My mate Sarah recently asked me for my top tips for a girls weekend in Bath. I think she thinks that I have some sort of social life that involves me leaving the house of an evening. What's THAT about? Ok, ok, so it's not
that bad and i do get myself some kiddo free time sometimes & when I do, i try to make sure that it's not always to the same places.
So, here you go Baggs, if i were to have a weekend to myself with mates in this beautiful city, it would probably go a little something like this....
After waking up at the boutique B&B
One Three Nine i'd probably head to
The boston tea party for breakfast. I'd sit outside, have an extra shot skinny latte, order up the Eggs Royal and watch the world go buy for an hour or so. Of course, the sun is shining because indoor tables are pretty hard to come by at a weekend - this place is BUSY!
So, with a full belly & a good shot of caffine, i'd get my retail therapy out the way. Bath on a Saturday is crazy busy, so busy it makes Covent Garden look like a ghost town! So, hit the shops early (yes, there
will be shopping). I'd make a beeline first for George Street first which is right at the top of town. And being a total foodie, i'd probably go to
The Chandos Deli and pick up some supplies for culinary adventures yet to happen!! Then, i'd head down Milsom Street & stop off at oh so many places.
Vingear Hill for some home & garden whimsy. Then
Octopus for bright coloured nonsense things no-one needs but totally does at the same time! Next stop,
Bloomsbury. The staff aren't the friendliest known to man here, although this weekend will be without children, so they will probably manage a smile, but i overlook their grumpiness for the sheer amount of Orla Keily stuff they stock! And their books are goooooood (yeah, sorry for that Mr Bank Manager).
Cath Kidston is round the corner, and in the old days I would have spent
the whole friggin day a fair amount of time in Habitat, but the recession put an end to that.... Anyway, I digress... I'd be heading up Walcott street for a nose at all the antique shops next, and pick up some treats at
The Fine Cheese Co...... WAIT! In my imaginary day it's probably midnight now, so i'd better stop fantasy shopping and get on with it, so i'll have to save visits to
The Makery,
Urban Outfitters, &
My Small World for next time ;)
Well, it's now totally time for lunch & you could seriously spend the whole day choosing where to fill up. Bath has something crazy like more restaurants per sq ft than anywhere else in Europe or something (that's not a fact, but it's not something i've just made up either, it's just something like that). It totally depends what you're after: posh nosh/light lunch/pub grub.... Hmmmm for me it's going to be a toss up between
Jamie's Italian,
The Porter &
The Salamander. Three VERY different places but all good for lunch. I have a real soft spot for the veggie & vegan food at The Porter & when I first moved to Bath i was in here waaay too much. It's simple, wholesome, reasonable & yummy, but the place is dark, and small & a real hang for students (no bad thing, it's just not everyone's cup of tea). Jamies Italian is obviously a chain, but it's a good one. I never hear a bad word said against the place & apparently those chips cooked in truffle oil or something are to die for, but my gallbladder's a bitch so i haven't actually tried them - yet! The Salamander is a Bath Ales pub, which happens to serve pretty awesome food upstairs as well as its famous local ales. My hub once said he had one of the best steaks he's ever had up there, so make of that what you will.
OK, so with the lunch out the way you need to relax right? And you're in Bath, so of course you head to The Thermae Spa to get treated right...
I'd go for the Watsu Thermal Treatment followed by a facial. Oh. My. Gawd. I'm zoned out just thinking about how amazing
that would be (note to self: DO THIS - YOU LIVE HERE!). So, how chilled out are we now? Me thinks it's time to head back to the hotel & continue the beautification process for this evenings events!!
So, now it's say 7pm & I am
so ready for some cocktails! As far as cocktail places go for me it's always between
Pulp which is relaxed cool &
Sub 13 which is a bit more suited & booted, but the garden terrace is nice in the summer. It is heavy on your purse though (3 glasses of wine a couple of weeks ago cost me, wait for it.... £21.50. (
I know - ouch!), so get there for the happy hour
with every other cocktail lush in Bath and enjoy maybe just the one (!) before you head out for some food.
Dinner. Hmmmm - this could get interesting. And LONG. So, i'm going to simplify & just break it down into my top eateries depending on what i'm fancying at that time....
THAI - I love love love the authentic food at
Thai Balcony (sorry, could only find a review). It's not the worlds trendiest of places, but the service is good, the staff polite & the food amazing. And that's more important than some pretentious art on naked walls IMO (I save
that for home). If you want Thai, I order thee to go there!
FRENCH -
Beaujolais Bistro This place is so lovely. The food is top notch, the wine good & the atmosphere genuine. Just off the beaten track too, and i
think he does early 'Pre-Theatre' deals. But don't go quoting me on that.
TAPAS - Bit of a sore subject with me as my fave authentic Tapas resturant which i frequented often closed down
but the Tapas plates at Same, same but different were pretty damn good when i was there a couple of months ago.
ITALIAN - for me, this has to be
Martini's. The pizza's here are amazing, as is the fiori di zucchine! You
need to order those
!
GREEK -
Opa is fab for Mezze, and if it's a balmy summers evening, you can enjoy it on the terrace. Also, you can stay here drinking & dancing until late if you're too full of gorgeous grub to move! Now there's a top tip for ya!
INDIAN - Now, this place
The Mint Room is fairly new to Bath, and I haven't actually been yet BUT i had to mention it as the food looks amazing. It's actually about a 10 minute walk from the town centre, but the fact that people DO NOT stop talking about the food here, and the fact that it's pretty much rammed full every night (it's at the bottom of my road, so i pass it a lot) speaks masses. The local reviews i've read have all given it outstanding & 5 stars, so y'know, that speaks for itself right?
For Indian food in town, i'd always try & get a table at
The Bengal Brasserie.
If i haven't chatted the entire night away (which is what normally happens) i'd head back to Opa for some tunes or if i'm pretending I'm still in my 20's, i'd get my ass over to
Moles. Although it's a good few years since I was in there & they'd probably check my ID to make sure i'm not too old ;)
Then. To. Bed.
Sunday will be sight seeing day.
Slowly moseying around this beautiful city is one of my favourite ways to spend a sunny Sunday - unless it's the last Sunday of the month, when i can be mainly found dragging three bored kids around the
Vintage Market.
Bath has parks galore such as my local one, The Royal Victoria where you can relax in the botantical gardens, go exploring in the dell or just simply walk (OK, i'm sure you know what to do in a park. soz.) If you're lucky, you might see a few hot air balloons take off. Parade Gardens is a lovely place to stop & have a cuppa tea & a hunk of cake if you're weary in the middle of town, and the views of Pultney Bridge & the weir are good from here. History demands that you
must do the Royal Cresent & the Royal Circus too as it's a pretty special sight to see for the first time. As are The Roman Baths, and the Abbey, which are both smack bang in the heart of the city. Oh, god, wait - then there's the whole Jane Austin tangent you could go on...... *sigh* I fear we could be here some time. You're going to need way more than a weekend to see what we've got tucked away here for you, but hopefully this will wet your appetite...
Enjoy!
FOOTNOTE: Main photo source, Thermae Spa photo source
