A couple of weeks ago my boyfriend and I headed to the city of Bath in Somerset for the weekend, after years of really wanting to visit! It's one of those places that feels like it's not in the UK, mainly because it's just so different from any other city I've been to! The architecture is just something else and I loved being able to visit all the spots I'd seen only in photos and movies.
We were kindly given a press pass by the lovely people at Visit Bath, meaning we could visit all the local hot spots and get some photos! So, I've put together a little guide for Bath, showing some of the places we loved especially!
Quite possibly one of the most beautiful hotels in England I've seen, the Macdonald Bath Spa hotel is actually the reason we decided to spend the weekend in Bath! We were kindly invited to stay in one of their gorgeous UK hotels and as I've always wanted to go to Bath it seemed only right to pick this one!
The hotel is absolutely gorgeous, located in a large mansion just on the edge of the city center. It's about a 15 minute walk into the center of town which meant we could easily get everywhere without having to drive. The rooms were lovely and clean and it also has a pool and spa, where I was luckily treated to a full body massage on our arrival evening (FYI, it was heavenly!).
Breakfast was also seriously good (as you know I'm a huge fan of breakfast!) and we very much stuffed our faces at the buffet!
The hotel has the most beautiful gardens too, I can imagine it would be a lovely wedding venue!
We stopped at the Roman Baths Kitchen for lunch on our first day (when I was starting to get a little bit hangry...) and it was really delicious! Classic English food that wasn't too expensive but very tasty. I'd definitely recommend if you're looking for a quick lunch stop! It's also right next door to a Christmas shop...just sayin'.
As part of our stay at the hotel we also got to dine at the hotel's restaurant, Vellore, which is a double AA rosette rated dining location! They have a set menu as well as a la carte and all of the food was delicious. The dessert (a white chocolate delice) was especially yummy! I could definitely eat it now.
I'd definitely recommend it if you're in Bath for a special occasion and looking for a more fancy restaurant. It was lovely to spend our anniversary weekend there!
Probably the most famous of Bath's many crescents (and also my favourite!) is the Royal Crescent - a 500 foot long row of Grade I Listed terrace houses that is pretty gorgeous! If you head there in the Spring there is also a very stunning wisteria bush that just adds even more magic to it! If you don't get the time to visit all of the crescents, this one is definitely a must!
Set on the outskirts of the city is the beautiful Prior Park with its amazing landscape gardens. We decided to walk here, which as it turns out was a huge mistake as it's quite far and we ended up walking all the way to the top of a hill to get in, when in fact there was an entrance at the bottom!
However, the view was worth it and you get to see the whole city from the top! My favourite part had to be the palladian bridge, which was like something out of a fairytale. It's such a pretty location and definitely worth stopping by.
You can't really have a trip to Bath without visiting this beautiful location! The Roman Baths are just iconic and it's incredible to explore and learn all about the history of them. Unfortunately you can't bathe in the water (you wouldn't really want to, to be honest!) but if you visit the Thermea Bath Spa then they have filtered the hot springs so that they are fit for bathing purposes. Sadly we didn't get to visit there, but maybe next time!
Another stunning crescent in Bath is The Circus, located just a stone's throw away from the Royal Crescent. This one consists of three curved segments, a bit like a key hole when you look at it from the sky! One of my favourite facts about it is that it is said The Circus and Royal Crescent are joined by a ley-line and their design represents the sun and moon. How magical is that?!
I hope you enjoyed this little look into our weekend in Bath and that it's given you some inspiration to visit this gorgeous city! Be sure to head to Visit Bath if you want any more suggestions of places to visit. I only wish we had had longer to spend there, as there is really so much to do!
Our stay at the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel was provided complimentary, however all opinions are my own. We were also kindly gifted a press pass from Visit Bath allowing us access to the attractions, but again all opinions are my own.