From my perch in the highest tower room at the Castle on the Hudson, it's easy to feel like Rapunzel, peering out through narrow window slits carved in thick stone walls at the distant river winding through the vast forest below, waiting for her prince to show up.

The sight of cars on the New York Thruway dispels the fairy-tale illusion, reminding me that this medieval-style stone palace is actually a pricey hotel-cum-local-landmark in Tarrytown, N.Y., and my real-life prince, I hope, is driving one of those cars, on his way to meet me for a romantic autumn overnight getaway.

With fall travel season in full swing, Castle on the Hudson is one of a number of luxury hotels and inns in scenic spots around the country for travelers who want to sightsee, watch the seasons change, and wine and dine in comfort without having to drive home afterward. At the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, N.C., a "Fall Into the Holidays" package over Halloween includes an early-morning raising of the resort's giant Christmas tree Nov. 1. Beach and ski resorts in scenic locales offer lower rates in fall; the Hotel Jerome in Aspen, where the least-expensive room is $660 in January, has a special rate of $125 for its "Autumn in Aspen" package.

We chose the Castle on the Hudson partly because it's just a 45-minute drive from our home in New York, and for its proximity to such sights as Kykuit, the former Rockefeller family estate, and the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, which inspired Washington Irving's shivery tale of the Headless Horseman. With its highly rated restaurant, Equus, secluded setting and lushly landscaped gardens, the Castle is a favorite site for weddings and formal events -- I even walked smack into a bride as I was checking in.

But while the Castle belongs to the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World association, on our visit it seemed more like a cross between Fawlty Towers and the Hogwarts School of Harry Potter fame, with a nice-enough staff but little evidence of management supervision, and a somewhat forbidding, grim atmosphere. Our tower suite, though spacious and well furnished, had dead bugs in the bathtub, fraying blinds in the bedroom windows and water that shot out of the faucets like a fire hose.

Designated as a historic hotel by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Castle on the Hudson has its own strange history, including a whiff of scandal: Built more than a century ago for a Civil War general's son, it later served as a headquarters for an investment-counseling business and housed a school. Then a Wall Street executive bought the property but had to give it up after being convicted and jailed for embezzling more than $70 million from clients of his then-employer, UBS. He'd used much of the money to buy and expand the Castle and turn it into a luxury hotel in 1997.

UBS, which ended up with the Castle, sold it in 2003 for $10.9 million to investor C. Dean Metropoulos. His sons, Daren and Evan, run the hotel, though they weren't in evidence during our stay. The general manager, Gilbert Baeriswil, whom I spoke to later (as usual I don't disclose my Wall Street Journal affiliation beforehand) apologized for the bugs, and said the blinds in the suite are being replaced as part of an ongoing refurbishing of rooms and suites. Water pressure is sometimes a problem because of the height of the tower, he explained.

I booked the hotel over the phone with a helpful woman who suggested the hotel's most special and romantic option, the $645-a-night Spire Suite, at the top of the tower. When I arrived in late afternoon, I checked in at the front desk with a manager who barely looked up from his papers to greet me, and who seemed generally distracted. (We had trouble getting the phone answered during our stay, and the place seemed thinly staffed; Mr. Baeriswil says there has been some turnover but it shouldn't have affected the service.)

A bellman helped with the luggage and directed me to the suite, which I might never have found otherwise: Getting there involved walking through the restaurant, ducking into a back service area, and taking the creaky and smelly elevator -- when it finally came -- to the top floor. Or rather, that was as high as the elevator went; to get to our suite, we had to walk up two flights of stairs, go through another door into a hallway chilly with air conditioning, and figure out which of three doors was ours.

Once in, the size of the suite impressed me: It had a huge living room and a long hallway (with an oddly placed second sink opposite the bathroom) leading into a bedroom with a four-poster bed. The best view over the Hudson was restricted because the windows were so narrow (made to resemble a real castle turret, the walls are too thick for their narrow window slits to be altered, the hotel says). Despite the space I found the room dimly lit and gloomy. Then I discovered the two large dead crawly insects in the tub, which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a while, and called down to the front desk. A young woman came and obligingly swabbed it down.

The hotel has scrapped plans to build a spa, but offers in-room treatments, and I had a nice massage on a somewhat rickety table the masseuse set up in the living room. The water shooting out of the faucets disconcerted me when I tried to wash up, but the shower, after a few spurts, worked fine.

My husband arrived in time for cocktails, so we headed down to the General's Bar and I had an excellent Cosmopolitan. Then we entered the restaurant, with its heavy oak beams, tapestries and hunting-lodge feel. Aside from a small wedding party in a private room, there weren't many other diners; we sat opposite the fireplace, its mantel carved to look like a boar's snout. I sent back my Atlantic Salmon trio appetizer -- a pile of too-oily, dense fish; the waiter very nicely brought me the Maryland crab cake appetizer as a substitute without extra charge.

Though we found the restaurant overly stuffy and formal -- and expensive, at $215 for two with tax and tip but not including wine -- we enjoyed the spiced marinated chicken breast, and bay scallops with soft mascarpone polenta, chanterelles and sweet corn with a truffle froth. Surprisingly, we also liked the avocado ice cream with cracked black pepper tuille. (Though Equus is nice, we'd recommend dinner at the much more atmospheric Blue Hill at Stone Barns in nearby Pocantico Hills, where much of the food comes straight out of the farm and gardens.)

By the time dinner was over, the hard rain that had begun made the Castle feel somewhat desolate. Next morning, the weather hadn't improved much, but we had breakfast in the light and airy Garden Room, overlooking the Castle's gardens and the Hudson River. Nobody else was dining, and it took awhile to get the sole waiter on duty.

We walked through the lovely gardens, past the pool (closed for the season) and tennis courts, admiring the hotel's unusual patio designed like a giant chessboard, with supersize pieces. The Castle has Internet access and plenty of space for events and conferences; besides six suites in the original building, the hotel has 24 guest rooms in a wing built in 1997 by the former owner with his ill-gotten gains. We peeped into the Great Hall, with its 40-foot vaulted ceiling and Gothic windows and heraldic motifs. Much as we admired the workmanship, we just couldn't shake the dark and ominous feel of the medieval theme.

After breakfast, as we pulled down the winding driveway toward the main road, I took one last look at the Castle -- half expecting to see the Headless Horseman come galloping through the yard.

Fall Stars

Here are some hotels celebrating autumn with special packages. Rates are for a standard double room, minus fees and taxes; packages are for one night, double occupancy, but restrictions may apply.

HOTEL/LOCATION/RATES: The Inn on the Biltmore Estate, Asheville, N.C., $289
FALL SPECIAL: Halloween-night "Fall into the Holidays" package, starting at $338, lets guests watch the arrival of the estate's 35-foot Christmas tree.
COMMENTS: With 8,000 acres, the estate promises you "never feel like you're running into a wedding." Not all guests agree.

HOTEL/LOCATION/RATES: Cloister at Sea Island, Sea Island, Ga., $725 through October
FALL SPECIAL: Fall package, starting at $495, includes sparkling wine upon arrival, a rose petal bath, and the choice of a round of golf or an hour-long spa treatment
COMMENTS: New hotel building opened in April, but guests will have to wait until late November to use the new spa. (The old spa remains open until then.)

HOTEL/LOCATION/RATES: Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, Sonoma, Calif., $229
FALL SPECIAL: "Autumn Girl's Getaway" package, starting from $629, includes spa credits and lunch.
COMMENTS: Some guests have noted car-repair and other modest shops near the hotel. A spokeswoman called the neighborhood "up and coming" and cited shuttle to downtown.

HOTEL/LOCATION/RATES: Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colo., $125
FALL SPECIAL: "Autumn in Aspen" package offers $125 rooms during the slower fall season.
COMMENTS: The hotel will address complaints of outdated rooms with a $40 million renovation starting next spring. (The hotel will be closed from April through November.)

HOTEL/LOCATION/RATES: The Wauwinet, Nantucket, Mass., $260
FALL SPECIAL: Cranberry Comfort package, starting at $260, offers hot cranberry cider, cranberry pudding; weekday activities include cooking demonstration, lobstering cruise.
COMMENTS: This 19th-century inn was rebuilt in the 1980s, but some guests still complain of small rooms. The hotel says guests can upgrade to a suite -- or spend time in the large library.
-- Ben Casselman