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
