Bath - Somerset

The first thing that strikes you when you arrive in Bath is its beauty – the city has over 5000 listed buildings and has been nestled in a sheltered valley between the Cotswolds and the Mendips since 43AD, when the Romans chanced upon the naturally occurring hot springs and decided to build themselves a place to relax and bathe in between building their empire and fighting the locals. Fast forward a couple of thousand years and my girlfriend and I headed to Bath for a weekend of modern day relaxation and bathing.

Wandering through the city centre we passed row upon row of stunning Georgian buildings, one of which housed our hotel, the Queensberry. At first glance, the Queensberry’s exterior looks nothing out of the ordinary by Bath standards but inside it’s clear that the owners have gone to a huge amount of effort to create a relaxing and friendly atmosphere with décor that is at once understated and very impressive.

The hotel was created by knocking together a number of townhouses, and the interior retains an intimate and boutique feel that you certainly don’t get at most corporate-owned establishments. The rooms are all individually designed and we were very impressed with ours, which was turned out in cream and dark brown hues, had a big sofa (as all the rooms do) for lounging about on and whose bed was large enough to sleep about seventeen people.

The Queensberry has a delightful terrace at the rear which is perfect for drinks before dining at its excellent restaurant, the Olive Tree [link to restaurant review], which is also the site for the hotel’s fantastic breakfast, a highlight of which is the Olive Tree’s own homemade granola, spotted with bright green pistachios and absolutely delicious.

As we were in Bath to sample the innumerable methods of relaxation at our disposal, our first stop on Saturday afternoon was at Champney’s, a day spa recently opened in the centre of town. Champney’s run a number of spa resorts and the Bath branch is like a mini version, perfect for dropping in for a treatment during an afternoon’s shopping. I had a back, shoulder and neck massage while my girlfriend had a pedicure. Both were fantastic and I left feeling so relaxed I was just about ready for bed.

Unfortunately, bed wasn’t an option as we were off to visit the Roman Baths, one of Bath’s crowning glories. The baths may be almost 2000 years old, but they are in remarkably good shape and the site still flows with natural hot water which makes you want to dive right in. In any case, there’s a lot to marvel at, including the ruins of the temple of Minerva, goddess of the thermal spring, the steaming Great Bath and the Sacred Spring, the source of the naturally hot water which still bubbles up over a million litres of water per day.

Having visited the Roman version, we were keen to sample a real spa the next day. Luckily for us, Bath is home to the Thermae Bath Spa, which is Britain’s only natural working thermal spa. The £40 million Thermae was incorporated into existing Georgian spa buildings and the design perfectly fuses ancient and modern. There are 20 treatment rooms offering a wide and exotic range of facials and massages including Watsu, an intriguing type of body massage that originated in California, which is carried out while you float in the Thermae’s Hot Bath. A tip: if you’re going to Bath and fancy booking a specific treatment at the Thermae, book early – many sessions are already fully booked until September.

Upstairs from the Hot Bath is the steam room, which contains four separate steam pods, each with a different aroma so you can choose which one best suits your mood (our favourite was the peppermint and eucalyptus), a massage shower in the centre of the room and a number of individual foot spas round the edge where you can sit back and enjoy the bubbles.

The pièce de résistance of the Thermae, however, is the rooftop pool, full of naturally warm and mineral-rich water and with views across the Georgian rooftops to the green hills beyond. You could easily spend half a day up there, such is the soothing and tranquil quality of the location and the water itself. It really is a unique experience and one absolutely not to be missed when visiting Bath. We spent a good few hours lounging in various pools, pods and baths and came out refreshed and revitalised.

Before we left, there was just time to fit in a visit to Bath’s oldest house, Sally Lunn’s, which has been serving tea for over three hundred years. Its speciality is the Sally Lunn Bun, a semi-sweet large round bun a little like brioche that was invented by the eponymous Sally when she arrived in England as a refugee from France in the early 18th century. The food may not be haute cuisine but the surroundings, the friendly service and the cute little museum (with a credit crunch-busting entry fee of 30p) make it well worth a visit for afternoon tea.

There is so much more to do and see in Bath that we couldn’t fit in – the Jane Austen museum, a shrine to Bath’s most famous resident; numerous bars; Bath Abbey; the fashion museum; the endless shops, so many of which are unique to Bath; Jamie Oliver’s new Italian restaurant – but we came for a weekend of relaxation and that we certainly had. We returned to London content and already keen to go back. Bath feels like another world: unspoilt, charming and highly recommended if you want to experience the more tranquil side of life.

Oliver Humphrey, trainee lawyer, Lovells LLP

Factbox:

Oliver stayed at The Queensbury - a privately owned luxury contemporary boutique hotel in the centre of the of Bath. Situated just a few minutes walk from Bath’s many attractions including Thermae Bath Spa, The Queensberry provides a perfect base from which to explore all that Bath, and the surrounding area, has to offer. The Queensberry is one of Bath's top hotels: www.thequeensberry.co.uk

www.visitbath.co.uk