Thornewood Castle
A Tudor-Gothic mansion with a Golf tag of its own
About this hotel
Thornewood Castle is the clear outlier on this list: a genuine Tudor-Gothic mansion rather than a chain hotel, carrying its own Golf amenity tag alongside free Wi-Fi, free parking and kitchens in some rooms. Its 9.2 rating across 748 reviews is among the strongest in the area, suggesting the character of the property translates into a genuinely memorable stay rather than a novelty that wears thin after the first evening. It sits in Lakewood, seven minutes by taxi from Lakewold Gardens, roughly twenty minutes from Chambers Bay by car — close enough to the course for a serious golf trip, distinctive enough to become part of the trip's story on its own rather than just a place to sleep between rounds.
- Historic mansion
- Golf tag
- Kitchens available
Our take
Thornewood Castle is the pick for a group or couple that wants the lodging itself to be memorable, not just functional: a Tudor-Gothic mansion is hard to find anywhere else near Chambers Bay, and its 9.2 rating across 748 reviews backs the setting. It sits at the top of the local range, and its smaller, character-driven room count won't suit a large buddies trip needing many standard rooms under one roof.
- Book well ahead for a weekend golf trip — a historic mansion like this has fewer rooms than the chain hotels nearby.
- Use a kitchen room if your trip runs several nights and the group wants to cook at least once.
- Confirm your group size fits the property before booking; it suits smaller parties better than an eight-strong society.
Why we love it
- Genuine Tudor-Gothic mansion setting
- Golf amenity tag included
- 9.2 rating from 748 reviews
- Kitchens in some rooms
Why guests love itWe chose Thornewood Castle for the last night of a longer golf trip, wanting something to remember beyond another chain hotel room, and the mansion setting delivered exactly that. The Golf tag on the listing wasn't just decoration either — staff clearly understood what a group coming from Chambers Bay needed, and the 9.2 rating from nearly 750 reviews made the higher price feel justified.