week)

For a closer-to-home experience, try Rindge Castle in scenic New Hampshire. Perched atop a hill on 500 acres of land, Rindge boasts miles of cross-country ski trails and views of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s beloved Mount Monadnock. It also abutts a private lake.

Taj Lake Palace, Udaipur, India (83 bedrooms; from $350 per night for a two-person luxury room)

Built in the 18th century as a summer getaway for the Maharaja Jagat Singh, this extravagant palace sits on a four-acre island in Lake Pichola (that’s about five hours south of Jaipur) and can be reached only by boat. Though you can’t take over the entire castle (alas), you can rent the lavish rooms for as little as $350 a night. Bonus: There’s plenty of on-site yoga.

De La Salle Castle, Toronto, Canada (Sleeps 16; from $5,500 per week)

Walking distance from downtown Toronto but with the feel of a far-removed estate, De La Salle is perfect for playing princess in close proximity to a Starbucks. And in case you were wondering, yes, the TV adaptation of Anne of Green Gables was indeed filmed here.

Posted by Smooches