Living The “Downton Abbey” Life!
Hey, who wants to “live like the lord or lady of a stately home” and stay in the castle where the show was filmed – by spending the night at Downton Abbey’s famous castle!
In conjunction with the release of the “Downton Abbey” film, the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon have posted their residence of Highclere Castle in Hampshire on the Airbnb booking website!
Here is the ad, offering a chance to stay in one of the house’s 300 rooms on 26 November and be “treated like royalty”.
As The Guardian reports:
“For the price of £150, the couple will join the earl and countess for evening cocktails in the saloon followed by a traditional dinner in the state dining room, waited on by the castle’s own butler.
After dinner, coffee will be served in the library before the guests retire to one of the principal bedrooms with an en-suite bathroom and views over 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of rolling parkland.
“Throughout the stay, Lord and Lady Carnarvon will immerse the guests in the rich history and heritage of Highclere Castle with a private tour of the castle, the Highclere estate,” the advert says.”
OK, so the cast won’t be there, but imagine wandering these halls and living like royalty!
The Guardian’s story goes on to add:
Reservations open at noon on 1 October and applicants are expected to have a record of good reviews from their previous Airbnb bookings.
Applicants need to show they are “passionate about Downton Abbey” in the message they include when requesting the reservation and the most creative submission will be chosen.
Here is what Lady Carnarvon said:
“It’s an absolute privilege and pleasure to call Highclere Castle my home and I am delighted to be able to share it on Airbnb for a truly unique stay,” wrote Lady Carnarvon in the advert.
“Highclere Castle has been in the Carnarvon family since 1679 and has an incredibly rich history. I am passionate about the stories and heritage of Highclere Castle, and I am looking forward to welcoming our future guests.”
As always, The Guardian has great stories – you can see this one by clicking here:
And yes, I just might be a bit obsessed with the TV show:
That’s right: to celebrate the film’s release, I cooked a “Downton Abbey” meal…click here to see what I made:
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I’d love to stay at Highclere Castle…how about you?
Categories: Art, Books / Media, British Cinema, Cult Movies, Exotic Travel, Great Films, London, Movies, Pop Culture, Real Estate, Talent/Celebrities, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, TV Show, Uncategorized
This would be my dream come true John and thanks for the pictures and write up.
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I would love to go!!!
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Wow, $150 a night is reasonable. We paid average $260 a day for the cruise. Good to know, John.
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I think they are doing some sort of promotional thing and so it’s real inexpensive, but I have to imagine that, if they needed to, they could charge a lot to go inside, eat and stay!
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Yes, just like the excursions of any tours. Even the price for AirBnB will be more after the promotion.
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Now that would be a cool stay!
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Agree~!
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That would be so awesome. I have read the book Lady Carnarvon wrote about Highclere castle. It certainly does have an interesting history. And I love Downton Abby.
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I have that book but haven’t read it yet…I am fascinated by this period of British history…
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I have never seen Downton Abbey, but it looks like a nice mansion
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It’s a fantastic show that has a cast of twenty: about equal number of rich who live in the mansion and their servants who live and work downstairs and in the back areas…fascinating look at a real time in English life
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Yes, I have heard about it. And even seen all of ten minutes, but I have not followed it.
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Given that the show Downton Abbey inspired our Endless Weekend (not kidding about that, we have it documented in https://endlessweekend2019.wordpress.com/2019/07/25/the-endless-weekend-begins/ ), we’re adding this to our bucket list!
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I will check that out now! I love the show and would just enjoy getting a peek inside a castle!
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Thanks much!
Then you’ll enjoy this trivia about the show: when filming, they used the same set for the bedrooms of Cora, Mary, and Edith, redecorating them every few days. The ultra-observant viewers can spot that it’s the same view from the window 🙂
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I LOVE THIS! I have to go back and find a few examples…thanks for sharing that!
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I’m a huge fan of the show, so heck yeah!
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I agree!
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I must admit I couldn’t care less for Downton Abbey and have never watched a single episode 😂 The property really is gorgeous though and I can see it being very popular with fans of the program!
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It’s one of my favorite TV shows, but we all have our own taste!
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Now here is an excellent idea, John. Have you ever read Different Seasons by Richard Bachman (aka Stephen King). This post reminded me of the circumstances in one of the stories, The Breathing Method, where the main character is invited to join an exclusive men’s club.
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Yes I read that a long time ago! Now I need to re-read!
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It is very good.
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Considering the price of some hotel rooms these days, that looks like a bargain.
But I do balk a little at having to impress them with my ‘application’. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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I know Pete, isn’t that funny?
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