Bath Hotels

15 minutes' drive outside of Bath, 5-star Lucknam Park has established itself as the destination for those seeking a weekend immersion in luxurious hospitality. Set in a 17th-century Palladian mansion marooned in 202 hectares (500 acres) of listed parkland, the hotel boasts a Michelin-starred restaurant, an equestrian centre, and a cookery school.

The Queensberry is a boutique town house hotel that is both intimate and stylish. Located in a residential street near the Circus, it is an elegant hotel with many of the original Georgian architectural and decorative features intact. The service is superb, and so is the hotel's Olive Tree restaurant, which offers contemporary British cuisine.

It is hard to beat The Royal Crescent Hotel and Bath House Spa in terms of location, which is situated in the very middle of what is perhaps Europe's most elegant crescent. The hotel occupies two of the Royal Crescent's buildings, both of which were built by John Wood the Younger. The hotel is one of Bath's very best and has beautiful gardens and an excellent restaurant.

From the in-room chaise longues, right down to the breakfast silverware resting heavily on the white linen tablecloths, Apsley House offers classic Bathonian grandeur with an historic twist. Formerly the Duke of Wellington's country house (now well within city limits), this restored Georgian mansion provides stately rooms alongside personable warmth and hospitality. Breakfast is exemplary and locally sourced, with different daily specials.

Perfectly situated between the Circus and Royal Crescent, Brocks has been awarded four AA stars in the Guest Accommodation category. Rooms in this Georgian building, which dates from 1765, are tastefully unobtrusive and clean. A good choice of breakfast is served in the morning but the real beauty of Brocks is its location. In an area usually reserved for the more expensive hotels, staying at Brocks means you're sightseeing as soon as you step outside.

Boutique Duke's, located on Bath's grandest street, somehow manages to make grand Georgian proportions homely as well as chic. Vivid décor, four-poster beds, delicious breakfasts that linger in the memory, and personable hosts that genuinely seem to care – Duke's is the complete package.

This fantastic value bed and breakfast offers tasteful individually themed rooms with an East meets West vibe. Besides a selection of full English or Continental breakfasts, Apple Tree also offers on-site beauty treatments, peerless Wi-Fi and high-end White Company toiletries. Adjacent to one of Bath's quieter parks, it's also only a short walk from the centre.

The Pulteney Hotel is a large, elegant Victorian house set in its own picturesque south-facing gardens, with fine views of Bath Abbey. There are 17 rooms, all with en-suite facilities, colour television, tea- and coffee-making facilities, hairdryer and central heating. All rooms are tastefully decorated.

Housed in a property designed by Brunel, The Royal Hotel has been around since 1846. The present owners took over in 1995 and initiated a refurbishment programme that has transformed the hotel into a modern, attractive and comfortable establishment. The hotel has two bars and a restaurant with steaks as its speciality.