With its symmetrical, sand-coloured frontage and dainty lollipop-shaped trees at the entrance, this Georgian pile feels as perfectly proportioned as a doll’s house. It’s vast inside, though, with plenty of colour and Regency character.
Location-wise, it’s hard to match its central spot on Bath’s most illustrious curve, the Royal Crescent. The façade of the grade I listed 18th-century building, which opened as a hotel in 1971, has been immaculately maintained, but on the inside the decor is modern — from quirky chessboard tiling in the reception to eclectic artwork and peach velvet furnishings.
Tributes to the property’s colourful 300-year history are visible throughout, from period-style, painted woodland wallpaper to grand, gold-framed oil portraits of George III and landscape watercolours by Julius Caesar Ibbetson.
Overall score 8/10
Main photo: waiter service in the garden at the Royal Crescent (Jason Ingram)
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Rooms and suites
Score 8/10
Each of the hotel’s 45 rooms feature a playful palette — bright lampshades, bold Farrow & Ball paintwork in terracotta pink and moss green, royal blue headboards. There are four grades of room, from snug doubles to family-sized master lodgings in the pavilion building. Even the smallest deluxe rooms feel spacious, with comfortable queen-sized beds, mahogany dressing tables, velvet chairs and tiled bathrooms stocked with Noble Isle toiletries. Larger heritage rooms and master rooms are equally packed with Regency glamour, with some offering sweeping views over the Royal Crescent.
There are also 11 plush suites, which are effectively seriously luxurious, self-contained apartments. The deluxe options come with separate living areas, four-poster beds, floor-to-ceiling windows and even period paintings — and there’s a four-bedroom, on-site garden villa.
Food and drink
Score 8/10
The Montagu’s Mews restaurant, named after the writer Elizabeth Montagu, who hosted the women’s literary club the Blue Stockings in the original Royal Crescent building during the 18th century, opened in 2023. Decked out in rose velvet chairs, baby pink wallpaper, elegant Turkish print rugs and Roman-style stone busts, it’s a captivating place to dine but it’s the food that really shines.
There’s a nine-course evening tasting menu (£105pp, £95pp for vegetarians and vegans) or à la carte (mains from £26, children’s mains from £8.50), with dishes such as a gorgeously creamy avocado mousse tart and garlicky, locally sourced lamb. Desserts are so artfully presented — order the tainori chocolate — that you’ll feel guilty spoiling them with a spoon. Head to the adjoining bar afterwards for a Jane Austen martini — the author lived for a spell a few roads away — made from camomile-infused Pod Pea vodka.
Breakfast is low-key, with a small buffet selection of homemade muesli, meats and pastries, and fresh dishes such as eggs benedict and a hearty full English cooked to order.
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What else is there?
Score 7/10
The hotel backs onto an acre of peaceful, lavender-filled gardens, perfect for lounging in during the warmer months. In the winter, relax by the fire in the snug Library room, which always has the day’s papers — or head through the garden for a treatment in the spa, where massages and facials include products from high-end skincare brand Temple Spa.
Though small, the spa facilities are quiet and calming, with a sauna, a steam room and a 12m heated pool set against dramatic, church-like arched windows. Children under 12 can only use the spa during school holidays; the rest of the year it’s adults-only. There are also bookable experiences for guests, such as a hot-air balloon trip across the city (£1,000 for two people).
Where is it?
Score 8/10
Location is the biggest draw. The Royal Crescent is on your doorstep, and Bath city centre is a ten-minute walk away, so you can explore its honey-hued streets, thermal baths and riverside walking routes without a car. The circular six-mile Bath Skyline walk on the rural fringes of the city offers elevated views. Follow that up with a hearty pub lunch at the Architect, on Orange Grove in the city centre.
Claudia Rowan was a guest of the Royal Crescent
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Price B&B doubles from £375
Restaurant mains from £26
Family-friendly Y
Dog-friendly Y (£35 per pet per stay)
Accessible Y
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