Brooks Guest House

One of the newest additions to Bath’s boutique sleepery scene Brooks’ Guesthouse has been fashioned from a pair of stylishly refurbished Victorian buildings. It offers twenty two surprisingly spacious bedrooms whose slightly quirky blend of epoch-style decor (think chandeliers and chaise longues) combined with modern era comforts (including Travertine-styled bathrooms & iPod docking stations) thankfully belies that attractive-but-austere Victorian façade. Breakfast (served to a delightfully civilized 11am on Sundays) is a range of locally-sourced goodies ranging from smoked salmon bagels or a full English to homemade granola and organic yoghurt. The lounge, with it’s comfy sofas, computer hotspot and good stock of reading material, is a great place to while away rainy days (and if you miss last orders later in the day there’s an honesty bar with reasonably priced drinks, too), but with all the charms of this spa city so close to hand there’s plenty to tempt you out of doors. So spend a blissful weekend meeting Darcy & co at the Jane Austen Centre, sampling gastronomical fare in the celebrated Pump Rooms restaurant or splashing about in the mineral-spring-fed rooftop pool at Thermae, without having to bother with your car.