The importance of finding the right luxury hotel for your retreat
Bang in the heart of the city’s bustle? Away from it all and lost in nature? A stepping-stone to delights elsewhere? Or somewhere self-contained, equipped with all the facilities anyone might need?
When you’re looking for the perfect weekend break, it’s best to be clear what you’re like and what you most value in your luxury hotel in Bath. The Queensberry Hotel’s perfectly placed for the best of both worlds: a short, easy stroll to Bath’s many delights and diversions, but sufficiently tucked away to represent a small oasis of calm and easy-on-the-eye sanctuary.
A Michelin star restaurant (you won’t find another in Bath), a small but interestingly-stocked bar serving delicious cocktails, sumptuous, individually-designed rooms, valet parking, some off-centre ideas, friendly people with excellent local knowledge: weekend breaks in Bath don’t come much lovelier than ours.
Location, location, location – the best areas to visit in Bath
Bath’s beautiful, compact and easy to tackle on foot. We’ll mention a little later on some its most memorable tours and experiences, but it’s also a city which richly rewards anyone wandering around, stopping often for refreshment, and looking up regularly to enjoy the city’s beauty.
So much of what you see is stand-out special and picture-perfect, it’s hard to narrow down your options, but one of the best places to start is Pulteney Bridge. Built in 1769, it has shops on both sides the way across and remains, after 250 years, a beautiful microcosm of what Bath’s striking architecture’s all about.
The Royal Crescent, The Circus, Prior Park Landscape Garden and The Assembly Rooms – as well as many others – are no less worthy of your time and attention, but as long as you set out with time, energy and curiosity, disappointment is more or less unthinkable.
(And if for you “seeing the sights” also means “seeing the shops”, or if your appreciation of beautiful buildings tends to lead you into beautiful buildings which just happen to be great pubs, bars and restaurants, well, Bath will more than cater to your tastes too … )
The ultimate luxury hotel experience – our service
When you’re thinking of the best hotels in Bath, it’s hard to look beyond our 29 individually designed and furnished rooms, in which our Georgian roots proudly show through, as does our love of sleek, chic, contemporary comfort. Sumptuous beds, state-of-the-art TVs and DAB digital radios, bathrooms (beautiful Bath House toiletries and soft white dressing gowns included) which make indolence inevitable: The Queensberry is part luxury hotel, part beautiful cocoon, and part the result of what happens when serious owners think hard about what guests really want, so instead of a minbar, for example, one of our friendly people will bring a freshly-prepared drink to your room, at any time of day or night.
The ultimate luxury hotel in Bath, The Queensberry is consistent with a relaxed, informal atmosphere underpinned by relentlessly high standards, which explains the complimentary shoeshine service, valet parking, bags being sent to you room, the free, hotel-wide WiFi and stacked up paperbacks and up-to-date glossies.
Immerse yourself in the city’s history and culture with guided tours
and experiences
Bath’s as rich in history as it is alive with contemporary culture.
For one thing, it’s where Jane Austen lived and wrote, where the Jane Austen Centre can be found and, since 2001, also home to the annual Jane Austen Festival.
As a counterpoint to this, Komedia’s here too, venue for local and national, comedians, whether they’re on the way up or well established. The Theatre Royal includes a studio theatre as well as The Egg (for children) and has a long tradition of blending what’s popular, cutting edge, comedic, serious, emergent and famous.
No 1 Royal Crescent is a museum based in, and on, a beautiful late 18th century townhouse, featuring an immersive experience which gives visitors a sense not just of how things looked, but how life actually was in the years 1776-1796.
Two experiences showcasing Bath’s darker side are not be missed either. Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein celebrates the fact the writer was living in Bath when, in 1816, she wrote “the first ever science fiction novel”. Set over four Georgian floors, the house blends elements of museum and immersive experience. And should shudders be up your (dark, cobbled) street, then why not try Bath Ghost Tours too?
Fine dining experiences
We haven’t done the research to prove this, but have a hunch that on a restaurants-per-square-mile basis, Bath must be as well-stocked with fine-dining treats as anywhere in the country.
Clearly we run one of them (and the only one with a Michelin star, which we may have mentioned before) but we’re also proud to be part of a thriving community of independent restaurants showcasing brilliant professionals working creatively with amazing ingredients. These four are randomly picked, but we could fill several blogs with this category alone, there are plenty of others where atmospheres, settings and menus vary, but excellence is a constant.
The Elder is based in a beautiful building; its “meat, fish and veg are grown or harvested humanely, carefully and with care”, and its venison is particularly renowned.
The Priory Hotel’s restaurant, enjoys three AA rosettes, brilliant views and offers “exciting, modern French dishes epitomising the best seasonal dining”.
Down historic Saville Row you’ll find Henry’s, where you’ll find “locally sourced ingredients, and a haven for food enthusiasts in a humble rustic atmosphere”.
If your tastebuds are begging for curry – and why wouldn’t they be? – then The Mint Room will tick their boxes: “daringly different, made with first-rate British ingredients with an enticing level of Indian flair … Each plate is exceedingly well-prepared and packed full of flavour”.
Planning your blissful luxury Hotel retreat – tips for booking and making the most of your stay
It’s aways been a good idea to book direct with us, but now more than ever: as a member of the Queensberry Club you’re entitled to exclusive benefits when booking and staying: there’s a welcome gift, a priority room upgrade (subject to availability) and discounted valet parking. But membership also entitles you to access to member offers and rates, as well as a reduced cancellation period.
