In Bloom: 7 Incredible Hotel Gardens

by  Teresa Bitler | Jun 10, 2015
Bodysgallen Hall & Spa
Bodysgallen Hall & Spa

It’s not uncommon for hotels to have neatly manicured lawns and winding trails, but some hotel grounds are so grand that they're essentially botanical gardens. Here, seven stunning estates that actually make you want to leave the room.

1. Bodysgallen Hall & Spa, North Wales: Set among 200 acres of parkland, these award-winning hotel gardens include a rare 17th-century parterre of box hedges filled with herbs. You’ll also discover lily pad ponds, naturally occurring limestone outcrops, and a formal rose garden. Once a month, June through October, the head gardener gives tours.

 

The Gardens Hotel

2. The Gardens Hotel, Key West: Peggy Mills purchased the Gardens Mansion all the way back in 1930 with the intention of turning it into a botanical garden. In the 38 years that followed, she collected plants and more than 87,000 century-old bricks to create the gardens’ winding paths. Since her death in 1979, the property has been renamed The Gardens Hotel and turned into an inviting boutique hotel.

 

Flickr / Paula Funnell

3. Villa d’Este, Lake Como, Italy: The 25-acre Baroque garden surrounding Villa d’Este dates back to the Renaissance and features tree-lined avenues, bridges, and mosaicked patios overlooking Lake Como. Statues inspired by Greek mythology lend a dramatic flair to the immaculate space. We especially like the statue of Hercules and the Telemachus Temple.

 

Lake Austin Spa Resort

4. Lake Austin Spa Resort, Texas: More than 1,000 species of plants, herbs, vegetables, spices, and wildflowers can be found on the grounds of Lake Austin Spa Resort, an award-winning spa on the shores of Lake Austin in Texas. When you’re not strolling the trails or enjoying the scenery, catch a class or demonstration on gardening or aromatherapy.

 

Prieuré Notre-Dame d’Orsan

5. Prieuré Notre-Dame d’Orsan, Central France: Inspired by medieval tapestries, the gardens of this seven-room former monastery feature arched paths, pear and cherry orchards, a small vineyard, a rose garden, and wild flowers. Much of the produce served in the hotel’s restaurant comes from the onsite kitchen garden.

 

Grand Hotel Garden Show

6. Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan: This Michigan hotel, situated on a bluff above the Straits of Mackinac, boasts a 660-foot long front porch -- the world’s longest -- and spectacularly manicured garden with more than 60,000 flowers. Although the flowers and designs vary from year to year, each spring Grand Hotel gardeners plant 22,000 tulips. The hotel also hosts a garden show in late summer (August 30 through September 1 this year), celebrating the island’s gardens.

 

Hotel Bel-Air

7. Hotel Bel-Air, Los Angeles: Tucked into a secluded neighborhood just minutes from Beverly Hills, the Hotel Bel-Air is lushly landscaped with historic gardens with more than 300 different plant species, stately oak trees, and a swan lake for the property’s three resident swans.  The recently added pond and waterfall are made from locally quarried stone, and the organic herb and produce gardens are used by hotel chef Wolfgang Puck.

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