Crisply pressed linen sheets; sunlight streaming through gauzy sheers; and the impression you get, with the arrival of your breakfast tray, that you've died and gone to heaven-is there anything more sublime than a good night's sleep in a classic grand hotel? The best combine a sense of place with a Continental brand of service. They're formal without being pompous, courteous without being fawning, traditional without being stuffy. Here, our very favorites.
Hotel Ritz Madrid
Madrid, Spain
Claridge's
London, England
Hôtel de Crillon
Paris, France
Hotel Cipriani
Venice, Italy
Grand Hotel Europe
St. Petersburg, Russia
Grand Hôtel des Alpes
Chamonix, France
Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa
Baden-Baden, Germany
Badrutt's Palace Hotel
St. Moritz, Switzerland
Rosa Alpina
San Cassiano, Italy
Hotel Tennerhof
Kitzbühel, Austria
Tivoli Palácio de Seteais
Sintra, Portugal
Park Hotel Kenmare
County Kerry, Ireland
Chewton Glen
Hampshire, England
Oustau de Baumanière
Les Baux-de-Provence, France
Villa d'Este
Lake Como, Italy
Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc
Cap d'Antibes, France
Grand-Hôtel du Cap-FerratSaint-Jean Cap-Ferrat, FranceCap Estel
Èze-Bord-de-Mer, France
Il Pellicano
Porto Ercole, Italy
Hotel Palumbo
Ravello, Italy
Ballymaloe House
County Cork, Ireland
Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons
Oxfordshire, England
Les Crayères
Reims, France
La Colombe d'Or
St-Paul de Vence, France
Grand Hôtel
Stockholm, Sweden
