Birthday- Bath Spa

[sopeas]

Evening 👋🏻

I am taking my DP for a night away in Bath this week for his birthday. We’re going Thursday to Friday. I have never been but always wanted to so I’m looking for some lovely lunch and dinner recommendations. We are staying in the centre and have breakfast inc on the Friday morning.

I’m looking at booking the 2hr slot at the Thermae Bath Spa (is this worth it? If you’ve been please let me know!!) on Thursday for when we arrive and then we’ll check into the hotel after and then I want to take him somewhere lovely for dinner that evening and then the following day I’d like to take him somewhere for a late(ish) lunch and spend the day exploring so if anyone has any great food recommendations and places to explore in and around the centre I’d really appreciated it ☺️

It depends on your expectations if you are a regular spa goer it will be too commercial however if you love the idea of a roof top pool and spa waters it’s ok - I took my son aged 14 he loved it I thought it was just ok

Lucknam park or Bath crescent is more romantic

Yes it's worth going. They have recently introduced an online booking system. If it's still booked up online, you can show up early on the day and get tickets for later on that day. You'd need to get there before 10am to secure tickets for the afternoon. It's a nice way to spend a couple of hours. It's more like a commercial hot springs than a spa, but still relaxing and great views from the pool at the top. Allow time to find your way out of the changing rooms at the end though. It's a maze! Beware also that changing rooms have doors that open on both sides and the handle to open them simultaneously is located conveniently on the bench seat. So if you're in a state of undress and put your bag or behind on the bench, you get to flash two people at once! This mechanism means that you can take a shortcut through a changing room to a locker, only for someone to shut off that route by occupying a changing room. It's a bit like an episode of Takishi's Castle!

Lucknam park is indeed nicer and more intimate but a 30 min drive and costs 5-6 times the price. The cheapest way to experience the spa there is to actually book their cheapest room overnight (which are rather underwhelming) and just use the facilities.

I'd say it's more of a fancy leisure centre than anything, but it's still quite a nice and different experience. The rooftop pool is a good idea but gets quite crowded. But it's still a nice thing to do it's just important to realise it isn't a "luxury spa" type experience

We loved hiring e scooters to explore Bath. And I found the Roman baths really interesting

I love the roof top pool. That’s the draw for me rather than anything else. I live near enough that it’s a day out once or twice a year. I tend to go in the morning, then lunch followed by shopping and a few drinks before catching the train home.

Thanks all!! Yes the roof top pool is what’s drawing me in. It seems expensive at £40pp for the 2hrs just to be in a roof top pool but it’s a different kind of experience & I bet the views are great?

Any food recommendations? 😊

Yeah, we enjoyed it. We had a light lunch too if I recall.

Trying Gainsborough Hotel next month for a big birthday. It's got it's own hot springs supply.

@sopeas yes the views are good, it is a quite different experience in that sense! And we liked the sauna/ice rooms etc too. It's a good experience

Roman baths, afternoon tea in the Pump Rooms in the abbey courtyard? Walk to the Circle. There’s an Ivy restaurant in Bath and I hear Bills does a good breakfast.
I think I’d do a Jane Austen tour (Queens Square) if I was a visitor, and weather permitting an open to city tour.
Victoria Park near the circus is lovely if a nice day for a picnic and/or crazy golf.
Would probably have to include a visit to Primark too!

The roof top pool is nice - the rest of it not particularly fancy. We went at night and it was beautiful!

I'm fairly accustomed to the eateries of Bath.

It depends on budget but the following are great for lunch or dinner if you want to steer clear of chains:

Clayton's kitchen (I had my 40th dinner there)

The Circus

The Beckford Bottle Shop

The Scallop Shell (less fancy than above, decent fish and chips and seafood)

The Gaff is new and apparently very good

Henry's

Vino Vino (lunch)

The Olive Tree £££

The Spa is ok, but busy, nowhere to lounge with a book, just lots of different experiences on different floors.

Thanks all!! This has been super helpful ☺️
I think the Thermae bath will be a different experience, we love trying new things. Shame we couldn’t do it on the evening @lilsupersparks I bet that was fab! But I’m sure it’ll be good in the day too. Any order you would suggest doing the different things in?
@MissBridgetJones Thank you for those suggestions!! He looooves seafood and I hate it and the smell so he doesn’t often get to have it as I don’t like it smelling up the house 😆 I think that would be a fab place to take him and I can have the fish and chips. Thanks again all, I knew this was a good place to ask ❤️

I loved thermae bath spa - I don’t generally like spas as I find it hard to relax lying there being massaged with hot stones knowing it’s costing £70 or something! But I really liked the independent “wander around between the different pools / showers” thing, the downstairs pool had the thermal water which felt lovely, and the rooftop pool was great!

I like the coconut tree (Sri lankan) and there's a place with jazz and small plates not far from the abbey, can't remember the name. Lots of independent options in fact

Food at the spa was good pre covid, not been since - I booked a package that included dinner

Afternoon tea at the Royal Crescent Hotel is brilliant. You'll need to book