The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa

Style

Georgian perfection

Setting

Atmospheric Bath

The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa has perfect proportions, cobblestones underfoot and the views of the honey-coloured city of Bath. Sitting in the center of the famous crescent street, the hotel epitomises English elegance – a neoclassical delight inside and out, with fine dining, an even finer spa and consistently first-class service.

Facilities

Rooms

45, including 17 suites.

Checkout

11am. Earliest check-in, 3.30pm.

More Details

Rates include English breakfast (or Continental, if preferred) and full use of the spa.

Fitness Center

Free Internet Access

Laundry

Pet Friendly

Pool

On-Site Restaurant

Room Service

Spa

At the Hotel

Spa, state-of-the-art gym and exercise studio, croquet lawn, parking (albeit limited), free WiFi. In rooms: TV, iPod docks, free bottled water, Nespresso machine (in Deluxe and Master suites), Dyson hair dryer, Jo Loves bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

The grand Sir Percy Blakeney Suite (a Master Suite) has a vast drawing room – all neutrals and golds – and a handsome (decorative) fireplace, and is the only suite with both the hotel’s magnificent views: the park and trees fading into the distance in front, and the hotel’s beautiful gardens and one-time coachhouse buildings at the foot of the city rising up behind. The bedroom’s a tasteful pink-and-white confection, four-poster and all. In the coachhouses’ conservatory extension, the capacious Beau Nash Suite (a Deluxe Suite) has a charming living room that opens out onto the gardens.

Poolside

A dip in the indoor pool, in the spa building below a high stone ceiling, is so peaceful it’s verging on a religious experience (the church-like vaulted windows add to the effect). It's open for dips between 7am and 9pm (from 8am at weekends).

Spa

The Royal Crescent's Bath House is a genteel, wood- and stone-lined spa with five treatment rooms, including one for couples. It's housed in a converted coach house close to the main hotel; there are two pools to match your mood: the relaxation pool, which lives up to its name; and the vitality pool, which aims soothing massage jets at tense backs; after you've soaked to serenity, head to the sauna infused with Himalayan salt, or the steam room with calming mint and eucalyptus vapours. The spa menu is a tempting read, with facials, spa rituals, massages and body scrub and wraps; booking in advance is essential. Top off your treatment with a mani-pedi by Jessica Nails. Under-16s can only use the pool during school holidays and at restricted times; the Spa & Bath House is otherwise adults-only.

Packing Tips

Bring your binoculars to spy hot-air balloons as they fly by overhead – or to people watch if you’ve a room with a park-side view. Even if you’re not in Bath to take the waters, remember your swimwear – the spa pool here is spectacularly tempting.

Also

Exclusive use of the entire hotel – all 45 rooms, and 110 staff, as well as the gardens, spa and Dower House restaurant – can be arranged.

Children

Welcome; cots (free) and extra beds (£100 a night, including breakfast, for three-to 17-year-olds) can be added to all but the Classic Rooms. Under-16s are only allowed to use the pool at certain times during school holidays, otherwise it’s adults-only.

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

Grab a table in the garden, weather permitting. The colour of the sun setting on Bath stone makes for a delightful backdrop. During winter, the heated outdoor terrace makes for a cosy setting.

Dress Code

You don’t technically need to dress for dinner (although the restaurant’s the one place you can’t wander into in your robe, fresh from the spa), but it’s quite an elegant setting so you can break out your finery without feeling overdressed.

Hotel Restaurant

Rich colour palettes and whimsical wallpapers set an ensconcing opening scene at the hotel’s main restaurant, Montagu’s Mews. It’s here that head chef Martin Blake showcases his talents, spinning salmon from the Scottish coast, oysters from Cornwall’s Camel Estuaries, Wiltshire-reared beef, and tomatoes grown in the sun-drenched Arreton Valley into elevated, seasonal staples. À la carte options are most common, but six-course tasting dinners are available (6pm to 9pm) should you want a taste of it all.

Breakfast is just as British, with full spreads that feature smoked back bacon, black pudding, sausages, mushrooms and eggs; as well as lighter options, like berry-topped yoghurts and handmade pastries. And if that hasn’t already earned a royal seal of approval, afternoon tea brings delicate finger sandwiches, scones and loose-leaf teas front and centre.

Hotel Bar

They’ll mix anything you like (the classic negronis are perfect) and the blue-and-gold bar across the hall from the restaurant’s a pleasant place to sit and sip a while. Montagu's Mews also has a team of expert mixologists who are on-call for all your cocktail needs.

Last Orders

Breakfast is served from 7am to 10.30am; lunch from 12.30pm until 4.30pm (afternoon tea ends at 4pm) and dinner is from 5.30pm to 9.30pm.

Room Service

Available round the clock.

Planes

The nearest airport is Bristol International, which is a 45-minute drive from the hotel. London Heathrow is an hour and a half away and Gatwick is three hours.

Trains

Trains from London Paddington head directly to Bath Spa and take an hour and 20 minutes. From the station, the distance is under a mile and transfers to and from the hotel can be arranged for £5 to £10.

Automobiles

The nearest motorway is the M4, which will deliver you all the way from London. There's a garage at the back of the hotel and valet parking is included in the rate (subject to availability). Alternatively, street permits are also available.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

Bath is best known for its baths, of course, but it’s home to a host of other genteel-city-stay attractions, too. For a start, just strolling the streets and admiring the elegant architecture is a delight; and Royal Victoria Park, rolling gently downhill from the crescent, is a glorious spot for picnics, kickabouts or just lazing around. Or, Bath Skyline Meadows is an idyllic alternative for dog walkers.

The famed Roman Baths & Pump Room Royal, with their natural hot springs, are worth a visit, and if you’re a fan of genteel literary heroines then you’re probably already planning your pilgrammage to the Jane Austen Centre, a few minutes’ walk from the crescent. The hotel reserves the best two seats in the house for Saturday night performances at the Theatre Royal. Right on your doorstep (well, slightly to the left) is No 1 Royal Crescent museum, where you’ll learn everything there is to know about the history of your prestigious address.

If you're keen to see the city from a different perspective then consider the hotel's balloon flight partnership with Taittinger, which will see you drift over Bath's higgledy-piggledy streets Mary Poppins-style at dawn or (a more sociable) dusk. The flight includes champagne (but of course) and either breakfast, afternoon tea or dinner at the Dower House Restaurant.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .