When Hotel Indigo Bath got in touch to ask if we would like to experience a night away in their hotel we jumped at the chance. Bath is a city steeped in history and most of it, I am ashamed to say, new to me.
We stopped off in Lacock on the way to Bath, a place that I highly recommend if Wiltshire is somewhere you haven’t been before. With check in at Hotel Indigo Bath at 3pm we decided we would head there for a wander before lunch and arrive in Bath mid afternoon to check in, have a couple of drinks before dinner and to see the Poulteney Bridge at night. We figured this would then leave us free the following day to explore Bath and realise how little we knew of the literal connections and history associated with the city.
The Hotel Indigo Bath has 166 bedrooms and earlier this summer opened 12 rooms in the 18th century vaults, each of them with roll top baths, under floor heating, exposed brick work and vaulted ceilings. Along with the other rooms in the hotel they also come with Egyptian cotton bedding, Hypnos beds, a Nespresso machine, air conditioning and super fast Wi-Fi. They are the types of rooms that when you put your suitcase down you also feel yourself breathing out, relaxing instantly despite it not having occurred to you until that point you had been holding your breath.
Whilst the hotel doesn’t have its own car park (it does offer valet parking at £40 per night in a gated car park but is bookable in advance and space is very limited) it is directly opposite the Manvers Street Car Park (BA1 1JZ) or a five minute walk from the Southgate multi storey (BA1 1AR). It is also just a five minute walk from the train station, the main shopping areas and all the reasons you could be in Bath, so it couldn’t be better located.
The rooms in the vaults are out of the rear of the hotel (through doors that can only be accessed with key cards so its all very secure) ensuring that the rooms are light and not at all as dark and gloomy as you might expect rooms in vaults under the pavement would be. Blinds ensure privacy and being away from the main hotel they are blissfully quiet. No sounds of people slamming doors down the corridors or lifts opening and closing throughout the night (though the hotel has an air of that not happening here at all, it is all incredibly calm). The location of the hotel means that the road it is on is quiet too so there is little traffic and I suspect the walls of the hotel, being 18th century, have a lot to do with the peace too. The hotel occupies almost the entire block so no pesky neighbours either.
We slept like the proverbial babies and really didnt want to get up but breakfast (and Bath) were calling.
Breakfast is served in The Elder, a separate restaurant, attached to the hotel. The food was superb, we couldn’t fault it and as soon as supplies of croissants or pastries were running low they were topped up. We did have to book our breakfast time but that is fairly standard in these post Covid times and it means you don’t have to queue at the buffet which I am here for! Teas and coffees were brought to the table, and any orders of cooked breakfasts placed with waiting staff too. The rest of breakfast was all served buffet style and looked delicious.
We had eaten dinner in The Elder the night before and I have to say the food was superb. We had the most glorious of beef rumps with all the trimmings and some of the best horseradish I have ever had. And that was after a wonderful starter of beetroot and caramelised pecans that left me desperate to ask for the recipe. Hardly any wonder the food is so fabulous when the brainchild behind the restaurant, Mike Robinson, also co-owns The Harwood Arms, the only pub with a Michelin star in London. The focus is very much on sustainability
Meat, fish and veg are grown or harvested humanely, carefully and with care
And it shows. This passion isn’t just lip service, it clearly runs through the entire menu and will put this restaurant on the foodie map.
As we reluctantly checked out staff were more than happy to store our bags for us for the day to enable us to wander without our luggage, and were happily offering the same to people arriving early for their afternoon check in.
Staff are also happy to help with questions about local attractions or experiences and in fact the hotel often has deals which can be booked as part of a package. There is one on currently with Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein (how did I not know that it was written when Mary was staying in Bath?) that is worth checking out. Have a look on the Visit Bath website for up to date information.
I have also written a post about things to do in Bath that aren’t the baths (though you must do those, and top tip, go first thing in the morning when it first opens as the water is clearer apparently and it is much quieter) that you can read here: Things to do in Bath
We left Bath later that afternoon vowing to return as we had only scratched the surface of this beautiful town, if you haven’t been I urge you to visit, and to consider staying at this fabulous hotel.
You can thank me later.
We were guests of the hotel and restaurant but all photos and thoughts are ours.