ATALE of TWO CITIES Discover the vibrant tapestry of Bristol and the timeless elegance of Bath, each offering their own unique charms
WHAT do actor Cary Grant, artist Banksy and author JK Rowling all have in common? They were all born in Bristol, the largest city in the south-west of England.
Located 200km west of London, Ryanair and Aer Lingus offer cheap and quick regular flights between Ireland and Bristol, and the airport is just a swift 15 minutes from the city centre. Take a ferry, and you can drive to Bristol from Holyhead in about four hours.
You can keep it Irish by staying at the Bristol Hotel, part of the Doyle Hotel Group. For about €120 a night, I wasn’t expecting The Ritz, but I was constantly surprised by nice little touches during my twonight stay.
The bed was one of the most comfortable I’ve slept in, and although some sounds from Bristol’s lively clubs seeped into my room, the view of the river with twinkling fairy lights from the trees and ferris wheel made up for the distant sound of a bass bin. It was the weekend, after all.
I’m a coffee snob, so normally I brace myself for the hotel breakfast coffee, but here I had the very best of the trip, served in the equally lovely, naturally lit double-height restaurant facing the river. In spring and summer, the terraces open up, and you can dine on the waterfront.
As far as standard hotel breakfasts go, this was truly great. The location is faultless too. I had my two little rescue dogs with me on the trip and the staff couldn’t have been kinder.
Whether you like the idea of dogs in your hotel or not, the ‘hound pound’ is a hugely growing industry. Most establishments are realising they are missing out if they don’t accommodate pooches, and the Bristol Hotel did a great job with my two.
With or without your dog, there is a small park on one side of the hotel and lovely riverside walks on the other. Walk to Cabot Tower in about 15 minutes and get a bird’s-eye view of the city.
Bristol Castle is good for a stroll and a bit of local history, as is the gorgeous stroll around the university and cathedral. If you do have a dog with you, lots of lovely people will stop to pet them and possibly tell you stories about their dogs. Bristol is almost as petcrazy as London.
Because I was travelling with my dogs, I researched the nicest of the caninefriendly spots for dinner and chose The Harbour House
(hhbristol.com) — it turned out to be an excellent choice. They sat us in a quiet corner with lovely soft armchairs, and we people-watched for the evening as the place filled up. The restaurant area has sofas, soft lighting, great music, helpful staff and great food, and the menus are very focused on sustainability, so all the food is locally sourced and seasonal.
It also has a bar area with a big selection of local beers and ales. It is the kind of place you would come for lunch and want to stay for dinner. It opens on to the waterfront too in the summer.
Another culinary highlight was set in a grade-two-listed, designated English Heritage building dating back to 1869. Thankfully, The Granary’s
(granarybristol.com) food and atmosphere lived up to its impressive surroundings. Book in advance because this place is popular with locals and tourists.
A great balance of small plates, mains and lots of interesting fired sourdough flatbreads to choose from, the focus is on smoked, open-grill style. Breakfast, all-day and evening menus are available. I was thrilled with our little dog-friendly area, which was extremely comfortable.
If you are lucky with the weather, aimlessly rambling through Bristol sunshine is hard to beat — everywhere feels very pedestrian-friendly. Visit the bric-a-brac or farmers’ markets by large indoor St Nicholas Market, sprawled out on a couple of streets.
If you have some extra time — in particular if you are travelling with kids, dogs or both — you could look at a quick drive outside of Bristol to the four-star Aztec Hotel and Spa (aztechotelbristol. co.uk).
It is not the prettiest building from the outside, but it reveals its beauty when you enter through the main doors and on into the bar area, which has exposed
wooden beams with doubleheight ceilings, open fires, comfortable sofas and a two AA Rosette award-winning restaurant, Curious Kitchen. The food was excellent, and if you stay in the cosy bar area, well-behaved dogs will be allowed to join you for dinner.
Further in, there’s a buzzy main bar area where young couples come from surrounding areas for the great food and spa facilities. There’s also a large main restaurant with a huge veranda that opens out to a large decked area. The spa boasts a full-size pool, sauna, steam rooms and plenty of fun for kids.
The weekends are very family-friendly, so if you aren’t bringing kids, pick a quieter time.
The rooms are a bit dated, but the great price, friendly staff, excellent food and generous breakfast easily made up for that.
From Bristol, Bath is about 20km to the east, with the picturesque city situated on the River Frome and the River Avon.
We stayed at the luxury boutique hotel, Roseate Villa (rooms from €140, roseatehotels.com). It’s a Victorian villa built in 1868 with 30 stylish rooms, less than 10 minutes’ walk to the famous Roman Baths. Be prepared for stairs, as this is a period villa, so there’s no elevator.
There’s carpet everywhere too, so it’s not ideal for dogs with muddy paws, but luckily we kept an eye on things and didn’t cause any fuss.
There is a lovely little park across the road, which is ideal for a morning stroll. Again, the location is perfect if you want to walk everywhere. The very cute Henriette Bar on site is a great choice if you fancy a quiet nightcap. Seek out the talented Chris, who is the bar manager there, and he will whip you up a cocktail worthy of the Savoy or the Connaught. If you get used to the comforts of Roseate Villa, with nice touches like UK-brand Penhaligans products in the bathroom, it also has other locations in Reading, Edinburgh and London.
There are lots of good food and coffee choices just a few minutes away.
The weather was so mild that I took the dogs to the French bistro Chez Dominique and sat at a table outside. Dogs are not welcome inside, but we were lucky with the mild weather, and I was glad to have the chance to dine here.
It offers good service and great food, with a lovely mix of seasonal plates on offer. The impromptu alfresco dining worked well because the dogs love saying hello to everyone passing by, and we discovered Bath is as dogfriendly as Bristol, with lots of people stopping to give them a pet.
Town + House by Always Sunday (astownhouse.com) is another option, just a few minutes from Roseate Villa. With seasonal food, wellcrafted cocktails, and an award-winning Sunday roast, it was actually voted into the top 10 national roasts in the UK.
THREE hot springs can be found beneath Bath city: the King’s Spring, supplying the Roman Baths, and the Hetling and Cross Springs, which can be bathed in at Thermae Bath Spa. The famous Royal Crescent is also a main attraction.
Don’t overlook the Jane Austen Museum, even if it’s just to grab a selfie with the lady on the steps.
The shop is full of very cute cards and souvenirs, and the museum is fun, informative and full of props from famous film adaptations of her books. There is even a dressup box where you can have fun photos taken in period dress.
TRAVEL FACTS Ryanair (ryanair.com) and Aer Lingus (aerlingus.com) both fly to Bristol from several Irish airports from €32 return. For more information see visitbath. co.uk and visitbristol.co.uk.