The quintessential English town of Bath is a must for every visitor from abroad to the country and UK residents alike! It’s the perfect compact size for a long weekend packed with historic sights, a growing culinary reputation, and endless lanes rammed with gorgeous independent boutiques. We found Hotel Indigo Bath the perfect base to visit this character-packed city and loved the warm welcome, the comfortable rooms, and the delectable meals we feasted upon.
Location
Location is a massive plus for the hotel; with a city break, I always prefer a central base to minimize travel time and make the most of my time away. This is exactly what the Hotel Indigo Bath offers: a perfect location right in the very heart of the stunning city of Bath. You are just 5 minutes on foot from the beautiful Bath Abbey and Thermae Bath Spa, with plenty of shops and restaurants less than a 1-minute stroll away. It was easy to reach when driving into the city. We didn’t endure much traffic or any awkward one-way streets, just rolled up outside the hotel, which is located on a quiet street, where the concierge gladly assisted us with baggage and whisked our car off to their valet parking; it couldn’t be easier, and we were left relaxed and ready to check-in. If you arrive by train, the station is just at the end of the street too.
Style & Character
The Hotel Indigo Bath is housed in a grand 18th-century grade 1 listed Georgian building down a charming street with a small square opposite and a church on the opposite corner. It would be an understatement to say the hotel is packed with character (exactly like the city in which it resides)!
A fusion of the classic, historic décor you’d expect in a Bath hotel juxtaposed with delightful, funky splashes of color and wonderfully British eccentricity! The lounge area had pops of pink on the cushions, and most of the artwork made you look twice at it and smile as your eye located something unusual that you didn’t expect to see in the painting. This all lends a relaxed and comfortable air to the hotel.
Rooms
Choosing one of the 166 rooms at Hotel Indigo Bath is definitely more fun than at any other hotel! As well as dividing their rooms into the usual Standard, Premium, and Suite, they also divide their rooms into five different room styles. Romance & Mischief (the funky touches found elsewhere in the hotel are fully unleased in these rooms), Architectural Beauty (with more traditional Georgian artwork and furniture), Literary Hideaway (mainly found in the attic, these rooms celebrate the literary past of this area of Bath), Garden Rooms (which overlook a garden terrace, these are the most modern rooms and are flooded with light) and Vault Rooms (12 stunning underground rooms with dramatic stone walls and soft lighting to set the mood). You can’t go wrong with any of the five styles, but it does seem a lovely treat to be able to choose your hotel room décor, too!
We had two connecting rooms, which is always helpful when traveling with a family. We were in the Premium room and our children in the Standard room, both were roomy and comfortable, ours was just slightly more spacious with a chaise longue rather than a chair and with a larger wardrobe. They were both in the Romance & Mischief style, which was fun but didn’t sacrifice comfort.
Of course, the usual 5-star hotel facilities are all available, but they do the little extras well here. The towels are some of the thickest and fluffiest I’ve experienced in a hotel. There’s a mini fridge in each room, the curtains have blackout blinds, and the minibar is stocked with complimentary soft drinks. All the rooms are ensuite and have Nespresso machines and air conditioning.
Service & Facilities
We found the valet parking really useful; you pull out of the front of the hotel, and they park your car securely for you in a city center location; we really valued this. If you’d rather park yourself, there is a large public car park in the square directly across from the hotel, so you have the best of both worlds.
As well as the main bar and restaurant, more on those shortly, there’s a large lounge area where you can relax in comfort with a beverage or two from the bar. There’s also a gym kitted out with all the latest machines and a free weights section. You can request the access key from reception. The gym itself is another design treat, similar to the vault rooms. Its walls are stone, and the equipment is tucked amongst the arches. It is one of the more unusual workout locations, for sure!
Wi-Fi is complimentary and reasonably fast. There’s a lovely little mini shop corner just off the main reception where you can purchase gourmet goodies, their signature scented candles and diffusers, and a range of toiletry products from the Bramley range, ideal when you fall in love with your body lotion and conditioner in your room, buy your own to take home!
The service at Hotel Indigo Bath we found to be exceptional. From the initial welcome to the charismatic and super-efficient staff at Elder Restaurant, they didn’t put a foot wrong and couldn’t have been more helpful.
Food & Drink
The Elder Bar and Restaurant is housed in a series of connected dining rooms. We liked this setup as we sat in a different room for dinner and then breakfast, which made us feel as if we were entirely in a different establishment. It also makes for a more intimate dining experience rather than a vast dining hall and feels cozier. The bar area spills out onto a vast terrace out the front of the hotel overlooking the Georgian frontage, and the square opposite, there are huge umbrellas in case the English weather threatens to do its worst.
Restaurateur Mike Robinson and Head Chef Jon Coates are both passionate about “hospitality, service and amazing, simple food” – and it shows! The cuisine is contemporary British cuisine, which celebrates fresh, seasonal, and local produce. Everything we tasted was just delicious. We tried and failed to resist dessert, which is always the best sign when you don’t want a meal to end. They are almost equally proud of their cocktails; the Espresso Martini was one of the best I’ve tasted and was perfect as an after-dinner treat, very kindly suggested by our fabulous waiter!
Breakfast offers the best of both worlds: a buffet spread with cereals, breads, fresh fruit, cold meats, and cheeses, and a full hot menu to choose from too. They kept us topped up with coffee and tea, and the hot dishes set us up very nicely for another lovely day browsing the city of Bath.
Conclusion
For a bijou hotel to perfectly complement the stylish, historic city of Bath, I can think of no better than Hotel Indigo Bath. Oozing class, trendy design, good, honest food, and impeccable service, we look forward to returning whenever we’re in the area.
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