5 hotels with history: Hotels with cultural interest
Staying in hotels with history is a pleasure that goes beyond just enjoying a wonderful hotel. Places like Gran Hotel Inglés, our five-star hotel, icon and history of Madrid, have a cultural interest that allows guests to connect in a much more intimate and intense way with the city they are visiting.
When you stay at our wonderful hotel, you will be part of Madrid's history. Gran Hotel Inglés opened its doors in 1886 and has been visited by artists, writers and musicians who have left their mark and are part of our memories. Henri Matisse, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán and Carlos Gardel, Virginia Wolf, Buñuel and many others met in its grand Art Deco lobby; now converted into our LoByto Coctel-bar, an essential meeting place that will make you feel like a character from The Great Gatsby.
Hotels with history are much more than just a place to disconnect and spend a dream holiday, they also offer us something else with as much or perhaps even more value. For this reason, in this article we have gathered together five hotels with history from around the world that we recommend, starting of course with our beloved Gran Hotel Inglés, the first hotel in Madrid. This map is sure to help you locate them.
Gran Hotel Inglés: The oldest hotel in the capital in the very heart of Madrid
The origin of our marvellous five-star hotel dates back to 1886 when Don Agustín Ibarra, the well-known owner of the famous Café Inglés, acquired a magnificent house under construction at 10 Lobo Street (now Echegaray Street) with the aim of converting it into a luxury hotel with a restaurant on a par with the best in the world.
For more than 130 years, Madrid's first great hotel has survived wars and other turbulent times in the history of the capital, even functioning as a hospital during the Civil War. Located in the heart of the Barrio de las Letras, known for being a favourite of Spanish and foreign literary greats when they visited the city, Gran Hotel Inglés has witnessed key moments for this city; becoming an icon of Madrid, one of the best hotels with history in the world and a benchmark for luxury hospitality. Discover here the history of the Gran Hotel Inglés in Madrid.
Belleek Castle: A beautiful castle in Ireland
Built on the site of a medieval abbey, Belleek Castle is a neo-Gothic castle turned hotel in Ballina, Ireland.
This hotel is a perfect choice for all lovers of medieval charm and Irish folklore, who will have the opportunity to stay in an 1820's building with a beautiful medieval Great Hall and feel transported back to a time of knights and legends.
Schwarzer Bock: An authentic German inn in a picturesque town
Schwarzer Bock is the perfect choice if you want to enjoy the authentic experience of a traditional German inn in a beautiful and picturesque town. This building dating back to the 1500s is ideal if you are looking for a cosy hotel without compromising on comfort.
Located in the picturesque town of Ansbach, Schwarzer Bock offers you the opportunity to enjoy an inn that retains all the charm of the traditional essence of these all-in-one inns and eating houses adapted to modern times. Enjoy the delicious Bavarian food and the charm of the small German town in which it is located.
Aigialos Hotel: A maritime hotel with history in beautiful Santorini
On the romantic and historic island of Santorini is the Aigialos Hotel, one of sixteen 18th and 19th century neoclassical houses once owned by the island's seafaring nobility.
The Aigialos Hotel is located in a wonderful setting, suspended between land, sea and sky; right on the edge of the island's caldera. Its white walls, as the traditional architecture of the area dictates, rise above the steep cliffs; with beautiful views of the famous volcano that gave birth to the island.
Aigialos, like each of the noble houses of Santorini, carries the tradition in its name as it is named after one of the winds of the Aegean King.
Le Bouclier d'Or: A beautiful boutique hotel in "Le Petite-France".
Located in the historic district of "La Petite-France" in Strasbourg, Le Bouclier d'Or is an exceptional accommodation in a beautiful mansion dating back to the mid-16th century, completely renovated with traditional materials respecting all its essence.
This hotel is made up of three buildings dating from the 16th to the early 19th century and has twenty-two rooms which, together with its sundial, its façade and its 16th century spiral staircase, will take visitors back to the era of the great Alsatian nobility.
Choose hotels with history if you want to live a unique experience with an incomparable cultural interest. If you visit Madrid, choose Gran Hotel Inglés; a wonderful hotel that since it opened its doors in 1886 has never ceased to be a witness to the history of our city.
