6 Best Hotels in The Luxembourg Ardennes, Luxembourg

Rustic and romantic, this elegantly simple oasis is hidden away on a dirt road, along a bubbling brook on the site of an 11th-century mill. Remnants of the old stone structure have been incorporated into the inn, which opened in 1985. Upstairs, the rooms are warm and inviting, with wood-beam ceilings, and large bathrooms have tiled showers. The downstairs is devoted to a handsome bar and restaurant. The menu offers inventive French-influenced cuisine such as rabbit with sesame seeds, port sauce, and vegetable tempura. Dining on the patio along the stream is a pleasure in warmer months. Between meals, take a long bike ride or hike (trail maps and bicycles are available through the front desk) or visit the on-site exhibit of old mill equipment.

At the edge of the village and overlooking the river, this hotel-restaurant has modern rooms, some with flower boxes and river views. The restaurant offers grilled meats and cream-sauce standards at prices slightly higher than average—but the portions are staggering, and the kitchen cuts no corners.

Expanded from its origins as a Trinitarian monastery, this atmospheric hotel has been in the family for four generations. During the war, owner Grandma Hansen worked with the Resistance, hiding hams, cash, and Luxembourgers with equal aplomb. The public spaces are rich with history, from the cross-vaulted oak café to the hallways filled with local antiques; rooms are simple and up-to-date. The oldest rooms, on the first floor, have antique oak furniture and original doors, but baths are down the hall; the best rooms are upstairs, with balconies over the garden and fountain. The restaurant offers French classics—grilled beef with béarnaise sauce, salmon in chives—and authentic German apple strudel with vanilla sauce.

Below the castle and slightly apart from the center, this spacious hotel has been in the same family for three generations and combines slick, spare modernity—tile, stucco, polished oak—with homey old details (fringed lamps, heavy upholstery). Rooms have been recently renovated, and some have balconies over the river and hills. There's also an indoor pool, gym, sauna, and roof terrace. The restaurant is among the finer eateries in town. 

At the bottom of the hill and perched on the river, this comfortable hotel pays homage to Vianden's most famous visitor, who settled across the road during his short exile in the area. Its location can't be beat. The rooms behind the German-style facade are small and simple (a few have balconies), and downstairs is arguably the best meal in town. The restaurant does a number of Luxembourgish specialties, featuring local fish, Ardennes ham, and smoked pork neck on a broad bean stew. In the warmer months, you can linger over a meal or a drink in the lovely terraced garden.

This is actually two hotels, which have been attached via a walkway---the older of the two is the 90-room Koener, complete with a pair of restaurants (steak house and French), a large wellness center, and cocktail bar---but guests at the 22-suite Le Clervaux opposite also share these facilities for free, so there's little excuse not to opt for the slightly more interesting stay. Rooms here are heavy on design, with Art Deco--style suites merging original timber framing and accented wallpaper. Large windows also offer some excellent views of the castle. The same company runs a golfing hotel just a few miles outside town.