We wanted to introduce our newest retreat location… Bath, United Kingdom! We are so excited to get to visit this UNESCO world heritage site. We will give you an overview of our home base for the week, THE ROYAL CRESCENT HOTEL, a five star hotel and spa, as well as a more in-depth look at what we have planned for the week.
Founded by the Romans as a thermal spa, Bath became an important centre of the wool industry in the Middle Ages. In the 18th century, under George III, it developed into an elegant town with neoclassical Palladian buildings, which blend harmoniously with the Roman baths. It is geographically located in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles (156 km) west of London and 11 miles (18 km) southeast of Bristol.
Bath is the only city in the UK designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with its unique second inscription at part of UNESCO's Great Spa Towns of Europe. In 1987, the city of Bath in its entirety was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The city was deemed a cultural site with outstanding universal value and cultural significance thanks to its Roman remains, hot springs, eighteenth-century architecture, eighteenth-century town planning, social setting and landscape setting.
During our stay here, our home away from home will be the fabulous ROYAL CRESCENT HOTEL, a five-star retreat nestled in the historic city. As you step inside, you'll discover a hotel that goes beyond providing just a place to stay. Set around an acre of beautiful gardens, this iconic sanctuary offers a tranquil escape in the heart of the city. The beautifully appointed bedrooms and suites feature unique designs with many offering spectacular views and the sprawling garden, onsite restaurant, and spa will leave you feeling as if you’ve retreated to the English countryside even with the city just outside the doors. With a prestigious history, boasting more than 250 years of charm and grandeur, we are one of the few landmark buildings in the world where you can actually spend the night!
Not only will we take advantage of the amenities and beauty of our hotel and their gardens, bathhouse, and grounds, but we’ll enjoy some very special cultural activities in the area during the week. We will delight in a day in the Cotwolds countryside famous for its distinctive honey-coloured limestone buildings, Cotswold stone. This stone is abundant in the area and has been used to construct houses, churches, barns, and other buildings for centuries. While we are there, we will visit an esteemed country manor along with a high tea, stops at some of the most picturesque English villages, and a visit to one of England’s award-winning wineries for a tour and tasting.
Our week will also include a special evening access visit to the famous Roman Baths as a beautiful way to experience this incredibly historic site - one of Bath’s most important. The Roman Baths are well-preserved thermae in the city where a temple was constructed on the site between 60 and 70 AD in the first few decades of Roman Britain. Its presence led to the development of the small Roman urban settlement known as Aquae Sulis around the site. The Baths are preserved in four main features: the Sacred Spring, the Roman Temple, the Roman Bath House, and a museum which holds artefacts from Aquae Sulis.
Then a highlight of the week will be a private access tour at sunrise to visit the ancient Stonehenge. We will hold a mediation in this energetic vortex and get to experience this site in a unique way. Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby. One of the most famous landmarks in the United Kingdom, Stonehenge is regarded as a British cultural icon.
We hope you are able to join us in the true English gem of a city that is Bath, UK!