During their brief stay in the British Isles, the Romans established Aquae Sulis in the sheltered green hills of Somerset in the west of England. The Georgian spires and terraces of Bath Spa sit on the site of the temples and baths they built around hotsprings bubbling up from the bedrock. The stately buildings of this golden city-in-miniature are built from locally-mined bath stone - even brand new houses have to be constructed from this signature limestone. This relaxed and beautiful city, declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, is a taste of more elegant times.

Embraced by John Wood the Younger’s panoramic golden curve of Grade 1 listed terraces, The Royal Crescent Hotel and Spa is the don of classic Georgian elegance among Bath’s luxury hotels. Rooms are sumptuous and suites breathtaking, while the spa and bath house’s chapel-like hush envelopes a Himalayan salt sauna, blossom-infused steam room, and private treatment rooms. In summer, take afternoon tea among the garden’s fragrant sprays of flowers and leafy borders; in winter, warm through in the Montague Bar with its extensive list of single malts.