Time2Travel: Bath Day 2

Day 2

After a lovely, peaceful night at The Francis (Read day one here.) Adam and I headed down to the Thermae Bath Spa.

Thermae Bath Spa

Unfortunately we could not take photos inside but the modern Thermae Bath Spa  was lovely and relaxing although without any treatments for two people the bill came to over £60 and they get you with charging for hiring towels, robes and slippers - so make sure you bring your own or from the hotel to save from this cheeky company. 

There are three main places to visit:

• On the roof is the open air thermal spa which i can imagine would be beautiful in the evening. But with the warm water and relaxing nature you could lie here for hours.
• One floor below is an experience to the senses of different scented steam rooms from lotus flower to eucalyptus mint. This room also has a mini 'waterfall' showers so you feel like you are in a tropical paradise.
• That last but not yet least room is the Minerva Bath - at this room was relaxing yet fun with massage jet and whirlpools which take you on a journey around the pool - remember to grab a floating device!

Victoria Falls Adventure Golf
I love a session of mini golf so when a saw it was a main attraction of Baths I was there and in competition mode after relaxing at the spa!

My Outfit: Top: In The Style (Only £3 ATM) Skirt: Topshop Boots: Carvela

With 18 holes, mini waterfalls, streams and to top it all off a beautiful backdrop of the Royal Crescent this was the perfect setting to WIN. Although I was not on par for many of the holes Adams downfall came on hole number 16 and I swooped in and stole the lead :-)

Loch Fyne Seafood & Grill Restaurant

The Lock Fyne Seafood & Grill Restaurant was the perfect way to end a lovely weekend located at the top of the high street close to the train station for our trip home.

Our waiter was an absolute gem he made us feel incredibly welcome and everyone else we got to take a close look at all the fresh fish before we made our final decisions.

Time2Try an Oyster

It mentioned that it was traditional oysters and I was not really up for trying them on their own but they came on a platter with Shallot vinegar which has a bit of chill in it and Tabasco and i can safety say we loved them - another please!! 

Glass of bubbles
After the oysters we were both brought out a lovely glass of bubbly, I am unsure of the brand as we didn't choose but any bubbles is good :-)

Starters

Chilli and Garlic King Prawns - £6.75

You can not go to a fish restaurant and not have a portion of prawns and garlic and chilli are my favorite combination - nom nom.

Adam and I also had Scottish Rope-Grown Mussels - a word to the wise if you are not that hubgry don't go for this as a starter and there is so much - and you get crusty white bread to dip into the white wine, cream & shallot sauce!

Main Dish

We both thought is was apt to choose from the Fish Bar as we had been so kindly shown around all the fillets.

I went for Sea Bass with a you guessed it Chilli and corriander butter, and you get to choose two side dishes all within the very reasonable price - I choose potatoes dauphinois and a favourite side of mine rocket & Parmesan.

If you have read my reviews before you know Adam always chooses something brand new and off the beat and track and he went for the seasonal fish of the day which was Monkfish a beautiful looking piece of fillet.

Dessert

We were very full by this point so we decided to share a Passion Fruit Cheesecake for £5.45 which came with a rich mango sorbet.

Travelling Home

Heading home is never fun, especially when leaving this beautiful location but we jumped back on a direct First Great Western train back to London Paddington. On the way back I was a bit bored and decided to check out the FGW app, the Inside Track, which provides hints and tips from locals (and also celebs!) about the areas on the FGW network, which includes Bath. This would of probs been best to do on the way up to Bath as it provided the top locations to go.

Till next time Fiona xxx

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Time2Travel: Bath Day 1

From living in the UK for god knows how many years I have visited very few places so the other weekend we dropped everything else and traveled up to Bath with my other half with a weekend break.

Day 1

Travel To Bath: First Great Western

If you are traveling from London the best way to go is from Paddington via First Great Western and from traveling everywhere by train I was impressed especially as my phone was already nearly dead before the trip has even started and every seat has a plug - not just the special people who manage to get a table :-)

 

Where2Stay: The Francis, Mercure

Right in the heart of Bath next to a quaint park and a cheese shop is The Francis Hotel part of the MGallery Collection.

The Francis occupies seven of the original of townhouses and in the hotel it tells you where A new house begins. You will notice that the floors are not straight they slope up and down depending to which house you are in.

The hotel has modern, eclectic decor and is pretty beautiful - perfect for a photo shoot. Everywhere we visited in Bath was only a short walk away from the conveniently positioned hotel.

Like many places in Bath afternoon tea is served daily at Francis Hotel but for a more formal dining experience visit chef Raymond Blanc’s Brasserie Blanc, for beautiful French cuisine which we visited recently in London and can truly say it was scrumptious.

Francis Hotel is part of the unique MGallery collection of individual hotels, none of which conforms to the norm and all of which promise a journey of discovery both within their charming and remarkable walls and beyond.

Beautiful Architecture 

Awkward photo of moi

The beautiful architecture of the houses and buildings was just outstanding. 

New Boots

So although I loved all the independent stores I have been really wanting some knee high boots and I was lusting of the Stuart Weitzman ones but with the high price tag i sadly could not afford them. But recently  I spotted some look-a-likes from Carvela with a gold plates on the back heel from TKMAXX for £90 and I love them. With my lower legs being quite gangly i find it a real struggle to find boots that don't slouch down to my ankles - what do you think?!?

Boots Carvela: Buy the suede versions here

Dress: Armani

Where2Eat: Browns Bath

After a lovely day shopping we headed down to the river, right in the centre of town, next to the Guidhall and Bath Abbey. Every building in bath looks like it used to be home to something Royal with beautiful intricate details and Browns is no different. It was once home to a magistrates court and a police station with its grand enterenace.

As we entered everyone was in high spirits and we were happy sipping cocktails until a table outside came  available - as it was so unusallly warm.

Rivoting Raspberri - £8.50

Outside everyone was sipping wine and cocktails so we were happy to go ahead with a bottle of wine

Sauvignon Blanc, Mamaku from New Zealand - £22.8

This is a Classic Sauvignon from my favorite wine region

 Starters

Roasted Goats Cheese - £7
I aabsolutelylove Goats Cheese and this walnut crusted one was just devine with a beautiful Pico de gallo salsa and a beetroot and pomegrate vinagigrette was the perfect accopinant to the creamy goats cheese.

Chicken Liver & Brandy Parfait - £6
This parfait is partnered with a punchy rhubarb & tomato chutney.  Alongside you get so lovely crispy cinnamon brioche.

Main Dish

Lobster Tagiatelle - £15.5
Lobster and pasta are two of my favourites so partnered they are just perfect. If you are going to choose any pasta at a restaurant I would always recommend the tagliatelle as its fresh and with a creamy sauce and the rich lobster is just lush - I got all the lobster out first and chopped it up instead of messing around throughout the meal.

Adam chose the special which was Duck with a red wine jus and mash cooked to perfection and deliciously rich.

Dessert

Peruvian Brownie - £6
After a delicious lunch I was unsure if I could fit a desert in but after seeing someone else with a brownie I knew I had to be naughty especially as it was partnered with vanilla ice cream.

With Cheese being famous in Bath Adam decided to go for the selection of British Chesses £9 and for the price it was massive with good sized cheese - may of needed a more varied selection of crackers as there was only one type but we defintley tried all of what Bath had to offer in the way of cheese with: Silton, Wensleydale, Mature Cheddar partnered with celery, grapes and chutney.

Cocktails
After have a nap on our comfy bed at The Francis we got ready for an evening on the town still full from lunch we went straight to hunt out an underground cocktail bar called Opium. 

We were looking for a while but when we finally did find it you were hit with a wall of insence and an intimate location which was a a mish mash of vintage furniture.

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