vividventures

Hotel Review 

Location:

The Roseate Villa Bath is a luxurious boutique hotel located on an elegant residential street overlooking the Henrietta Gardens in the centre of Bath.  It’s conveniently situated just around the corner from the iconic Pulteney Bridge and within a short walk of the famous Pump Room and the city’s other main attractions.

For guests arriving by train, Bath Spa Station has regular services from London Paddington taking around 90 minutes.  The city also has good road links being just 10 miles from Junction 18 of the M4 motorway making it easily accessible from most parts of the country.

Arrival and check in: 

We arrived at the hotel around 4.00 p.m. managing to find a parking space in the Roseate Villa’s car park to the side of the property.

The entrance leads into an attractive hallway and reception area where we were greeted by Christiana, the friendly receptionist on duty who had us checked us in speedily.

Soon afterwards we were following her up the grand staircase to our room on the first floor.

The Room:

We’d been booked into one of the Roseate Villa’s luxurious park view rooms overlooking Henrietta Gardens to the front of the hotel.  Our spacious room was decorated in shades of calming blue with a floral wallpaper along the wall behind the bed.  Our super king size bed with its Hypnos mattress and feather-light goose down duvet was heavenly and on both nights we were both sound asleep within seconds of our heads touching the pillows.

With a pair of country style blue plaid armchairs to relax in, a good sized dressing table which doubled up as a work desk for our laptops when needed, and a large wardrobe for our clothes, we had everything at hand for a comfortable stay.

The hospitality tray was well stocked and on both days was topped up with more melt in the mouth cookies hand baked in the hotel’s kitchens.  Beneath the tea making equipment was a fridge containing complimentary bottles of water and a jug of fresh milk.

The bathroom boasted a powerful power shower, heated towel rail, thick fluffy towels, bathrobes, slippers and sweetly scented Penhaligon toiletries.

Dining:

Breakfast: We enjoyed breakfast each morning in the contemporary styled, light and airy dining room.  Instead of a breakfast buffet guests are able to order a range of items including, yoghurt, fresh fruit salad, croissants, etc. followed by a cooked breakfast of their choice.

On the first morning my husband opted for a traditional whilst I selected the vegetarian option for a change as it sounded interesting as it contained all my favourites: avocado, poached eggs, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, potato scones and halloumi.

On our second morning we rung the changes with expertly prepared plates of smoked salmon and scrambled eggs for Mr. C. and smashed avocado on spelt bread for me. Homemade preserves, hot slices of thick toast and cups of cappuccino set us up for the day ahead very nicely.

Afternoon Tea: 

No visit to the Roseate Villa should be complete without indulging in afternoon tea during your stay.  Beautifully presented on a three tier cake stand our indulgent afternoon tea comprised deep filled finger sandwiches, plain and fruit scones with jam and clotted cream and a selection of exquisite homemade cakes all handmade by the in-house baker.

A selection of 10 loose teas were on offer, all sourced from the local tea merchants Gillards of Bath ranging from Earl Grey to Gunpowder Green and Mint.  I opted for Lady Whistledown (named after Bath’s association with the filming locations of the TV drama Bridgerton).

I hadn’t sampled it before but it proved to be a splendid choice as it had a wonderful floral note, reminiscent of an English rose garden.  Meanwhile, across the table my husband selected the Jane Austen blend named in honour of the world famous novelist who was a resident of Bath.  As he takes his tea without milk, this delicate Chinese tea was very much to his liking.

The Facilities:

The hotel is set within its own gardens which must be lovely to sit out in to enjoy a cocktail or afternoon tea during the summer months.  At other times of year the Henrietta Bar offers a cosy alternative with its stylish interior, comfy seating and unique use of the original fireplace for storing glasses.  A daily menu of light meals and pizzas is available in the bar until 6.00 p.m. each day.

Wi-Fi worked well throughout the building and was easy to connect to.  All rooms have phones linked to reception and on requesting extra fresh milk this was brought up to our room within five minutes of my request.

The hotel benefits from its own small car park (daily £20 fee payable).  Alternatively, street parking is available free of charge between 7.00 p.m. each evening until 8.00 a.m. the next morning, metered at reasonable costs at other times subject to finding a space.

Out and About: 

Below are my suggestions of some of the lovely things to see and do in the delightful World Heritage city of Bath and all within walking distance of the Roseate Villa.

The Roman Baths: Located in the city centre and open daily between 09.00-22.00 (standard tickets £27.50 weekend £25.50 weekdays including audio guides).

Bath Abbey: There is no charge to visit the abbey but donations towards its upkeep are welcome.  Inspect the exquisite stained glass windows and splendid fan vaulted ceiling.  Take a Tower Tour (£10 for a one hour tour) to view the parts of the church that are normally hidden from view such as the bell ringing chamber.  Climb the 212 steps to the tower top for some stunning city views.  Bath Abbey.

The Assembly Rooms: Managed by the National Trust, but free for everyone to visit.  These elegant public rooms are decorated in 18th century style.

The Assembly Rooms were important to the high society of Georgian Bath as they were designed as a place for entertainment and to be seen.  You may actually recognise the ballroom as it was where Daphne and Simon first met in the period drama Bridgerton.  Assembly Rooms.

The Fashion Museum: Located in the basement of the Assembly Rooms (Standard admission £10, closed Monday).  For anyone with an interest in fashion this museum is a must see.  The Fashion Museum.

The Royal Crescent: Of all Bath’s elegant streets, the Royal Crescent is  undoubtedly the city’s most impressive.

No.1 The Royal Crescent: is open to the public as a museum and has been furnished as it might have been in the latter part of the 18th century.  Standard admission £13 (£11 off peak).  This was another filming location for the Netflix smash hit Bridgerton with both the exterior and entrance hall of No.1 used as the Featherington’s London home.  An immersive experience has been introduced to bring the house to life taking approximately one hour. This relates the story of an aristocratic family who lived in the house for the season.  No.1 Royal Crescent

Jane Austen Centre: (standard admission £12.50).  This small museum, located in a beautiful Georgian building chronicles the life and times of the famous writer Jane Austen.  The tour commences with a video about the author before moving into an adjacent room to be introduced to a character actor dressed as Mr. Wickham from Pride and Prejudice.  The Jane Austen Centre

Riverside Walk: Enjoy a stroll beside the River Avon and view Pulteney bridge.  There are lovely views from there and of the sweeping horseshoe shaped weir and bridge which was built by Richard Adam in 1769.  It is one of only a handful of shop lined bridges in the world.

The Holburne Museum: Just a ten minute walk from the centre and five minutes from the Roseate Villa.  You may recognise this building as several scenes from Bridgerton were also filmed there as it was portrayed as the exterior of Lady Danbury’s townhouse.  The museum was originally built as the Sydney Hotel and has since been a private house.  It is now home to an art gallery of fine and decorative arts built around the collection of Sir William Holburne (Standard admission £11).  The Holburne Museum.

Overall:  

Nestled in a quiet backwater yet within just a few minutes walk of the city’s attractions, shops, bars and restaurants, we were pleased to discover that we didn’t need to use our car at all during our stay.  All the staff we came into contact with at the Roseate Villa were exceptionally well trained, polite and helpful, doing their utmost to ensure guests enjoyed a relaxing stay.  Breakfast and afternoon tea were both first class and we returned home with fond memories of our stay.

Details: Roseate Villa, Henrietta Road, Bathwick, Bath, BA2 6LX

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During our stay we were guests of Roseate Hotels and Resorts and, as always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.