Just like a holiday movie: Spend Christmas in a Czech castle

Fans of a certain genre of so-bad-it's good holiday film are well acquainted with twinkling snow-covered castles as a stage for romance, mistaken identities, and making cozy winter memories in a stunning historic setting.

With a number of historic Czech chateaus hoping to attract locals with staycation holiday specials in the face of tightening travel restrictions, this could be the year to play out your own version of "A Castle for Christmas" or "A Christmas Prince."

Hotel Chateau Štiřín, just 25 km southwest of Prague, offers the winter-wonderland setting you'd expect from a holiday movie. Its stunning grounds and elegant interiors are currently opening for day trips and overnight stays with Christmas and New Year's Eve packages still available for booking.

Štiřín's history dates as far back as the 14th century – though you can still see remnants of the original Gothic fortress on the ground floor of the chateau.

In the 1700s, the noble Salm family rebuilt the chateau in the late Baroque style, transforming it into the stately three-wing mansion guests visit today. (Royal watchers take note: In the 19th century, the chateau was owned by a real-life prince: Prince Charles de Rohan).

While the chateau is an extraordinary place to visit year-round, it comes alive as the holiday cheer spreads through the extensive grounds and French- and English-style gardens that surround the property.

If you already have holiday plans elsewhere, you can still enjoy a pre-holiday visit to the chateau. A pre-Christmas package (valid December 5th-22nd) includes a festival meal of lemon soup with fennel and salmon gravlax, a veal fillet with melted butter, and a Viennese potato salad, mulled wine, and warm chocolate cake.

The offer accommodates two people in a double room, comes with free breakfast, and access to the private sauna and pool.

The Christmas stay package includes a traditional Christmas dinner fit for royalty, a four-course menu for two including carp and potato salad, or the more princely venison with cranberries and chestnut puree. Two nights of accommodation come with breakfast, and sauna, and fitness-center access.

For those still looking for the perfect location to ring in 2022 in style, there’s also a New Year’s Eve package that includes two nights’ accommodation, a gala dinner – featuring sea bass or venison – on Dec. 31 (a 5-course menu with wine for two people), a midnight glass of Bohemia brut, and access to the sauna and fitness center.

With 63 rooms spread across five different buildings, guests can stay at the chateau itself, with elegant interiors furnished with original late-Baroque furniture, or spend the night at the Baroque-style Salm House, the rustic Jockey House, or the chateau-style Arminia House.

Winter also brings unique opportunities to enjoy the chateau's wellness center and its sauna, whirlpools, bio-solarium, and massage services and the hotel's Atis Restaurant, there’s plenty of holiday dining options to drink and be merry.

Visitors who are up for some frosty frolics can explore the numerous hiking local trails surrounding the chateau; the hotel provides hiking trail maps upon request.

If there's any doubt about the area's idyllic holiday appeal the nearby village of Hrusice is the birthplace of the Czech children's book illustrator Josef Lada whose folksy drawings of wintertime scenes adorn Czech Christmas cards.