A Perfect Stay
Rooms with class in Bath
Summer is the best time to appreciate Bath’s gorgeous sandstone Georgian architecture and fine setting. Nestled in a bowl surrounded by green hills, the city is compact, with scenic walks on its fringes, notably along the National Trust’s Bath Skyline Walk. You could also take an unusual bike ride out of the city via former train tunnels on the Two Tunnels Circuit. Bath has five fabulous luxury hotels; the Bath Priory and Royal Crescent in particular have lovely gardens, making them perfect for a summer stay. Fred Mawer
1 Royal Crescent
The Royal Crescent has the best possible location in Bath. It overlooks lawns and one end of Victoria Park, Bath’s main green lung, and the city centre is a very pleasant five to 10-minute walk away. Curvaceous staircases overseen by classical busts, lounges with chandeliers and oil paintings, and extravagant suites with elaborate stuccoed ceilings set the elegant tone. Behind lies the hotel’s lovely, hidden acre of garden, with mature trees and shrubs, and wooden tables and chairs on the lawn. Doubles from £265 telegraph.co.uk/royalcrescent
2 The Gainsborough Bath Spa
The Gainsborough is right in the heart of the town, a short walk from the station. The modern Thermae Bath Spa is across the road. Care has been taken to build on the hotel’s elegant Georgian characteristics by introducing a sensitive blend of the traditional and the contemporary under the auspices of the New York-based firm Champalimaud Design. High ceilings (18ft) and tall windows are a feature of many of the 99 gloriously light-filled rooms and suites, which are decorated in muted “Georgian” blues and browns. Doubles from £395 telegraph.co.uk/gainsboroughbathspa
3 The Bath Priory
The location is very tranquil, in an upmarket residential area in western Bath. Royal Victoria Park, a beautiful outdoor area, is a five-minute walk away. The crunch of gravel in the courtyard in front of the late-Georgian, Bath stone mansion, and the sweeping lawns, giant cedar trees and heated outdoor swimming pool in the three acres of gardens to the rear, deliver countryhouse style in spades. As do the hotel’s comfortable and elegant restaurant and plush lounges, with their ticking clocks, real fires and colonial-era militaristic and sporting paintings. Doubles from £155 telegraph.co.uk/bathpriory
4 MacDonald Bath Spa
The hotel, top right, stands at the end of a long drive overlooking lawns and giant cedar trees. At its core is a Greek Revival mansion built in 1836. Public areas – notably the Vellore Restaurant in the former ballroom, and the drawing room with pillars, cornicing and oil paintings – are plush and stately. Most of the 129 bedrooms are in the modern wing but there are individual, more spacious “Feature” rooms and suites in a Georgian wing and separate building. Doubles from £135 telegraph.co.uk/macdonaldbathspa
5 The Queensberry
The hotel, below, is spread over four interconnected Georgian townhouses on a quiet residential street, just north of the centre, up from the Assembly Rooms. While Bath’s other luxury hotels are ultra-traditional, The Queensberry – its first owner was the eighth Marquess of Queensberry – is, despite its 18thcentury surroundings, thoroughly modern in look. The 29 bedrooms are very individual. Striking details – a shagpile bedspread, a silvercoloured pelmet over a bed, boldly designed cushions – combine successfully with an understated palate of creams, browns and greys, modern furnishings and elegant Georgian proportions. Doubles from £175 telegraph.co.uk/telegraph.co.uk/thequeensberry