Live your 'Game of Thrones' fantasy in a rental castle
Calling all Stark, Tyrell and Lannister wannabes. You can live out your Game of Thrones fantasies in real-life rental castles that resemble the five remaining Great Houses in the Seven Kingdoms. Just in time for Season Four of Game of Thrones, which airs on HBO on Sunday, you can rent one of these spectacular estates via HomeAway.com.
House Tyrell of Highgarden. To live like the Tyrell family, opulence is key. And the Château de Challain, located in France, is all about luxury and romance. With room to sleep 30, it is a beautiful 19th-century castle where you can live like royalty or even marry royally. Each suite includes robes, slippers and more. Breakfast is served next to a roaring fire in the original kitchen. Rates: $345 per night.
House Stark of Winterfell. Sitting on 12 acres of land, Carr Hall Castle is located in West Yorkshire, England, and features a private deer park estate perfect for direwolves to hunt; a dining room complete with a fireplace; and rooms outfitted with furs on the bed to keep warm. This stone-clad castle can sleep up to 10 guests with five bedrooms and five bathrooms and boasts a heated indoor swimming pool, gym & hot tub. Rates: $1,642 per night.
House Martell of Sunspear. To live like a Dorne, you must travel to the south of Westeros where the piercing hot sun shines down on the orange-sand desert. Referred to as El Castillo, this refurbished castle located in the heart of the Uruguayan Côte d'Azur is available to rent for the first time in many years. The castle overlooks a private garden, pristine beach and stunning seascape and is equipped to sleep up to 16 guests. Gather your clan in the Great Hall or swim in the infinity pool. Rates: $800 per night.
House Greyjoy of Pyke. Often remaining distant from the other Great Houses of Westeros, the Greyjoys rely upon their fleet of ships to raid the cities along the western coastline. The Greyjoys sit atop their castle of Pyke ruling over the Iron Islands, a hard and bleak collection of forbidding islands off the west coast of Westeros. To be a Greyjoy, then, you must live on your own island-castle. Known locally as the ancient Castle of Aragon, it is considered the most impressive historical monument of Ischia, Italy. Built on a volcanic rock with churches, courtyards, antique archways, terraces and arcades, it sleeps only four. To venture into town, you can use the ancient bridge built in 1438 by Alfonso of Aragon: Rates: $3,162 per week.
House Lannister of Casterly Rock. The Lannister fortress is carved out of a great stone hill and is tunneled through with halls and chambers with a huge keep at its peak and a productive gold-producing mine deep in the base. Ballyhannon Castle is among the finest Celtic castles in Ireland built in the 15th century. This house features a deep spiraling staircase leading to multiple rooms (the castle sleeps 25) and a red theme and stone walls throughout. Rates: $828 per night.
