20 of Europe’s most beautiful hotels

By Krisanne Fordham, for CNN
10 minute read
Updated 9:19 AM EDT, Thu May 17, 2018
With amazing views over the Tyrrhenian Sea, this hotel built in a 17th-century monastery sits 1,000 feet up a limestone cliff.
Monastero Santa Rosa (Amalfi Coast, Italy) —
With amazing views over the Tyrrhenian Sea, this hotel built in a 17th-century monastery sits 1,000 feet up a limestone cliff.
Courtesy Monastero Santa Rosa
Comprising two separate hotels, Hideaway and Retreat, Schloss Elmau was originally founded as a sanctuary for creatives looking to escape the "outside world."
Schloss Elmau Retreat (Elmau, Germany) —
Comprising two separate hotels, Hideaway and Retreat, Schloss Elmau was originally founded as a sanctuary for creatives looking to escape the "outside world."
Schloss Elmau Retreat
The Blue Palace has 256 bright, minimalist and bohemian rooms. Luxury touches include ocean-facing terraces and private plunge pools.
Blue Palace (Crete, Greece) —
The Blue Palace has 256 bright, minimalist and bohemian rooms. Luxury touches include ocean-facing terraces and private plunge pools.
Courtesy Blue Palace Hotel
Ireland's oldest castle, this 12th-century citadel has hosted Ronald Reagan, two Beatles and numerous celebrities and royals. It reopened in 2015 after a year-long renovation.
Ashford Castle (Cong, Ireland) —
Ireland's oldest castle, this 12th-century citadel has hosted Ronald Reagan, two Beatles and numerous celebrities and royals. It reopened in 2015 after a year-long renovation.
Courtesy Ashford Castle
Within walking distance of the Palace of Versailles, the Trianon has 199 rooms outfitted with fireplaces and terraces, and a two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Gordon Ramsay au Trianon.
Trianon Palace Versailles (Versailles, France) —
Within walking distance of the Palace of Versailles, the Trianon has 199 rooms outfitted with fireplaces and terraces, and a two-Michelin-starred restaurant, Gordon Ramsay au Trianon.
Courtesy Trianon Palace Versailles
The Mystique hotel has some of the best views of the dormant volcano caldera over which Santorini is perched.
Mystique (Santorini, Greece) —
The Mystique hotel has some of the best views of the dormant volcano caldera over which Santorini is perched.
Courtesy Mystique
Opened in 2015 after a huge restoration project, the Peninsula Paris has 200 bright rooms, a 19,000-square-foot spa and a sleek indoor swimming pool.
The Peninsula Paris (Paris) —
Opened in 2015 after a huge restoration project, the Peninsula Paris has 200 bright rooms, a 19,000-square-foot spa and a sleek indoor swimming pool.
Peninsula
This 15th-century hunting lodge sits on the shores of Lake Fuschl, where the resort's private jetty provides the launch point for a wooden boat ride.
Schloss Fuschl (Fuschlsee-Salzburg, Austria) —
This 15th-century hunting lodge sits on the shores of Lake Fuschl, where the resort's private jetty provides the launch point for a wooden boat ride.
Courtesy Schloss Fuschl
Built in the 1850s, Cliveden House feels more like a grand private home than a hotel. It has just 38 rooms and suites, each named after a figure from the house's past.
Cliveden House (Berkshire, England) —
Built in the 1850s, Cliveden House feels more like a grand private home than a hotel. It has just 38 rooms and suites, each named after a figure from the house's past.
Courtesy Cliveden House
Made up of several 16th-century farmhouses, Belmond La Residencia's 67 rooms are decorated in traditional Mallorcan style with terracotta tile floors and canopied, hand-carved beds.<br />
Belmond La Residencia (Mallorca, Spain) —
Made up of several 16th-century farmhouses, Belmond La Residencia's 67 rooms are decorated in traditional Mallorcan style with terracotta tile floors and canopied, hand-carved beds.
Courtesy Belmond Las Residencia
This stately Elizabethan manor features a Michelin-starred restaurant and sweeping views of the southern English countryside.
Gravetye Manor (Sussex, England) —
This statel