I seldom need an excuse to return to Bath, the lovely city of honey-colored limestone that lies 115 miles directly west of London. But the opening of The Gainsborough Bath Spa on July 1 made a visit almost mandatory. (The hotel is named in honor of Thomas Gainsborough, the leading English portrait painter who lived in Bath for 16 years, from 1759.)
I had been awaiting the property’s debut with growing impatience. For months, its website had promised that reservations would soon be accepted, but at the last minute, the launch date always seemed to recede. The construction of a new 99-room hotel in the middle of a UNESCO World Heritage site 175 yards from the city’s famous Roman Baths, was clearly a project that could have unforeseen complications.
The original problem, the friendly receptionist explained on the morning of my arrival, had been the discovery of the Beau Street Hoard, a treasure trove of around 17,500 Roman coins dating between 32 B.C. and A.D. 274 that had been unearthed during the construction of a pool for the hotel’s new spa. She pointed to a cabinet on one side of the lobby in which several dozen glinting metal discs were attractively displayed.
The Romans came to the west of England to mine for lead, but discovering a thermal spring that was already a sacred site for the local Celtic people and presumably nostalgic for the sophisticated comforts of home, they constructed an elaborate bathing complex with a large indoor pool, as well as an imposing temple dedicated to the goddess Minerva. When the Romans left, the baths fell into disrepair and it was not until the spa craze of the 18th century, when Bath became a fashionable resort town, that they were finally restored.
From the outside, The Gainsborough is an imposing structure of golden stone adorned by massive Ionic columns.
The Gainsborough has been created by the amalgamation of two existing buildings — one Georgian, one Victorian — that have served, among numerous incarnations, as a college and a hospital. (The $54 million project was the work of YTL, a Malaysian industrial conglomerate, which, in 2002, acquired Wessex Water, Bath’s water supply company.) On a quiet side street a two-minute walk from Bath Abbey and The Grand Pump Room, as well as The Roman Baths, the hotel’s location is close to perfect. From the outside, it is an imposing structure of golden stone adorned by massive Ionic columns. Inside, however, it is still possible to discern traces of its former lives. The lobby is smaller than ideal, and the long corridor that links it to the restaurant retains a vaguely institutional feel.
We had booked a Classic Room, but it proved to be on the small side, so we moved to a Junior Suite. The interior of The Gainsborough is the work of New York-based Champalimaud Design, and the color scheme of blue/gray, cream and gold was both stylish and restful. The bedroom was well-appointed with a small sofa and a sizeable desk. A dressing area with sufficient hanging space led into a relatively small bath, which came with a single sink set in black marble, and a shower over the tub. Perhaps the suite’s best features were the tall windows that afforded panoramic views over the city to the surrounding green hills.
Public areas at The Gainsborough include The Canvas Room, a peaceful lounge for casual all-day dining and afternoon tea; a diminutive cocktail bar, its walls hung with abstract contemporary art; and a bright and spacious restaurant, in which two dining areas are separated by a refrigerated wine wall. The restaurant is under the supervision of Johann Lafer, an Austrian Michelin-starred celebrity chef. Lafer’s self-proclaimed philosophy is “Dining Without Borders,” which means, in practice, local ingredients with Asian spices and inflections, hence “Roasted Wiltshire lamb rack, with Szechuan pepper crust, Thai asparagus, celery and blood orange,” and “Devonshire duck breast with red cabbage, teriyaki jus and crispy potato dumplings.” Our meal was well-prepared — my Cornish crab salad was delicious — but I couldn’t help wonder why a restaurant in a quintessentially English city should choose to source its asparagus in Thailand. The world is increasingly homogenized, yet hotel companies often fail to appreciate that much of the pleasure of travel is derived from experiences specific to a particular place.
If The Gainsborough had no more to offer, I would have departed content but slightly underwhelmed. Fortunately, the hotel yet had an ace to play. In 2006, the public Thermae Bath Spa opened directly across the street. Its warm water comes from the Hetling Spring, one of three thermal springs in Bath. To general consternation, it was discovered that the water supply was threatened by serious deterioration of the pipework. At this point, The Gainsborough’s owners, YTL, offered to pay for the drilling of a new borehole for the public baths, the return for their largesse being thermal water piped directly into the private spa of their hotel.
The Spa Village Bath is now located beneath an impressive four-story glass atrium at the heart of The Gainsborough. There, hotel guests can take the natural waters amid surroundings of considerable splendor. Prior to spa treatments that focus on personalized aromatherapies, they are encouraged to take the “Bath House” circuit, spending around an hour soaking in thermal pools maintained at varying temperatures, emerging to rub their bodies with crushed lavender ice. Among the 11 treatment rooms, two tatami rooms are dedicated specifically to Asian therapies.
During an excavation in 1864, the remains of a Roman spa complex complete with a well-preserved mosaic pavement were discovered where the Spa Village Bath now stands. To safeguard the original, the mosaic has been covered by a replica. Nonetheless, much of the pleasure that we derived from this remarkable facility came from the knowledge that 1,700 years ago, Bath’s Roman inhabitants were relaxing in exactly the same spot. The Gainsborough is a notable new hotel, but the unique Spa Village Bath elevates it to another level entirely.
AT A GLANCE
LIKE: The superb, one-of-a-kind spa complex; the ideal central location, close to Bath Abbey, The Roman Baths and The Grand Pump Room.
DISLIKE: The austere corridors on the first floor; the lack of a walk-in shower in our Junior Suite.
GOOD TO KNOW: Bath Spa train station is a five-minute walk away. Trains to London Paddington take one hour, 40 minutes.
The Gainsborough Bath Spa 93 Classic Room, $485; Junior Suite, $670. Beau Street, Bath. Tel. (44) 1225-358-888.
I have long recommended two other hotels in Bath. Both are completely different from The Gainsborough — and one another. The Royal Crescent is situated in the upper town, a specifically 18th-century part of the city, given its distinctive character by the sublime neoclassical Georgian architecture of John Wood the Younger. The hotel is located at the center of the eponymous Crescent — in townhouses No. 15 and No. 16 — and overlooks the wide green expanse of Victoria Park. The 45 guest rooms were recently refurbished and incorporate antique and period furnishings; some offer fireplaces and private balconies. At the rear of the hotel on the far side of an idyllic flower garden, The Dower House Restaurant serves chef David Campbell’s outstanding modern British cuisine. Nearby, a renovated spa comprises a 40-foot heated pool, a hammam and six treatment rooms.
AT A GLANCE
LIKE: The majestic Georgian architecture; the idyllic garden terrace at The Dower House Restaurant.
DISLIKE: The hotel frequently hosts wedding receptions.
GOOD TO KNOW: No. 1 Royal Crescent is now a historic house museum; the 18th-century Bath Assembly Rooms are a five-minute walk away.
The Royal Crescent 94 Deluxe Room, $660; Classic Suite, $970. 16 Royal Crescent, Bath. Tel. (44) 1225-823-333.
Less than a mile away in a quiet residential neighborhood at the western edge of the city, The Bath Priory occupies an intimate 1835 manor set amid three acres of lovely gardens. The 33 accommodations include several spacious Junior Suites, while four full suites occupy a separate building. “Carnation” and “Tulip” are among the most attractive rooms, but “Lilac,” on the top floor, has wonderful views over the garden from its balcony. A Michelin one-star restaurant — where chef Sam Moody specializes in slow-cooked food — offers a menu of modern European cuisine. The spa has both indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools, plus four beauty treatment rooms.
AT A GLANCE
LIKE: The intimate country-house-in-the-city atmosphere; the fine restaurant.
DISLIKE: Nothing of consequence.
GOOD TO KNOW: Although it is on the outskirts of town, the hotel is still a mere 15 minutes’ walk from the Royal Crescent.
The Bath Priory 94 Deluxe Room, $570; Junior Suite, $750. Weston Road, Bath. Tel. (44) 1225-331-922.
My three recommended Bath properties are so distinct that it would be quite possible to stay at more than one on a single trip. The architecture of The Royal Crescent is incomparable; The Bath Priory and its English gardens have an irresistible sense of place; and The Gainsborough offers one of the world’s most extraordinary spas.
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