THE WINCHESTER ROYAL HOTEL

Just a stone's throw from the pedestrian precinct and the cathedral, this hotel offers the ideal setting for a stay in the heart of England's ancient capital. Once a private residence in the ^16th century, the building served as a bishop's residence, then a Benedictine convent, before being converted into a hotel in 1857. Enlarged and renovated, the rooms are spacious and elegant, and it's now a privileged vacation destination, whose value is enhanced tenfold by the garden and grand restaurant.