Boutique hotels in Bath: Get ready for your own authentic Bathonian experience

Quintessentially British, Bath Priory is a must visit if you want your break in Bath served with a side of pampering. Tucked away from the city centre, it sits on a four-acre garden, which in the spring is the perfect place for one of those #wisteriahysteria photographs that Instagram is flooded with when those purple buds start blooming. If you like your flowers this is English garden territory, with everything from bluebells and cherry trees and daffodils to keep the colour going. There’s also a heated pool at the bottom of the garden, which is perfect if you visit in the sunshine.

Said to offer some of the best food in Bath, the restaurant is a foodie haven. Former Michelin star awarded, it has both a seven-course tasting menu and a fancy à la carte. If you want a more informal meal, The Pantry is also on hand for brasserie pub-style dishes.

Rooms and their decor will take you back in time, think original period furniture, artwork, fireplaces and squishy sofas. Premier Deluxe rooms enjoy a more contemporary setting with recent redesign. The ochre walled Lounge is my favourite space, it’s packed with the hotel owners’ family collection of 20th-century art and plenty of books and newspapers.

A must-visit is the The Garden Spa, offering a taste of France as the only L’Occitane spa in England. There are plenty of pamper options but also an indoor pool, sauna, steam room and relaxation room (which is a personal fave when they swing the doors open to the garden and whack on some fancy French tunes on the sound system).

Spreading across four of those honey-coloured Georgian houses that are so typical of Bath, The Queensberry is the perfect escape for couples – it’s discreet, private and serves breakfast to your door so you can enjoy it in bed.

Sitting in a stellar location just a short walk from the Royal Crescent and the city centre, The Queensberry Hotel is named after its original owner, the 8th Marquess of Queensberry. Its classic setting is mixed with a grown-up, Farrow & Ball aesthetic, with contemporary colours and modern art hung on the walls.

If it’s sunny there’s no better place than the terrace, but inside it’s all about the basement’s Olive Tree Restaurant for fine food. If you’d rather head outside and explore Bath, there’s an information folder in your bedroom filled with tips and highlights of the city.

Don’t miss a whisky nightcap at this Bath boutique hotel, owner Laurence is somewhat of a connoisseur and there are definitely more than a few fine labels to choose from. The bar is also home to a framed set of Queensberry Rules, my favourite is number 11: “No stilts, pogo sticks, space-hoppers, flaming torches or whips at the bar”. Better go and rethink that suitcase…

Defying its traditional Georgian townhouse exterior with an eclectic interior of murals, contemporary art and statement pieces by local designers, No.15 Great Pulteney is one of Bath’s most interesting boutique hotels.

Set on one of the city’s most impressive streets, the hotel creates a deserved impression all of its own, I mean, where else in Bath could you find a chandelier made out of dangly earrings?

No 15 Great Pulteney is full of surprises, from the mini doll’s house that hides your tea and coffee service and china cups, to the ladder that leads you to a stockpile of snacks such as popcorn and ice cream. There’s even a doll’s house theme at check-in. Public spaces are also adorned with impressive paintings by students from the local Bath Spa Uni.

Rooms continue the eccentric theme, they’re all decorated differently, with features that range from plexiglass display tables filled with old gin bottles, inkwells and jewellery, to vintage radios and murals by local young artists. Mod cons are also more than covered with the likes of Dyson hairdryers and Nespresso machines.

Even the bar menu here is interesting, cocktails are printed on a deck of playing cards, but there’s also an option to let the bartenders play “Carte Blanche” and choose your tipple for you. Further downstairs is the hotel restaurant, Café 15. It’s set up like an old apothecary with walls filled with amber glass bottles, little drawers that just beg to be peeked in, and a fireplace that looks like it has apparated from the wizarding world. It is bonkers, but in the best way possible.

Stumbling distance from the Circo cocktail bar and Clayton’s Kitchen at the Porter restaurant, The Halcyon apartments could not be better located. And this street is filled with gems, from Moles, where you can watch live music to Sub 13, where they make a great lychee Cosmopolitan.

Behind the door of one of the city’s lovely Georgian listed buildings, The Halcyon is actually made up of apartments. Each balances the line between classic and modern, with sash windows, high ceilings and vintage style dressing tables offset with contemporary art on the walls and cow print or leather armchairs in the living areas.

Every apartment comes with a kitchen space. Although you are on one of the best streets in Bath for eating, they’re handy for breakfast and they do come equipped with essentials such as milk and tea. If you fancy playing house, each apartment is ideal for a lazy day or evening in, and they’re also equipped with entertaining extras such as the Bath version of Monopoly, Scrabble and a TV with Netflix.

Everyone who visits Bath wants to see The Royal Crescent. So why not go one step better and actually stay there? Set in a stunning Georgian mansion on the iconic crescent, The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa has got to be one of the most impressive boutique hotels in Bath.

Inside, the hotel oozes elegance – it feels like stepping back into the city’s heyday. From the sky-high stucco ceilings, to oil paintings and bust statues, The Royal Crescent feels as grand as it looks from the outside. Things even get more glorious at the back, in the hotel’s beautiful garden. It’s peppered with pieces of modern art, meticulously maintained shrubbery and plenty of places to sit and lull away the hours like an 18th-century lord or lady.

Just when you didn’t think it could get any better you stumble upon the spa and Bath House. You’ll get Roman goddess vibes as you step into the relaxation pool’s balmy waters, you can wander into the Mediterranean style walled garden for afters, or book yourself into one of the treatment rooms for some pampering.

The cherry on top of this somewhat indulgent cake is the hotel restaurant. Days can be filled with tempting afternoon teas, while evenings can be spent seducing your appetite with the inventive flavours they are so famed for – splash out on the tasting menu to try them all.