Mr & Mrs Smith

Good breeding shows. A really quality stay. The later-than-the-norm check-out (midday) is a nice bonus given that there is so much so near in the town and so you can easily have a full morning before leaving. We were given a complimentary room upgrade because we were from Smith, so they must like you.

Fabulous time at Royal Crescent Hotel, it's a wonderful hotel. But more importantly, the setting is beautiful. We discovered a very busy and brilliant gastro pub/restaurant around the corner which was called The Marlborough. Very popular and well worth booking a table in advance if you're there on a weekend. We wanted a night of relaxed dining on our first night there, so headed to Martini's Italian restaurant on George Street, just a five-minute walk from the hotel – you have to go. The food is excellent: very authentic Italian. My tuscan sausage pasta was so tasty and the staff are great fun. We followed this up with a quick walk around the corner for a nightcap to Beaujolais wine bar on Chapel Row, a crazy place with a mad proprietor and very good waiters and waitresses that do a lot of running around. Excellent again – worth cramming in for a drink or booking up if you want the lovely French food.

A few restaurants worth a visit when in Bath: Beaujolais which is amusing, romantic, offers great French food and an eccentric but very welcoming host who sources excellent wine; The Moon and Sixpence for a contemporary, relaxed style of bar/brasserie; and Jamie's Italian (Jamie Oliver) which is buzzy and fun but you can't book it, so if you want to eat there you may have to wait for a table.

Staying in the Royal Crescent certainly makes you feel a bit special. Maybe it is the “I’m-in-a-Jane-Austen-novel” feeling you get after stepping inside and being greeted by the rather butler-looking concierge, or from taking afternoon tea in a drawing-room like lounge.

During your stay it is well worth doing three things:
1. Do try the hotel restaurant - its fantastic - and you can (weather permitting) have the added bonus of taking your pre-dinner drinks in the hotel’s peaceful garden conveniently located between the main hotel and the dinning rooms.
2. Take advantage of the Spa - it is literally like stepping into a chapel of relaxation. We found late afternoon was surprisingly quiet so it feels like you have the place to yourself.
3. For those who want a more relaxed meal without compromising on standards do try the Malborough Tavern. It’s three minutes from the hotel and has a lovely garden (if a little busy and noisy at peak times). Simply walking outside allows you to justify a pudding, but it’s close enough to waddle back to your room even on the fullest of stomachs!

While Bath is undoubtedly a haven for shopaholics like me, you can't go past Rossiters in Broad Street. While billed as a department store, it's more of a rabbit warren filled with hidden surprises from funky furniture to fabulous favours. We spent hours there and ended up buying two sofas (although suffice to say, they didn't fit in our bags!)

We took an afternoon trip to Stonehenge with Scarper Tours. A fantastic way to spend the afternoon complete with a lovely, scenic drive through the rolling hills surrounding Bath. Highly recommend!

As part of the Bath experience a trip to the Raven of Bath at 7 Queen Street (+44 (0)1225 425045) is a must - the service is friendly and welcoming and if you like local ale, you will be very happy indeed. An outstanding local Bath restaurant is The Hole in the Wall at 16 George Street (+44 (0)1225 425242) - fantastic modern British cuisine with a twist. A very enjoyable meal - I would highly recommend it!

Fantastic restaurant in the centre of Bath: the long-established but newly refurbished Moon and Sixpence eaterie was one I visited 10 years ago, and on my return to Bath, I stumbled upon it again. It didn't disappoint – fabulous scallops wrapped in bacon, followed by a well thought-out veggie dish of ravioli with gorgonzola, and a panacotta pudding. Really lovely food enjoyed in a really lovely atmosphere.

We ate in the Fiorelli Brasseria Ristorante (01225 427919) on our last evening in Bath, on the recommendation of another guest staying at the Royal Crescent Hotel. This Italian brasserie, a leisurely five-minute stroll from the hotel on Gay Street, was fantastic. Great food, excellent service and an intimate atmosphere made this a fitting end to our few days in the city. I will be dining there again when I next visit Bath. Highly recommended.

The concierge at the Royal Crescent Hotel managed to book us into Gascoyne Place for dinner. It was a really lovely gastro pub, the food was delicious and reasonably priced. A nice relaxed atmosphere and really good service too.

If you fancy a leisurely brunch, lunch, supper or even just a hot chocolate or coffee there is a lovely place called 'Same - Same but Different' (+44 (0)1225 466856) on Bartlett Street in Bath which is worth discovering. It manages to be both chic and casual with its lovely double-fronted façade. The Spanis- inspired menu complements the interior's brick red walls and Jackson Pollock-style art on the walls. The food was great and the service relaxed yet efficient. The location is perfect – a one-minute walk just off George Street – and it seemed to be full of interesting locals who used it as their daily pitstop, as well as a few grateful tourists who had stumbled upon it by luck.