Standing proudly among one of the most iconic architectural buildings in the South West is the luxurious 5 star, The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa in Bath.
The elegant hotel retains the grandeur of the Georgian building while boasting modern facilities. I was very fortunate to spend a weekend in one of the hotel’s 18 suites and can safely say I did not want to leave!
The Hotel
The prominent crescent was designed by architect, John Wood the Younger and was built between 1767 and 1774. The hotel started as a guest house in 1950 at number 16 and in 1971 joined with number 15 to become The Royal Crescent hotel. There are also two apartments located in house 14 offering self catering facilities. The ornate décor runs throughout the hotel and into its very grand reception rooms, which include a drawing room and library. Even though every one of the hotel’s 45 bedrooms or suites is individually decorated, the classic feel of the 18th century origins is always present.
Three private gardens offer a welcoming setting, in warmer months, to enjoy an afternoon tea, while the spa garden can be exclusively enjoyed by spa guests to extend relaxation to the outdoors or to enjoy a meal in between relaxing and a new wedding garden is due to open in the spring of 2016 offering a beautiful setting for a ceremony.
The hotel prides itself on being pet friendly and also family friendly with a specially designed children’s menu in the restaurant and toy boxes, PlayStations and children’s DVDs available if required. All staff members at the hotel are as accommodating as they can be from the concierge to the receptionists to the waiting staff. Everyone we encountered during our stay was very friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.
Food and drink
While visiting the hotel I was fortunate to enjoy an evening’s meal (and breakfasts!) at The Dower House Restaurant. The 3 AA Rosette holding eatery is cared for by executive head chef, David Campbell, who produces delicious seasonal food in the stylish setting. For an in depth review of my evening see my full review here. The restaurant sits across the hotel’s private lawns in a building, which also houses The Montague Bar & Champagne Lounge, the Spa & Bath House and some private suites. The bar offers a relaxed environment in which to enjoy a pre dinner drink and also serves light meals during the day such as Caesar salad, duck fat beef burger and fish and chips. I enjoyed a tasty raspberry Champagne cocktail here as well as the relaxed atmosphere prior to my meal. I liked the style of the bar and lounge with its pale blue walls, walnut flooring, silver bar and low, beige tables and chairs.
Breakfast at The Dower House Restaurant was a real treat, and with views over the tranquil gardens, I could have stayed for hours. On my first morning I enjoyed a vegetarian breakfast with alternative sausages and bacon, a poached egg, beans, flat mushrooms and hash browns. The sausages were deliciously herby, the bacon tasty and the crispy hash browns and perfectly cooked eggs made for a winning start to my day. The next day I enjoyed a selection of treats, which consisted of some French bread, Swiss cheese, smoked cheese and mini pain au chocolates followed by spinach and poached eggs on hash browns, which was the perfect size to enjoy the continental offerings as well. Other breakfast options included continental meats, pastries, cereals, fruits and juices and hot items including waffles with maple syrup, Eggs Benedict and, of course, the full English breakfast.
Spa and Bath House
Personally I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a Saturday afternoon than relaxing in a pool so that’s what I did here! While my fellow guest, Nick enjoyed a full body massage, which included a face and scalp massage, I swam and relaxed in the long pool, in one of the two cooling wooden baths and in the scented steam room. The secluded setting of the pool room adds to the relaxed feel and for those looking to get into something more active during their stay there is a gym with state of the art equipment. Other spa facilities include a sauna while treatments on offer range from a hot stone massage to a pedicure to an ESPA body wrap. Certainly worth a visit or two during a stay!
Suite
My suite was situated in the centre of The Royal Crescent offering great views over the city of Bath as well as hosting a large lounge, a bedroom with a four poster bed, bathroom and private hallway. Each room was decorated in shades of browns, beige and cream and exude elegance and luxury. The spacious lounge offered panoramic views from 2 large windows and housed a spacious sofa, two armchairs, coffee table, desk, grand fireplace, TV, a table and chairs and extras such as a Nespresso machine and chess board with fantastic carvings of past kings and queens and castles etc. A similar theme runs through to the bedroom with the grand four poster bed offering Nick and I a wonderfully comfortable night’s sleep. Wallpaper with a map design, a dressing table and mirror, 2 more large windows and another TV were extra features of the bedroom. The bathroom offered a double sink feature and marble décor and a large double wardrobe and chest of drawers offered plenty of storage space. The extra details like floral prints in the lounge and glistening lamps in the bedroom made me feel truly comfortable and at home during my stay.
I used the ever-reliable Great Western Railway service to journey to and from my home and Bath. With friendly service and large, reclining seats in a clean carriage, I would be hard pushed to find something to niggle about when using this rail company.
Bath itself offers a wide range of activities and sights to partake in including the famous Thermae Spa, Roman Baths and an array of museums offering an insight to the city’s interesting past. The 600 year old Bath Abbey, Theatre Royal, Assembly Rooms and plenty of shops are other ways in which to make the most of this glorious place.
In a nutshell
The epitome of luxury, The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa gives you grand and comfortable rooms you never want to leave, food so delicious you wish you could eat it every day and a spa so indulgent it would be the only thing you would leave your room for.
Address: The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, 16 Royal Cres, Bath BA1 2LS / 01225 823333
Natasha’s visit to The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa was kindly organised by Bath Tourism Plus – the official tourism website for Bath and beyond.
