These incredible houses of worship around the world have been sensitively transformed into luxurious hotels that promise a one-of-a-kind experience.
Hardly knowing what she did, she picked up a little bit of stick, and held it out to the puppy; whereupon the puppy jumped into the air off all its feet at once, with a yelp of delight, and rushed at the stick, and made believe to worry it; then Alice dodged behind a great thistle, to keep herself from being run over; and the moment she appeared on the other side, the puppy made another rush at the stick, and tumbled head over heels in its hurry to get hold of it. So she swallowed one of the cakes, and was delighted to find that she began shrinking directly. As soon as she was small enough to get through the door, she ran out of the house, and found quite a crowd of little animals and birds waiting outside.
1. Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine, Sardon de Duero, Spain
Swiss architect Marco Serra has transformed a 12th-century abbey on the banks of the River Duero, in the Castilla y León region, into the 30-room Abadía Retuerta LeDomaine. Flaunting glorious Baroque-Romanesque architecture, it’s one of only two churches in this style that survived Napoléon’s wrath.
2. Refectorio restaurant, Sardon de Duero, Spain
Monks once lived on these grounds, and that monastic spirit is robustly preserved in the guest rooms—which feature a mix of stucco walls, oak floors, and walnut furniture, and overlook peaceful vineyards. True tranquility, however, is found in Santuario, the holistic wellness center housed in the abbey’s former stable. Shown is the hotel’s Refectorio restaurant, helmed by chef Pablo Montero. From $420/night; ledomaine.es
3. Kruisherenhotel, The Netherlands
In the center of Maastricht, the 60-room Kruisherenhotel is a stunning throwback to the Middle Ages. Dutch designer Henk Vos ensured that the hotel remains true to its past as a 15th-century Gothic church and Kruisheren cloister once home to the “Crutched Friars.”