You’ll have trouble finding a bad meal in our historic hotels. As well as charming properties, they’re also the ultimate treat for foodies. These foodie hotels in Europe have won numerous awards for pleasingly local cuisine, artfully crafted with modern twists. Whether you’re tucking into old-fashioned country cooking in Wales or old-meets-modern mains in the deep Mani, your dinner won’t have travelled far to reach your plate. Feast until you flop at these epicurean wonders…
1. Kyrimai: Mani, Greece
Winner of the Historic Hotel Gourmet Award 2018, Kyrimai is where in-the-know foodies flock for a week of Mediterranean hedonism. Its rural location formed an autonomous and unique gastro culture that never fails to surprise discerning guests today. Authenticity doesn’t stop there: Kyrimai’s chefs have also readopted the Maniot sofra – a low, round table which locals used to prepare and eat dinner on – for the full traditional Mani experience.
2. Sieraków Manor: Krakow, Poland
Sieraków Manor breathes life into the wonderful ingredients from its fruitful surroundings. With lashings of Polish panache, the kitchen team take traditional recipes and interpret them in fresh and delightful ways. With both a Poland Slow Food and Gault & Millau certification, there’s a feeling here you don’t get at most hotels – the kind of foodie enthusiasm you fail to find at larger chains. There’s an astonishing wine list, too.
3. Twr y Felin: Pembrokeshire, Wales
Another Welsh multi-award-winner, this time a former windmill and the country’s first contemporary art hotel. Located in Britain’s smallest city, St Davids, Twr y Felin Hotel is home to two-Rosette restaurant ‘Blas’, where seasonal dishes complement the natural Pembrokeshire surroundings. Ingredients are mostly from local suppliers or fresh from the coast or countryside, then served up in the wonderfully relaxed, art-stuffed dining room.
4. Schloss Wartegg: Lake Constance, Switzerland
Organic isn’t a ‘nice-to-have’ extra: in the eyes of Schloss Wartegg, it’s a way of life. Herbs, vegetables, berries and flowers are cultivated within the castle itself, whipped into artful creations by talented chefs. Even the breakfast buffet is a certified-organic wonder – it’s no surprise this historic hotel is recommended by both Gault & Millau and Michelin. Grab a table on the garden terrace and savour views of the 19th-century English garden, as well as the serene Lake Constance.
5. Tyddyn Llan Restaurant with Rooms: Tyddyn Llan, North Wales
While Susan Webb keeps things running smoother than Tyddyn Llan’s cauliflower purée in the dining room, her husband Bryan leads a top-drawer team in the kitchen. It’s a homely setup – but this is no run-of-the-mill restaurant. With high ratings in the Good Food Guide, Good Hotel Guide and a Michelin Star since 2010, this is unquestionably one of the best foodie hotels in Europe. The menu champions fresh Welsh produce, but ingredients such as diver-caught scallops from Scotland and Somerset smoked eel will surprise you.
6. Rathsallagh House: Dunlavin, Ireland
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. At Rathsallagh, an 18th-century country house just one hour south of Dublin airport, it’s probably the most wonderful part too. The hedonistic haven has won an armload of Irish National Breakfast Awards, thanks to creations whipped up by a team of young and enthusiastic chefs who are constantly innovating their craft. Whether you’re staying for Sunday lunch in the Wicklow countryside or checking in for a weekend of exquisite dining, you’ll eat nothing but locally grown, sustainable delights. Think Irish cheeses served with homemade chutneys and preserves, eggs from Rathsallagh hens, herbs and vegetables from the garden, home-baked bread (including gluten-free) and grass-fed, locally reared lamb and beef.
7. Villa Campestri: Florence, Italy
We couldn’t make a list of the best foodie hotels in Europe without sharing this Italian treasure. Tucked into the rolling hills of Tuscany, Villa Campestri is an olive oil hotel with a deeply passionate foodie host, Paolo Pasquali. He’ll tell you all about the extra virgin olive oil movement before delivering a taste of the finest Tuscan fodder you’ve ever tasted: T-boned Florentine steak, fennel-kissed salami and cloud-like focaccia all washed down with a classic Carmignano.
