Sister's escape to Bath
This past weekend myself and eldest sister took a road trip to Bath, I have been a couple of times before, but my sister had yet to visit this beautiful city, we planned a two-night stay giving us a full 24 hours to immerse ourselves in the history and scenic delights.
*No:15 Great Pulteney ££££
Our two nights were in The No:15 Great Pulteney, located just off Pulteney Bridge, the location is a gem if you plan to abandon your car a walking round Bath, which we did. We arrived after 5pm, were shown where we could leave the car free of charge and then shown to our room which was located at the top of the house.
Although small it was lovely, bright, and airy with a beautiful dolls house which held the tea and coffee facilities, if you are a vinyl fan there is a record player in each room, I loved this touch. On the second and ground floor there are “Pantries” these rooms are filled with free treats for guests to come and dip into any time of day or night……. Very dangerous indeed! The hotel was extremely up to date with all things COVID, whilst we were shown to our room it was done so in a socially distanced way, we were put in the lift and told which floor to select and then the poor, but probably very fit, front desk assistant had to leg it up to the top floor and await our arrival, we didn’t have to stand at a desk and be given our room key, everything was in the room, after a quick briefing of where things were and what times the restaurant, bar opened, she left us, probably to catch her breath! All staff wore masks and there are slate signs on every floor reminding people to respect each other's space.
It was only right that we paid a visit to the bar before heading out for food. It took us about 5 minutes to descend the floors from our room due to the hotel décor. Brushes, of all distinct kinds hung off the walls, elaborate chandeliers made up of gramophone trumpets, huge mirrors! It all had to be photographed.
Once in the bar the fun and funky décor continued, sitting at a table which was stuffed with all kinds of paraphernalia, watches, jewellery, beads, mirrors, it made a conversation as we gazed through the glass identifying all the goodies. The hotel is dog friendly, both dog lovers we struggled to make it out of the bar due the presence of Socks, a beautiful French bulldog. I vowed to return to the hotel with my fur baby!
Food!
*Tagine Zhor Restaurant, No booking ££
One of the reasons I love going away is simply to enjoy good food and having it bought to me in copious quantities, my favourite restaurant this trip was the Tagine Zhor Moroccan Restaurant, located just over Pulteney Bridge on 1a North Parade. We had slightly underestimated the need to book all our restaurants for evening dining in advance, what with the vast majority of folk remaining in Blighty for their summer hols, booking in for dinner was a must! However, we stumbled upon the Zhor, no booking needed. To say we enjoyed our meal is an understatement, with their traditional décor, music, and sublime food we felt like we’d been transported to Morocco itself. Don’t take my word for it, just go!
*Boston Tea Party £
For breakfast we loved the Boston Tea Party, it is a chain and has several cafes in Bath, the reason we loved it was choice. If you are trying to cater for non-dairy, vegan or cavemen then the BTP is the place for you, we went to both locations and enjoyed everything about it.
*Museums
Since my last visit I must be honest and say prices for The Roman Baths and other attractions have gone up a tad, this is not a surprise after the past two years dormant activity. Also booking in advance online is crucial, you don’t have to do it weeks before but to ensure you get the times and dates what you want I’d highly advise it.
*No.1 Royal Crescent, Book online £
We visited No.1 Royal Crescent; I have been before but wanted my sister to see it. They have changed the experience somewhat, due to COVID they no longer have someone waiting in each room to fill you with fantastic details of the house, it’s past occupants and what went on there. They have replaced these fonts of knowledge with a “Immersive experience” in which they play audio and visual recordings into the rooms so you can become part of the family, listening to the angst that the “season” in Bath bought with it. Although I enjoyed the experience, I did miss not having a physical being present to quiz further on Georgian shenanigans.
*Bath Abbey, No booking £
A trip to the Abbey is an absolute must, there is no official entrance fee, but a donation is appreciated. A warning to those who suffer from any severe neck issues, you spend a vast majority of your time wandering round with your head tilted towards the ceiling taking in its awesomeness. The history within the Abbey is as overwhelming as its structure, we took time to read tombs, photograph the huge stain glass windows and have a moment, many people were reflecting on the past couple of years, a perfect spot to do so.
*Gardens, No booking £
Parade Gardens sit in front of the Abbey…. well across the road. From here you get a great view of Pulteney Bridge and the weir, now although we didn’t visit the gardens during this trip due to good ole liquid sunshine, I have been in before, it is a £2 entrance fee for adults and £1 for a child, bag yourself a deckchair and sit soaking up the beautiful floral displays and hopefully sun!
*Shopping!
With so many boutique style shops accompanying the more well-known stores a good spree had to be done. It’s a lovely way to take in the city, all the little alleyways to explore lead you to parts of Bath you might not have seen already. We needed gifts and took the challenge of exploring every nook and cranny very seriously, a trip back to the hotel to drop of goodies was needed followed by a large cocktail at Browns, which has a lovely setting opposite the Abbey. A perfect end to a rather perfect trip.
Cheers.