Althoff Grandhotel Schloss Bensberg

The Schloss was originally a Baroque hunting lodge built in 1711, and its hilltop position above Cologne gives it a commanding view that the Prince-Electors who commissioned it clearly intended. The conversion to a hotel preserved the dramatic architecture — including a chapel and formal gardens — while adding a Michelin-starred restaurant (Vendôme, under Joachim Wissler, long one of Germany's most decorated chefs) and a spa. 119 rooms and the rare combination of baroque grandeur and proximity to a major city.