If you’re a die-hard “Downton Abbey” fan — and I mean, the kind of fan who truly believes they’re living in the wrong century and is deeply invested in the Crawley family — you’ll be fascinated by Airbnb’s latest screen Feeling crazy - to the IRL list. Highclere Castle (aka the real Downton Abbey) will be open to two lucky Airbnb guests for one night only. This listing is actually a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity as it has never been available for booking before and will never be listed on Airbnb again.
So, how about a book? Set plenty of alarms: On October 1 at 7:00 a.m. ET, Highclere Castle listings will go live on Airbnb and will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Two (very timely and very lucky) guests who visit this page in time will be able to book a one-night stay at the castle, and the stay must be made by Tuesday 26th November.
Even better: If you're worried that the price of this stay might deter you from booking, don't worry - it's priced cheaper than many motels, and the experience will only set you back around $159, or £150 a night. Of course, you'll have to travel to Highclere, UK yourself, but it's only about an hour or so away from London, so you can make a full holiday there.
According to the New York Times , Highclere Castle has been owned by the Carnarvon family since 1679 and is currently owned by the 8th Earl of Caernarfon, Jody Herbert (also known as Lord Caernarfon) and his wife Owned by Fiona Aitken (aka Lady Caernarfon). Note: Herbert is also the godson of Queen Elizabeth II, in case you needed more proof that this family is completely royal. While Highclere Castle has always been an incredible royal estate, it has clearly been given a new allure since it became the filming location for one of the most popular TV series of all time. If you happen to be one of the lucky two to stay here, here’s a rundown of your time in Highclere.
According to the Airbnb listing, you will arrive at tea time and be greeted personally by Lady and Lord Carnarvon. The first task is tea time, followed by a cocktail hour in the salon and then a traditional three-course dinner in the State Dining Room. Throughout, you'll be waited on by Highclere Castle's own butlers and treated like absolute royalty, so you can really immerse yourself in the experience and imagine what it would be like to be a Crawley. After dinner, you'll have coffee in the library before being taken to your room, which overlooks more than 1,000 acres of pristine, rolling park land. The next morning you will have breakfast and enjoy a private tour of the estate. This may take a while, as there are 300 rooms and over 100,000 square feet to explore.
Check-out time is 4:00pm BST, which means if you're coming from abroad you won't have a chance to really beat the jet lag and might convince yourself the whole experience was just a dream. House rules are as you'd expect, you can't bring any dogs (but there will be nine on site[!!!]), you can't have parties, no smoking, it's not suitable for babies or children, and you must be able and willing to climb a lot ( Many! ) stairs.
Save this list as a bookmark and set a reminder on your phone for October 1st (you have to be up by 7:00 AM ET to get ready for the fastest click of your life!) and give it a try. Someone has to win, why not you? Until then, you can check out Crawley when the Downton Abbey movie opens in theaters in the U.S. on September 20. Oh, and if you need more reasons to support this epic opportunity, Airbnb is celebrating by making a donation to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
