Mini Break in Bath With Ston Easton Park Hotel
Recently Simon and I had the pleasure of enjoying a few well needed days out of London. On Sunday Morning we hopped on a train at Paddington and headed to Bath courtesy of the lovely folks at Ston Easton Park Hotel in the Somerset countryside.
Ston Easton has a wonderful history and the original house appears to date back to Tudor times. The Hippisley family made Ston Easton Park their home from 1544 and continued to live here until 1956. The house sadly fell into disrepair after that point until it opened as a hotel in the early 1980's.
I've been to Bath once before when I was a baby, needless to stay I have no recollection of that visit so I was really looking forward to exploring the area as an adult. Simon and I had such a wonderful stay at the hotel and we both loved exploring the historic streets of Bath too. We experienced the classic touristic elements of the city like a visit to the Roman Baths and afternoon tea at The Pump Room but it was the hotel that really made the stay special.
When we arrived at the hotel we had a lovely walk in the sun around the grounds and the kitchen garden before sitting outside to enjoy a few drinks. I fell in love with the sweet Gardener's Cottage and the river. We also met Oscar the hotel dog snuffling around the conservatory. As a dog friendly hotel we spotted a lot of dogs and their owners enjoying the grounds which was lovely to see.
After getting a bit lost we found the Royal Crescent and wandered back down towards town to look around the the area surrounding the Roman baths before heading to the Pump Room for a much needed afternoon tea session.
During our afternoon tea we enjoyed the classical musicians playing right next to us, it all felt very civilised. When we were finished eating I sneaked us a few glasses of the famous Bath mineral water to try. Surprisingly the taste was pretty pleasant but the fact that it was warm threw me off a bit. The water is what makes Bath so well known throughout history and the Romans believed that it had healing properties. The thermal waters contain over 42 different minerals so I felt as though it was probably doing me some good.
The last thing we did before catching our train back to London was a trip to the Roman Baths. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this part of the day. I didn't expect the baths to be so extensive and atmospheric, it may be the most touristy thing to experience in Bath but it was my favourite part of our visit. We were there for a good few hours and there was so much more to see than I expected. It was amazing the original steaming spring that the Romans used in their huge bathing complex and temple.
I had such a lovely mini break away from London and Simon and I loved exploring Bath together. A huge thank you to the generous Ston Easton Park team for inviting us to stay.
The hotel has an atmosphere that you would expect to find in a grand family home, I almost felt as though I were visiting an eccentric great aunt or grandmother. The rooms were beautiful and personable with antique furniture and fine art displayed to enjoy. We stayed in one of the State Rooms which was absolutely huge, I'm pretty sure it had a similar square footage to our entire flat. All the rooms are decorated like the communal rooms in the hotel with antique furniture. Our room had a beautiful four-poster Chippendale bed which was so lovely to sleep in, or bed in London seems pretty small in comparison now.
After relaxing for a few hours we headed downstairs to enjoy dinner in the Sorrel restaurant. The hotel serves up seasonal dishes that use ingredients grown in the hotel's kitchen garden. We said hello to the gardeners, Steve and Dale in the morning and they seemed like very friendly chaps! As foodies Simon and I were hoping that our meal would be good and we weren't disappointed, it was nice knowing that most of the food we were enjoying was grown a few steps away from the table.
The library along with the many studies and sitting rooms still contain their original features and personal objects. Simon and I had a really good explore of the hotel and in its labyrinth like layout and twisting staircases we found ourselves in some very interesting areas. The preserved servants’ quarters and the Edwardian kitchen on the lower ground floor looked exactly like the set of Downton Abbey, I really wanted to take all the copperware in the kitchen home with me.
The library along with the many studies and sitting rooms still contain their original features and personal objects. Simon and I had a really good explore of the hotel and in its labyrinth like layout and twisting staircases we found ourselves in some very interesting areas. The preserved servants’ quarters and the Edwardian kitchen on the lower ground floor looked exactly like the set of Downton Abbey, I really wanted to take all the copperware in the kitchen home with me.
After waking up early the next day we enjoyed a full english breakfast and headed out to enjoy Bath. One of the main reasons I wanted to visit Bath was to pop into Hay. Hay is a Danish homeware store and I could spend a small fortune there (I kinda did). We also popped into Seasalt, another of my favorite stores, and a few independent shops before we had a wonder around the cathedral and up to the Royal Crescent.
After getting a bit lost we found the Royal Crescent and wandered back down towards town to look around the the area surrounding the Roman baths before heading to the Pump Room for a much needed afternoon tea session.
During our afternoon tea we enjoyed the classical musicians playing right next to us, it all felt very civilised. When we were finished eating I sneaked us a few glasses of the famous Bath mineral water to try. Surprisingly the taste was pretty pleasant but the fact that it was warm threw me off a bit. The water is what makes Bath so well known throughout history and the Romans believed that it had healing properties. The thermal waters contain over 42 different minerals so I felt as though it was probably doing me some good.
The last thing we did before catching our train back to London was a trip to the Roman Baths. I was really surprised by how much I enjoyed this part of the day. I didn't expect the baths to be so extensive and atmospheric, it may be the most touristy thing to experience in Bath but it was my favourite part of our visit. We were there for a good few hours and there was so much more to see than I expected. It was amazing the original steaming spring that the Romans used in their huge bathing complex and temple.
I had such a lovely mini break away from London and Simon and I loved exploring Bath together. A huge thank you to the generous Ston Easton Park team for inviting us to stay.