Live like a king or queen on luxury getaway

When it comes to hotels, the word "luxurious" is an adjective that might be losing its impact. Top celebrities are increasingly looking to more majestic surrounds for their holidays, and we're taking a leaf out of their book. Rather than seek out places that simply have the most opulent amenities and décor, we've gone a step further to discover imperial destinations where you'll be treated like royalty. It's not just a castle and comfy chambers that make a king or queen smile - it's the special attention and care one receives at these regal sanctuaries that really make them a crown and sceptre above the rest.

For a truly royal treatment, faultless service is a necessary part of the package, and these palatial destinations have been careful to seek out only the most discerning and knowledgable staff to create a seamlessly majestic experience. The Umaid Bhawan Palace in India, for example, ensures their guests are personally taken care of every step of the way. Built from 1928 to 1943 for Maharaja Umaid Singh, the grandfather of the present Maharaja of Jodhpur, the venue is now owned and operated by Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, and is an exotic royal escape that has captivated Mick Jagger, Elizabeth Hurley, Amitabh Bachchan, Brad Pitt, the Dalai Lama, Madonna and the Prince of Wales.

Having catered to the cream of the celebrity crop, it's no surprise that their butler service is exemplary. On arrival at the Jodhpur airport, guests are chauffeur-driven to the hotel in a Jaguar or vintage car. They then enjoy a horse-carriage ride through the palace grounds before being greeted with a gift of delicately scented garlands and rose-petal confetti as they walk up the stairs to their bedrooms.

"Your personal butler will be waiting to greet you and whisk you away to the comfort of your plush palace room," says Anushka Gurnaney, assistant manager, public relations for Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces. "He will take the reins to ensure that your stay is nothing short of perfect. He will readily assist you with all things indulgent like setting up a fragrant evening bath from a specially designed menu, helping you neatly unpack your luggage and planning a personalised itinerary for your entire stay."

Another venue that pays ample attention to the service it provides is the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, the last example of a royal edifice from the magnificent Ottoman empire. Now a hotel operated by the Kempinski Group, Ciragan Palace has hosted countless royals, heads of state and celebrities such as Prince Muhammad Ali of Egypt, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Thai princess Mom Luang Rajadarasri Jayankura, actor Orlando Bloom and singer/actress Jennifer Lopez. Guests staying at the hotel's Palace Suites are attended to by personal butlers trained at the prestigious Ivor Spencer Butler School. Palace Suite guests have their own private entrance where their butlers await them on a red carpet, ready to assist with checking in and checking out, unpacking and packing, making restaurant and spa reservations, arranging city tours and limousine services, getting airline and concert tickets, organising boat trips or sightseeing by helicopter, and handling food and beverage requests.

The butlers offer superb service which "includes finding a last-minute ticket to a concert or a table at the busiest restaurant in the city, even having a shop open up out of hours when necessary", says Çiler Ýlhan, the hotel's director of public relations. Palace Suite guests receive complimentary round-trip airport transfers in a BMW, while guests who stay at The Sultan Suite are entitled to complimentary round-trip transfers by helicopter or boat.

Meanwhile, Château de Saint-Loup in France's Loire Valley has tried a different approach, offering service with a truly personal touch - here, guests receive individual care from the owners themselves, Count Charles-Henri de Bartillat and his wife. The château receives many unusual requests, most of which they have met with much panache. "A gentleman once asked us to bring in a chamber orchestra with a harpsichord to serenade him and his sweetheart as they settled in for the night in their rooms," says the château's operations manager, Sophie Havet. "We also had a guest ask us to fill his room with red roses for his beloved. On several occasions, we've been asked to provide a top chef for the duration of a guest's stay, which we gladly did. We also organise hot-air balloon rides with a picnic onboard and helicopter tours. We once arranged for a horse-drawn carriage ride for a guest and his fiancée, and arranged a private concert for another guest in our library."

Guests can also have a private candlelight dinner in the main dining room - a space filled with chandeliers, mirrors, walnut tables, silk chairs and antiques from the 18th century, and a roaring fireplace. Over pre-dinner drinks, the count will reveal more about history of the house and of the characters who once dwelled here.

This sounds like a fairy tale come true, and the venue certainly looks the part. The guesthouse, surrounded by a large water-filled moat, is the quintessential storybook castle. Built during the reign of Louis XII, the château is a masterpiece of French architecture built by the Marquis de Carabas, a nobleman who inspired Charles Perrault's . The château was inhabited as far back as AD980 by the first Lord of Saint-Loup, who was known as "Dragon". It once served as a prison for the French king John the Good during the Battle of Poitiers in 1356. Manicured gardens with fruit trees, hand-carved canopy beds and old paintings take guests back to an age of romance and chivalry.

So if you're looking to hold court during your next vacation, one of these hotels ought to be worthy of the royal seal of approval.