1. The Penn Club, London
A club in name only. Occupying three houses in Bloomsbury's Bedford Square and backed by a Quaker ethos, it's a tranquil space, despite the central location. The rooms have free Wi-Fi but no televisions. However, there are several lounges. As much as possible of the breakfast menu is fairly-traded and ethically produced and, as it is a short stroll from the British Museum, many guests are academics, with the occasional family.
• Singles from £55 for non-members; doubles with en-suite bathroom from £88, including breakfast. 020 7636 4718; pennclub.co.uk
2. Holy Isle, Scotland
To the north of this 900-acre wildlife refuge off the Isle of Arran is the Centre for World Peace and Health, directed by a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master. Formerly home to the 6th-century Irish hermit St Molaise, the island is exceedingly remote (you reach it via ferry from Ardrossan to Arran, then another 10-minute ferry to Holy Isle). There are 65 beds, and courses throughout the year, including meditation for beginners, from £400
a week.
• Single rooms cost £45 per night; twin rooms £65; dormitory beds £25. Prices include all meals, which are vegetarian. 01770 601100; holyisle.org
3. Ampleforth, Yorkshire
This Benedictine monastery houses both a school and a retreat centre. The latter runs a full programme of retreats, including beach prayer walks. Particularly popular is In Vino Veritas, which mixes wine tasting and banquets with Bible study. Accommodation is a mixture of single and twin rooms, most of which are en suite. Everyone is welcome to join in the services, including the sung mass.
• Courses from £100 to £200, full board. 01439 766889; ampleforth.org.uk
4. Madhyamaka Buddhist Centre, Yorkshire
This estate near the market town of Pocklington, dominated by a rambling Georgian mansion, is a Buddhist monastery and retreat centre that holds popular weekend retreats for those who want to try meditation, as well as a range of longer courses.
• Single rooms from £54, with all meals; guests are welcome to help with gardening and other chores. 01759 304832; madhyamaka.org
5. Desmond Tutu Centre, New York
Despite the name, this is a professionally-run hotel in the grounds of the General Theological Seminary, which trains Anglican ministers. In a great location in Chelsea, the rooms are unusually large and well equipped for both New York and theological institutions. This is the high glamour end of the religious house spectrum: furnishings are lavish, bathrooms luxurious and the best rooms look out on the seminary gardens. Are there any restrictions on who can stay here, I asked when I had a look around. "We wouldn't welcome people in the arms or tobacco trade," came the answer.
• Doubles from $365, including breakfast. 00 1 212 929 3888; ahl-tutucenter.com
6. Landmark Guest Rooms, New York
Some people choose this simply because of the highly reasonable rates, others because they want to check out Columbia University or explore nearby Harlem. It is attached to a seminary, but you don't have to be part of a religious group to stay. The gothic-style building has 25 rooms in a mix of singles, doubles and twins.
• Doubles from $165. 00 1 212 280 1313; uts.nyc.edu
7. Casa Carbulotto, Venice
There's a religious house to suit every type of traveller in this notoriously expensive city. This one in Castello is run by the Suore di San Guiseppe Carbulotto and is close to both St Mark's Square and the Rialto. The building is suitably ancient but the facilities are up to date, and all the rooms (five singles, 14 doubles and two family rooms) are en suite.
• Singles from €52.50; doubles from €92.50. monasterystays.com
8. Foresteria Venezia, Venice
Not to be outdone, the Foresteria Venezia is run by the Methodist church. Well suited to families and a short stroll from St Mark's, this is probably the cheapest way to get that most prized amenity in Venice - a canal room. Linen is provided but guests must make their own beds.
• Dormitory rooms from €22, including breakfast; two-bedded room with canal view €82. 00 39 041 528 6797; foresteriavenezia.it
9. St Anthony's Guest House, Assisi
Run by a New York-based order of Franciscan nuns, this convent in the heart of Assisi is more comfortable than most - all rooms (singles and twins) are en suite and facilities include a cappuccino machine - and the four nuns who live here speak excellent English. There are 20 rooms, many with small terraces. Closed during the winter, it reopens on 5 March.
• Singles €40. 00 39 075 812542; prounione.urbe.it/fra-fri/e_friars-stanthony.html
10. Casa Santo Nome di Gesù, Florence
A former palazzo, this caramel-coloured building in Piazza del Carmine is now a Franciscan convent with a handful of guest rooms - including multi-bedded rooms suitable for families. It has a breathtaking location near the Arno, and superb views - the best rooms look across the convent garden to the spire of San Frediano in Castello. Guests can use the gardens, and continental breakfast is provided, but there is an 11.30pm curfew.
• Singles with showers from €37; doubles from €70; family rooms from €120. 00 39 055 213856; fmmfirenze.it
11. Convento di San Francesco, Cetona
The most glamorous, most worldly monastery in Europe. These days, it gives former addicts a leg up in a career in the hospitality business, overseen by priests from the small Mondo X community. The vaulted restaurant was once a prison that held rebellious priests, and the food is excellent. Expect to feast on several courses, mostly with produce grown in the convent's gardens, accompanied by local wine.
• Doubles from €240, including breakfast. 00 39 0578 238261; lafrateria.it
12. Villa Palazzola, near Rome
Bought by the Venerable English College in the 1920s so that its students - trainee Catholic priests - could escape the Roman summer heat, the Villa Palazzola overlooks Lake Albano, 29km south of Rome. Retreats run throughout the year, but individuals can also stay here. Prices are very reasonable and the facilities, including a swimming pool, are superb. The villa is surrounded by 65,000sqm of protected forests with walking trails. The church at the centre of this former Cistercian monastery dates back to the 13th century. Castel Gandolfo, the Pope's summer residence, is across
the water.
• Full-board accommodation in the new wing from €65. 00 39 06 947 49178; palazzola.it
13. Mount Athos, Greece
Deeply posh and for men only, this is almost a rite of passage for an English aristocrat in the throes of a midlife crisis (Prince Charles is a regular visitor). A spiritual centre since 1054, Mount Athos's 20 working monasteries even ban female animals (although hens get a dispensation). A stay here - which can last up to four days - is largely conducted in silence, with just two meals a day, albeit washed down with monastery-produced wine.
• Mount Athos Pilgrims Bureau 00 30 2310 252578; ouranoupoli.com. Contact at least six months before travel
14. Cavtat Monastery, near Dubrovnik, Croatia
In this 14th-century, former Franciscan monastery there are eight rooms and one suite. The rooms are authentically simple, but the setting is superb - right on the waterfront in one of Croatia's most attractive villages, with Dubrovnik a short water taxi away and a shingled beach outside the front door. Breakfast is taken in a nearby hotel and all guests are welcome to attend the monks' services.
• Bond Tours (01372 745300; bondtours.com) offers a week at the monastery from £468, including flights and transfers
15. Hotel Jeneralka, Prague
Run by the Baptist church, this 18th-century mansion is both a hotel and an international Baptist theological centre. There are 60 rooms, including some apartments with kitchens, suitable for families. Surrounded by parkland, in a beautiful village-like setting, it's only 20 minutes from the centre of Prague, and 10km from the airport.
Run by the Baptist church, this 18th-century mansion is both a hotel and an international Baptist theological centre. There are 60 rooms, including some apartments with kitchens, suitable for families. Surrounded by parkland, in a beautiful village-like setting, it's only 20 minutes from the centre of Prague, and 10km from the airport.
• Twin rooms from 1,690 CZK (£59) per night. 00 420 296 392111; hotel-jeneralka.cz
Usefull websites
monasterystays.com; retreats.org.uk; retreat-holidays.co.uk.
Further reading
Bed and Blessings Italy: A Guide to Convents and Monasteries Available for Overnight Lodging by June and Anne Walsh; The Guide to Lodging in Italy's Monasteries and The Guide to Lodging in Spain's Monasteries by Eileen Barish.
