Beautiful Bath

Just over two hours from home and we found ourselves in a beautiful hotel amidst the Somerset countryside. The hotel only has 21 rooms, an outdoor pool and spa facilities (sauna and steam room free of charge and treatments at an additional cost). We made the most of the hotel facilities on our first afternoon as the weather was warm and sunny and enjoyed an evening meal in a local pub. Unusually these days our full breakfast was cooked to order, a major plus in my book. There was plenty of choice included in our room rate, although if you want to push the boat out there were some more indulgent offerings on the menu for a small surcharge. Pastries, fruit and juice were available for us to help ourselves.

Although we were a party of adults we visited Longleat which had changed considerably from our last visit. The safari park is available as a self-drive or on a double decker bus (for an extra fee) and there were many animals to see. There are some other animals to see on a short boat journey or walking around the grounds. Longleat House was a little disappointing due to blinds at the windows blocking a fair amount of natural light and only sparse information about the contents and owners.

For me the highlight of our trip was the Roman Baths in Bath. When we first entered I thought we would only spend 30 minutes maximum, if we made it last. However we spent nearly two hours exploring the excavated roman baths and the surrounding area. History overload – it was wonderful! There was plenty of written information as you walked around, supporting and adding to the audio guide, which was included in the entry ticket. Bath itself is a beautiful city and we had to stop at the oldest house in the city – Sally Lunns - for an original Bath Bun!

All in all a great break, the weather was kind, but the hotel was the star for me!