With accommodations befitting a king, and fairytale-worthy dungeons, moats, drawbridges and towers, you’ll be feeling like royalty in no time in these castle hotels:

Gone are the days when you needed a royal title to spend the night in a castle. Nowadays, even the masses can stay in a storied, turreted keep, as residences of bygone kings and rulers are converted into premier hotels. Here are some top castle hotels in France, UK, Africa, India and the US to help you get the royal treatment, at home and abroad. .

1. Amberley Castle, England: England’s 900-year-old Amberley Castle has a legendary history, including ownership by Queen Elizabeth I from 1588 to 1603; visits from Charles II; and a bout in the Civil War when Cromwell attacked its walls. Accessed via a drawbridge and a magnificent oak portcullis (which is still lowered at night), the castle’s 60-foot stone curtain walls are topped by turrets and enclose beautiful rose-filled gardens with resident peacocks.

2. Balfour Castle, Scotland: Nestled on the misty Orkney Island of Shapinsay in Scotland, Balfour Castle is the world’s most northerly castle, lying at the very edge of Europe, and only reached via a 25-minute ferry ride from Kirkwall. Set amid 10 miles of quiet hills and forested grounds, this 1848 baronial fortress is positively Victorian, complete with turrets, a magnificent old library, oil paintings, and even stuffed owls. The manor also offers lush grou-nds, including an original walled garden, two boats for guest to sail off to see the island’s spooky sea caves and dramatic cliffs.

3. Castle on the Hudson, New York: Manhattanites sick of cramped quarters, smog and subways can head just 25 miles north, across the Hudson, and don their very own crowns at this US-based castle. It may lack the royal credentials, but the Castle on the Hudson certainly looks the part of a kingly residence, what with towering stone walls, turrets, manicured gardens, and all the palatial trimmings. Built between 1897 to 1910, the hilltop bastion does have one bona fide royal touch: the paneling in the Oak Room comes from the Parisian house given by Louis XIV to James II for use during his years in exile. The on-site Equus restaurant offers decadent dining to a backdrop of the New York City skyline and Hudson River.

4. Château de Castel Novel, France: Tucked away in a serene pocket of the French countryside, the elegant Château de Castel-Novel offers its guests not only refined accommodations, but an escape into off-the-beaten path France, where an exquisite combination of history, gastronomy and nature converge. Located in the Limousin region of the country, this 14th-century property was originally designed as a fortified hilltop castle — still evident in its round towers and keep—but remodeling in the 19th centuries brought a soft Renaissance flair to the property. Local legend tells of a star-crossed romance between a troubadour and the lady of the house, while, more recently, the famed French writer Colette found inspiration in its rooms and even penned several novels here.

5. Chateau de la Bourdaisière, France: If the fairytale castle that played host to Fox’s hit 2003 reality show, Joe Millionaire, sets your heart aflutter, you can court and dine your significant other here for as little as €120 a night. Constructed in the 15th century for the royal mistress of King François I, the castle today is a popular honeymoon destination. Located less than an hour from Paris, and surrounded by 140 acres of enchanted woodlands, Château de la Bourdaisière lets guests live like royalty. Plus, the surrounding Loire Valley offers plenty of treasures of its own, from first-class vineyards to hot-air ballooning.

6. Kasbah du Toubkal, Morocco: Guests at Morocco’s Kasbah du Toubkal usually arrive on the back of a donkey — or on foot.

Nestled on a promontory at the base of the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, about an hour away from Marrakesh, this rustic eight-room hotel served as the summer residence of the local French caid (ruler) from the 1940s until Moroccan independence in 1956.

Today, it’s an award-winning eco-tourism hotel (that also served as the setting of the Tibetan Monastery of Dungkar in Scorsese’s 1997 film Kundun).

7. Lake Palace, India: If you want to feel like a maharajah, there’s no better place than the romantic white-marble Lake Palace, afloat on India’s Lake Pichola, Rajasthan. This majestic palace looks so ethereal, you’ll be pinching yourself to see if you’re dreaming. Built as a summer retreat in the mid-1700s for Maharajah Jagat Singh II, the Lake Palace was intended solely for leisure pursuits — rest assured, the same principles apply to the place now that it’s become a grand, 83-room hotel. Distinguished guests to its marbled halls have included Queen Elizabeth II, Jackie O and the Shah of Iran.

8. Palácio Belmonte, Portugal: Built atop fortified Roman and Moorish walls, the Palácio Belmonte is the oldest building in Lisbon. Built on foundations dating back to 130 BC, and occupying a hilltop with views of the cobblestone city and the river, the Palacio’s incarnation as a hotel is a fairly recent one. Its last private owners, the Earls of Belmonte (and their descendents), resided here for 500 years; you can spend a night in one of eight palatial suites decorated in colorful silks, with sitting areas and to-die-for terraces with superb views. There’s an extravagant black-marble swimming pool on site, a 4000-book library, Roman fountains, African and Japanese artifacts, 7th-century brick ceilings, black-veined marble bathrooms and close to 30,000 18th-century Portuguese tiles that have been combined with imported antiques to create a luxurious and refined air.

9. Palazzo Gritti, Italy: Commissioned in 1525 as the residence of the Doge of Venice, the swank Gritti Palace has hosted a long list of VIPs since, providing luxurious lodging for numerous heads of state, international royalty, literary bigwigs and film and rock stars, including the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Greta Garbo and Winston Churchill. While some claim the place has seen better days (it is, after all, nearly 500 years old), others argue there is no more celebrated and history-rich hotel in Venice. Whichever side you take, there’s no disputing the Gritti’s prime location: overlooking the Grand Canal, this palazzo provides unrivaled views of animated, aquatic Venice — vistas best enjoyed from the restaurant terrace.

10. Waterford Castle, Ireland: Offering an extraordinary escape from the mundane, the secluded and majestic Waterford Castle Hotel is situated on a sprawling 310-acre island, encircled by the flowing waters of the River Suir, in southern Ireland. Reachable only by the castle’s private ferry, there is little distraction at this remote property, other than an 18-hole championship golf course, horseback rides in the surrounding woodlands, or water sports and fishing. The 16th-century stone castle still maintains its original Norman keep and an eye-catching assembly of turrets, towers and gargoyles. Owned by the illustrious Fitzgerald family from the 15th through mid-20th centuries, the castle was converted to a luxury hotel in 1988.