- Ireland hosts European castle awards for first time
- 400 entries in 8 categories
- 2 Awards to Norway,
- 1 award each to Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal & Sweden
Dalen Castle
Ken Healy’s 14th century Barberstown Castle in Straffan hosted the sixth Historic Hotels of Europe on Monday November 20. Awards were presented to eight winners from 400 entries:
- Historic Host of the Year Dalen Hotel in Norway: fairytale hotel’ with its dragonheads, spires, towers, and balconies.
- City Historic Hotel Award four-star boutique Heritage Avenida Liberdade in the heart of Lisbon
- Historic Hotel Countryside Award: L’Unicorno Agriturismo in Italy, from cosmopolitan retreats to sprawling vineyards,
- Historic Hotel Wedding Experience: Sundbyholms Slott in Sweden with its own chapel, cake services and cannoneers who shoot real 17th-century gun salutes on reception.
- Historic Hotel Castle Award: Festningen in Norway, 17th-century fortress on a hill overlooking Finnskogen forest
- Historic Hotels Gourmet Award: Kyrimai Hotel Restaurant, reviving of the traditional cuisine and aromas of Mani in a restored 19th-century building complex on the southern tip of rural Greece surrounded by water.
- Most Romantic Historic Hotel of the year: Romantik Hotel Castle Rheinfels in Germany’s UNESCO World Heritage Middle Rhine Valley.
Barbara Avdis, Chairman of the Historic Hotels of Europe said “the winners of the 2018 Historic Hotels of Europe Awards represent an inspiring group of hoteliers with exceptional historic properties and upmost dedication to authentic hospitality spanning across Europe.
