I just kicked off the festive season with a gorgeous stay-cation in Bath! And here’s why you should too:
WHERE TO STAY
We enjoyed two lovely nights at Beechfield House Hotel. I’d go as far as saying it’s up there as one of the top hotels I have visited in the UK!
Situated just outside the bustling City of Bath, Beechfield House gives you the best of both worlds. It is set in beautiful grounds (it even has an outdoor pool!) but you still have the option to get into the City if you want to do some sight-seeing.
We stayed in a ‘Comfy Room’ – and it most certainly was! The bed was HUGE and the room itself was very homely – it was so easy to relax here.
Open fires are lit in the hotel’s communal areas which made everything feel so much more festive, and the warmth was welcoming after being outside in the cold!
On our first night we had dinner in the hotel’s A la carte restaurant and the food was fantastic:
And breakfast was equally delicious…
WHAT TO DO
BATH
We have been eager to visit Bath for some time now after lots of our friends telling us how much we would like it. When we realised James was going to be on a course with work just half an hour away we jumped at the chance to visit!
From the hotel, we drove to Chippenham Station (15 minutes) and hopped on the train to Bath Spa. It was quick and easy and much less stressful than trying to find somewhere to park in a City Centre which I have always hated!
Here’s what we did when we were there:
BATH CHRISTMAS MARKET
There’s nothing like a traditional Christmas Market to get you in the mood for the festive season! I just love the smells you get from the market, especially the mulled wine and the chestnuts.
The Christmas Market in Bath is one of the most popular in the country and despite it still being November it was packed! We arrived at about 11am on a Saturday and it was already heaving. So, if you can I would definitely recommend going on a weekday where it might be a bit easier to get around.
There were hundreds of stalls offering all sorts of wares – fudge, cheese, blankets, candles, Christmas decorations, clothes, drinks, artwork, jewellery and more! You can also go ice-skating!
THE ROMAN BATHS
For £16.50 you can enjoy an audio tour of the famous Roman Baths. When I usually get audio tours I admittedly often listen for 10 minutes and then give up a bit but I stuck with this one as it was genuinely really interesting! Definitely worth a visit.
BATH ABBEY
A gorgeous Abbey with very impressive stained-glass windows as you would expect! On the day we visited they were holding 20 minute long carol singing services on the hour from 1pm for the rest of the afternoon! A lovely way to get into the Christmas spirit.
You can also pay to go up the tower for a great view of Bath but the weather was poor when we visited (note the multiple umbrellas in the below photo haha) so we decided it wasn’t worth it!
THE ROYAL CRESCENT
An iconic view! Goodness knows how much they cost! I was sad I couldn’t get a nice blue sky photo for you, but I’ll just have to go back…
PULTENEY BRIDGE
Have a stroll along the River Avon and enjoy the lovely views.
We had a great weekend!
Beechfield House was the perfect base for our trip and Bath is a beautiful City that we will definitely be returning to!
Have you been before? Where should I visit next time? Let me know in the comments!
Thank you for reading 🙂
You may also enjoy:
- A Festive Weekend in Belgium
- A Weekend of Waterfalls: Yorkshire, UK
- 5 Night Itinerary for Iceland in September
- Why you should visit Seville, Spain
- New York City: The Best Bits
