Do you love finding memorable accommodations? We do, and we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorites in Europe.
For many people, where you stay on a trip is one of the most critical factors. That’s not really the case for Jim or me. We have a very simple idea of what we want and need in an accommodation.
Our Hotel Philosophy
For a normal trip, we really look at price, reviews, and, of course, location. If we are in a city, we want to be on the public transportation route. Being right downtown is nice, but it usually is the most expensive, so as long as we can easily get there on a bus or subway, we’re pretty happy.
We look at reviews and photos online before we book and are not that picky. Price is important to us because we like to spend our travel budget on activities rather than where we stay.
The type of accommodation we choose often depends on our travel plans and the number of people we’re traveling with. If it’s just us, a small hotel is great. If we’re traveling with family or friends, we’re more likely to get a vacation rental.
After many decades of traveling around the world, needless to say, we’ve stayed in just about every accommodation you can think of.
Even though, accommodation is not our highest priority, we’re always on the lookout for something unique or different. From gers to castles, we’ve really run the gamut, and we want to tell you some of the places we’ve stayed all around Europe.
Ten Europe Accommodations We’ve Used
This list might surprise you. It’s not all glamour and glitz. That’s not who we are. We are more interested in fun and quirky…memorable. And one thing that makes a trip for us is meeting the locals, which often is the hoteliers or rental owners.
So, to begin with, two of our stays were all about the people and the views. (Views are also very important to us!)
Farmstay Caravan
Located on the outskirts of the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, which is, by many accounts, one of the prettiest parts of England, where we did some incredible things like take a sheepdog training lesson.
We had to drive down the narrowest road with the highest hedgerows to get to the farm where the caravan was located. When we arrived, we marveled at the views, and it was definitely a great place to explore the area.
This was a vacation rental, and I think it’s wise to use mobile homes for rentals. It was comfortable, and we were traveling with Erika and Michael, so we needed two bedrooms. Upon arriving, Siobhan, our host, had some cake and tea waiting for us, which is always a quick way for me to love you. LOL. In fact, the whole family welcomed us, even the cat, who also brought us a “gift” in the morning.
Far from luxury, we really enjoyed this quirky but comfortable stay.
Address: Howgills Hideaway at Beck House – Beck Houses, Lowgill, Kendal LA8 0BT, United Kingdom
Ottoman Manor House in Türkiye
We were on a massive road trip through Eastern and Southern Türkiye, and after leaving one of the most impressive cities on the Mesopotamian Plain, we made it to Savur.
It was a stopover spot between Mardin and Diyarbakir, and we were excited to spend the night in an old Ottoman manor house. The hotelier is a retired teacher, and he speaks pretty good English.
We had dinner on-site, drank raki and beer, and just sat around watching the sunset and talking until late.
The house itself was furnished with old, heavy wooden furniture and white linens, and it had a distinctive Turkish vibe. He took us all over and even showed us some baby falcons nesting in his eaves.
The views over the surrounding plains were impressive as well.
Savur has a few of these hotels, and if you are in the region, it’s definitely a place to check out.
Address: Hakkı Bey Konağı – between Mardin and Diyarbakir – Safa, Tarihi Çarşı Caddesi 43/A, 47860 Savur/Mardin, Türkiye
Unique Hotels in Europe
Our next set of stays are all hotels, albeit really, really cool hotels.
They accentuate what is special about the region, and this is pretty important to us. We can stay in a regular chain hotel anywhere, so why not find ones that will help us connect with the destination?
Trulli Hotel in Alberobello
If you are traveling to the Unesco World Heritage site of Alberobello, then you already know about the beehive houses. They are the reason you go, and it’s a good one. We thoroughly enjoyed traveling around and finding them in all stages of disrepair or renovation.
We, of course, wanted to stay in one, and that’s just what we did. It’s a pretty regular thing to do, and you actually have some choice when traveling there.
One of the things, though, that made this stay so special was our dinner. We asked the host where he would recommend we eat, and he responded with, “How hungry are you?” Um, that’s my kind of question because it promises big things.
We were hungry after traveling through the countryside all day long, and couldn’t wait to hear where we should go. Within walking distance was Ristorante Trullo d’Oro. We were told to order the antipasti, which was a bit pricey at 18 Euros per person, but that would be enough to fill us up and more.
We always take advice like this word for word, so my sister, Jim, and I each ordered the antipasti. It was unbelievable. It felt like we tried every kind of antipasti that exists. They just kept coming. We were there a couple of hours, washing it down with the house wine. It made our trip! And yes, staying in a trulli was pretty fun as well.
Address: Trulli Hotel Alberobello, Italy – Tipico Resort Trulli – Via Brigata Regina, 47, 70011 Alberobello BA, Italy
Cave Hotel in Cappadocia
If you’ve been following us, you know that Cappadocia is one of our favorite places to visit. We have been too many times to count. And, of course, when you go to the same place over and over, you find your favorite places to stay and eat and do.
This is the case with the Traveller’s Cave Hotel in Göreme.
Throughout the town, there are plenty of cave hotels to stay in, and honestly, they’re all going to provide about the same service and amenities. All have beautiful red kilims and Turkish embellishments, all are built into the tufa of the area, and all probably have a lovely balcony where you can drink tea and eat breakfast while watching the hot air balloons.
The reason we keep going back to the same one is that we made friends with the family, and that always makes our time that much more special.
Address: Travellers Cave Hotel Goreme – aydinli mh, Görçeli Sk. no,7, 50180 Göreme/Nevşehir Merkez/Nevşehir, Türkiye
Gellert Spa Hotel in Budapest
Gellert is a luxury hotel. Jim and I really don’t do luxury as a rule. The few times we’ve done it are the exception. However, we were in Budapest as we were riding the rails through Eastern Europe, and what is the city known for? Its baths! So, our goal was to stay at a hotel connected to a bath.
The Gellert fit the bill, and we were excited to try it out. The hotel was nice, but it was just a hotel. What made our stay memorable was the fact that we could enter the baths an hour before they let the public in.
The Gellert baths are richly decorated in a 1920s art-deco style, and swimming in the baths just feels decadent. We had the whole place mostly to ourselves until the regulars started coming in to do their laps.
Address: Danubius Hotel Gellert Budapest – Budapest, Szent Gellért tér 2, 1114 Hungary
Fort Vurig – The Netherlands
We most recently visited Fort Vurig and are already planning a return trip. It is one of the many fortifications of the New Dutch Waterline, a defense for Amsterdam during World War I, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A fascinating site, we stayed in one of the renovated fort rooms. The room itself was just gorgeous with a kitchenette, modern shower, and comfy bed, but the best thing about it was looking out at the circular walkway and being part of history.
They have a great Bohemian vibe restaurant, and there are plenty of walking paths in the area as well. It was a great way to do something different for one night.
Address: Fort Vurig Netherlands – Waaldijk 29, 4214 LB Vuren, Netherlands
Château Ermenonville
Living and traveling all around Europe, there are chances to stay in castles that have been turned into accommodations. On our way back from our Normandy road trip, we couldn’t resist doing just that.
Pulling up, the Château Ermenonville’s grounds told us right away that this is luxury. A true castle, everything from the check-in to the rooms and the restaurant felt like true decadence. Even though we’d been far from roughing it, it’s kind of nice to treat yourself every once in a while.
We had to use the stunning bathtub, watch the beavers in the river, and take our time relishing our spectacular dinner.
One of the best things about the château is that it’s not far from Paris. So, if you have time or, like us, you’re driving, it’s easy to stop by.
Address: Château Ermenonville, Moated Palace in France – Rue René de Girardin, 60950 Ermenonville, France
Our Top European Stays
This final group of accommodations are simply our favorites, hands down!
Royal Monastery of Santa Maria of Guadalupe
Traveling through Spain, we stayed in many beautiful and historical spots, but the one we loved the most was the Royal Monastery of Santa Maria of Guadalupe. A small town in the Extremadura region, it was a peaceful and enjoyable place to spend a night.
Along with a room and breakfast, staying here afforded us free reign of the monastery after hours. I love being able to explore things when no one else is around. In this case, however, we had to share it with a wedding photography session…oh darn!
There’s also a museum on site that we gained free admission to, so overall, we felt it was a really good deal.
We ate dinner on site that evening, and the food was nothing short of remarkable. We had nowhere to go, so we sat, ate, drank wine, and really enjoyed the surroundings.
Address: Royal Monastery of Santa Maria of Guadalupe, Guadalupe Extremadura – Plaza Sta. María de Guadalupe, 10140 Guadalupe, Cáceres, Spain
Loire Cottage
Vacation rentals are often a great way to find some extraordinary accommodations, and that’s just what happened when we visited the Loire Valley in France.
The valley, dotted with elegant chateaus and castles, is a tourist magnet, so there are plenty of hotels in the region. Since we were going to be exploring the area for about a week, we didn’t want to stay in a hotel, so instead, we rented a gîte.
We had never done this before, and the gîte website is extensive. It’s a French vacation rental site divided into regions.
When we saw photos of this stone cottage, we were sold. Since we were traveling with our good friends Lisa and Peter, we needed space for four people, and the cottage had two bedrooms…perfect.
The host greeted us with a bottle of wine and a few tips on where to go. This is one thing I love about vacation rentals in France; it almost always happens.
The garden was full of blooming lilacs. The fireplace was gigantic and had a great wood pile just waiting to be burnt. Everything about this cottage made our trip.
Check out: Gites de France
Wine Barrel in Rüdesheim
Our final place is another we’ve just recently experienced. I was researching the Rhine River because there’s so much to see and do, and I came upon a chance to sleep in a wine barrel.
This is not luxury, but how fun! I promptly booked our stay. Six wine barrels have been converted into hotel rooms.
You enter the barrel and see the two bunks right inside the curved sides of the barrel. Then, you walk back through a spartan sitting room to the bathroom. It’s small and almost feels like camping. But hey! It’s in the middle of one of the prettiest towns on the Rhine, and it’s fun!
We ate dinner right there in the hotel restaurant garden, enjoying the Riesling that the valley is known for, and easily trundled off to bed…well, cot!
Address: Hotel Lindenwirt – Amselstraße 4, 65385 Rüdesheim am Rhein, Germany
Conclusion
Finding fun and unusual stays in Europe is our new passion. We’ve enjoyed a few, but we’re always on the search for more. If you know someplace we should stay, let us know!
