5 Best Hotels in Bath, Bath and the Cotswolds

Right in the center of the city, a stone's throw from Bath Abbey, the owners of the Bird have taken an attractive villa-style property and transformed it into one of Bath's coolest design hotels. The 29 bedrooms are all individually styled, with handcrafted wallpapers, unique artwork, and, in many cases, views over Bath. Some rooms have freestanding copper bathtubs. Families and dogs alike receive a warm welcome. Whether you are staying here or not, it is worth having dinner in the restaurant or on the garden terrace overlooking Bath Abbey, or in one of the hotel's funky Igloos (in winter).  

As the only hotel in the United Kingdom with access to Bath's natural thermal waters, thanks to its location in a custom-designed Spa Village, the Gainsborough has a unique appeal. Add the opulent neo-Georgian rooms in a grand Georgian former hospital, perhaps the best staff in town, and a restaurant focused on the creative side of British cuisine, and you'd be hard put to find fault with this temple of luxury located in the very heart of the city's comings-and-goings.

Intimate and elegant, this boutique hotel on a residential street near the Circus occupies three 1772 town houses built by John Wood the Younger for the Marquis of Queensberry; it's a perfect marriage of chic sophistication, homey comforts, and attentive service. Renovations have preserved the Regency stucco ceilings and cornices and marble tile on the fireplaces, and each room is individually decorated in contemporary style. Four terraced gardens invite a summer aperitif, and downstairs is the Michelin-starred Olive Tree restaurant.

It's rare to find a compact hotel in the cobblestone heart of Bath, and this informal three-story lodging converted from a group of Georgian town houses fits the bill nicely. Bedrooms, though bright, are not spacious, there are no views from the windows, and the parking facilities can be tricky to find. However, the cleanliness, polite and friendly service, outdoor hot tub, and central location outweigh these minuses. There's also an EV charging point, and the hotel is pet friendly. The hotel also rents a number of serviced apartments in Bath for short stays. 

You can’t get a more prestigious address in Bath than the Royal Crescent, and this hotel, discreetly plumb center, overlooks parkland and the city; the interior lacks for nothing in amenities. The graceful public rooms, stairways, and judicious scattering of antiques and pictures don't disappoint, while the plush bedrooms, either in the mansion itself or in a courtyard facing a quiet and spacious inner garden, are mainly contemporary in style. The spa, housed in the old stable block, is charming. In summer you can dine on the terrace or drop in for afternoon tea.