The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa

A Georgian masterpiece, built in 1774, and recently revamped under new management.

Austere and spare. Prepare to be charmed.

John Wood, the Younger, who started designing this iconic Georgian stone-walled property in 1767, wouldn’t entirely recognize it—and that’s a good thing. Because now the hotel that generations of Britons have known and loved as they visited Bath for its “waters” is ready for today: think docking stations, Nespresso machines, and high speed, lightning-fast WiFi that reaches all corners of the garden. Rooms are as sumptuously appointed as ever, though, with plasterwork ceilings, four post beds, frothy curtains, and gilded-framed art that could well be hanging in a local museum. Don’t miss a dip (or five) in the indoor pool, which feels almost like a cathedral to calm, with its stone walls and vaulted church-like ceiling.

It’s so cinematic it’s appeared in countless films; you may remember it from The Duchess, with Kiera Knightley.

At your table in the lavender-lined garden, your afternoon tea is every bit as note-perfect as Elizabeth Montagu would expect. The 18th century socialite held Bluestocking Events here in the 1770s; she’d be just as charmed by the oak smoked salmon and chive cream cheese sandwiches, warm scones with clotted cream and cinnamon butter and bergamot-dusted Earl Grey as you are.

The Dower House Restaurant & Garden Room - Traditional British cuisine with a contemporary edge

The Montagu Bar