Grand Hotel Europe

WHEN THE Winter Palace in St. Petersburg served as the home of the royal family, during the Romanov dynasty, it was famous for its stately rooms, attentive staff and sumptuous cuisine. Yet when they visited Russia in the early 20th century, royalty often preferred to stay at the less formal Hotel de L' Europe, now the Grand Hotel Europe. Because of its popularity, a fifth floor was added to the edifice in 1908, and Czar Nicholas II enjoyed entertaining guests at grand banquets in the newly opened rooftop restaurant.

These days the hotel is still the preferred home away from home for celebrities and dignitaries. Rechristened in 1991 following a two-year renovation, it immediately became Russia's first five-star property. Elton John was so enchanted by the hotel's main restaurant—L'Europe—that he took the stage during dinnertime and treated the audience to an hourlong performance. In 2005, Baronesse H�l�ne de Ludinghausen, a scion of the Stroganoff family, enjoyed her stay so much that she shared the clan's secret recipe with the chef of L' Europe.

The hotel has not always prospered, however. Following the Russian Revolution, in 1917, it served as an orphanage and, during World War II, as a hospital. But when it reopened to the public in 1945, it immediately became the most desirable place to stay in the Soviet Union. The mosaics and stained glass, the antique furniture and carpets, and the huge bathtubs with ancient brass plumbing created a decor of faded elegance, a faint aroma of Russian history breaking through the Soviet fog.

Now comfortably modernized, the Grand Hotel Europe has twice made Cond� Nast Traveler's Gold List of the best hotels in the world. Located in the heart of St. Petersburg, it sits across from the Russian Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of Russian art. And it's just a short walk from the State Hermitage Museum—or what was once the Winter Palace.