Small but majestically formed, Bath is unfettered by Bristol’s swagger – this Roman city has its own vibe going on.
Yes, it’s home to mystical healing waters, the ghost of Jane Austen and awesome Georgian architecture; but look behind what you see on the postcards and you’ll find a thriving food and drink scene serving up Michelin-starred cuisine, craft beer taprooms and Saturday night supper clubs.
Back streets crammed with artists, makers, film directors and traders creating wondrous work, plus luxury hotels, will inspire and make you want to stay forever.
The best hotels in Bath are:
Best for food: The Abbey, Booking.com
Best for spa: The Gainsborough Bath Spa, Booking.com
Best for cocktails: No.15 Great Pulteney, Booking.com
Best for design: The Bird, Booking.com
Best experience: At the Chapel, atthechapel.co.uk
Best for splashing out: The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, Booking.com
Best for rural bliss: The Pig, thepighotel.com
Best for food: The Abbey
Neighbourhood: Central Bath
The Abbey, occupying three 18th century townhouses and acquired by KE hotels earlier this year, has 62 gorgeous rooms including family and pooch friendly options. The ArtBar is perfect for cocktails, while the Abbey Hotel Kitchen offers a selection of dining options - including a Bridgerton-themed afternoon tea.
Price: Rooms from £125
Best for spa: The Gainsborough Bath Spa
Neighbourhood: Central Bath
Those Romans were onto something when they threw off their togas and slid into the soothing warm waters of the Bath spa. At The Gainsborough – the AA’s top hotel of 2017 – you’ll find the UK’s only natural thermal pools inside a hotel. Treatments include scrubs, facials and massage. The glorious 99-roomed hotel, located in the centre of Bath, is shrouded in history, and an entire collection of Roman coins was found during its construction, which is now on display in reception.
Price: From £234
Best for cocktails: No.15 Great Pulteney
Neighbourhood: Central Bath
The cocktail menu is a deck of cards and don’t be surprised when your drink is served up in a lightbulb or accompanied by a raw prawn. You don’t get much more Bath than a converted Grade I Georgian townhouse, and No.15 captures the city’s fun, creative spirit too. The 40-room hotel, which opened in 2016, oozes quirk: see Cafe 15 where hundreds of apothecary bottles line the walls, and the astonishing Lost Earring chandelier, created from thousands of lone earrings. Eating here is a dream too.
Price: Rooms from £121
Best for design: The Bird
Neighbourhood: Central Bath
Formerly The County Hotel Bath, The Bird is now owned by Ian and Christa Taylor – patrons of No.15 Great Pulteney Street. Named with the intention of being the place locals and visitors migrate to, the already swish hotel has had a lick of paint and looks very promising indeed. You’ll find oversized chandeliers, pale pink walls, a lively all-day bar/restaurant called The Roost, and seasonal fixtures such as a wintery Alpine lodge. Like No.15, the aim is to fill the place with lots of eye-popping local art. Book the Hot Tub Room to enjoy a private hot tub on your very own terrace.
Price: From £116
Best experience: At the Chapel
Neighbourhood: Bruton
Come and worship at the altar of fresh bread. Just south of Bath in the smart town of Bruton, this heavenly set of eight minimalist bedrooms around a bakery and restaurant has been created in a Grade II-Listed, 17th-century former chapel. Whatever your religion, the tranquility is tangible, and the smell of bread wafting from the bakery each morning makes it a carb-lover's nirvana. Wine is made by hand in the vineyard and winery, "with minimal intervention" and "maximum respect for nature and the environment". All the more reason to order another bottle.
Price: From £125 per night
Best for splashing out: The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
Neighbourhood: Central Bath
If you want history and glitz, the Royal Crescent is on Bath's most show-stopping street, location for many a BBC period drama. Housed in two impressive Grade I houses, the hotel offers tremendous views of the city and surrounding Cotswold hills. Each of the 45 suites and guest rooms tell a story of the famous guests who have stayed within these walls, from Amabel Wellesley-Coley to the Duke of York. Push the boat out with a Himalayan salt infused sauna, al fresco afternoon tea and bubbly at The Montagu Bar and Champagne Lounge.
Price: Doubles from £330
Best for rural bliss: The Pig near Bath
Neighbourhood: Hunstrete
The Somerset outpost of the ever-expanding Pig empire, this incarnation takes residence in a ravishing, laid-back Georgian house, surrounded by its own deer park. Sticking to the garden-to-plate formula, you can expect exquisite food all sourced from within a 25-mile radius. Rooms are beautifully undone and feature ‘larders’ full of enticing things to peck at. Check into the two-storey Hide which comes with a wood-burning stove, large monsoon shower and freestanding bath, and where the 80-strong herd of fallow deer are liable to join you for your morning coffee.
Price: Doubles from £210
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