After a busy few hours of retail therapy and sightseeing in the beautiful and bustling city of Bath, it is important to have somewhere comfortable to rest up and reflect on the joys of the day.
Set in a handsome honey-coloured Georgian Terrace, Hotel Indigo Bath is the perfect base from which to explore the city. The Grade 1 listed boutique hotel soaks up the history, romance and literature, which can all be enjoyed just a few steps away.
The hotel’s communal spaces and each of its 154 rooms have a contemporary design which reflects the influences of the architects and novelists who made Bath famous for its storytelling and passionate social scene. These include ‘Romance & Mischief’ rooms, ‘Literary Hideaway’ rooms, ‘Architectural Beauty’ rooms, ‘Garden’ rooms and ‘The Vaults’. I rather enjoyed the quirky Alice In Wonderland style theme of my Superior Master bedroom while still managing to maintain the opulence fitting of the hotel’s luxury four star credentials.
Our rooms were equipped with comfy Hypnos beds with luxury Egyptian cotton linen, spacious spa-inspired bathrooms, high speed Wi-Fi and a variety of channels to enjoy on a 40” flat screen TV – for those with the time!
I appreciated – and took full advantage of – the in-room complimentary mini bar containing beers, wine, soft drinks and water, as well as a plentiful supply of hot drink sachets and Nespresso coffee machine with pods and biscuits.
While taking a few minutes out from the busy schedule of a weekend tourist to enjoy the refreshments while admiring the historical views from my chaise longue, I felt the stresses of modern life begin to ebb away.
When fully refreshed, it is an added bonus to discover the hotel’s central location makes it incredibly easy to enjoy most of the city’s sights, from medieval Bath Abbey, Roman Baths, Pultney Bridge and breathtaking Royal Crescent to the modern-day galleries, museums and eclectic shopping scene.
When it’s time for some well-earned sustenance, there seems no shortage of excellent chain and independent restaurants dotted throughout the city. But we were invited to stay a little closer to ‘home’ and sample the hospitality of The Elder Restaurant and Bar.
With access both from the street and via the hotel, it is independently run and owned by restaurateur Mike Robinson with a focus on sustainability, seasonality, locally-sourced and wild produce. This is also where our delicious breakfast was served. Hotel guests can also have a drink and snack at the bar throughout the day.
This proved to be a sumptuous yet informal dining experience as well as a culinary journey of discovery from a knowledgeable and passionate team who take the time to describe the ingredients and dishes as they’re presented to us.
If, like us, time is precious during your short city break, be sure to prioritise with a bit of self-indulgence in the form of Bath’s famous Thermae Spa.
Many people’s incentive for visiting the city (although there is SO much more going for it), is the spa’s rooftop pool where you can enjoy spectacular views over the city and its surrounding hills. From someone who’s been lucky enough to enjoy a goodly number of spa experiences, this one is truly unique.
No wonder then that we struggled to drag ourselves away from this calm-inducing oasis. Be sure though to check out the Spa’s other multi-sensory wellness suites, including an Infrared Room, invigorating Ice Chamber, Aroma Steam Rooms and even a Celestial Relaxation Room with heated loungers.
In the basement, you can find the Minerva Bath, incorporating whirlpool, massage jet and gentle lazy river.
Both Minerva and the Rooftop Pool are fed by the naturally warm, mineral-rich waters that gave the city its name. The water fell as rain around 10,000 years ago and then sank to a depth of about 2kms below the Earth’s surface. Here it is heated by high temperature rocks to an estimated 69° Centigrade (156° Farenheit) before rising back up through one of the three springs in the centre of the city.
I could have happily settled in here for the rest of the day – but there was too much exploring to be done and too little time.
Spa towns have inspired literature through the years, and none more so than Bath which plays a central role in books by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Mary Shelley amongst others. Jane Austen resided in a number of properties in Bath for five years and even set two of her six published novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, in the city.
It’s a city I have fallen in love with and is genuinely high on the list for retirement relocation options! But as that is, thankfully, a few years off, I will definitely be returning in the meantime. And when I do, Hotel Indigo Bath will once again be the residence of choice.
A great way to get a handle on what Bath is really all about, is by jumping aboard the Tootbus Open-Top Bus Tour. A great option too for hopping on and off at various points of interest.
Other attractions which should be high on your to-do list whilst in Bath:
The Pump Rooms
The Roman Baths
Bath World Heritage Centre
Bath Abbey
The Jane Austen Centre
The Holburne Museum
Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein
Royal Victoria Park
American Museum and Gardens
Museum of Bath at Work
Herschel Museum of Astronomy
Visit Bath at: Bath’s Official Tourism Information Site | Visit Bath
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