ROSE DOYLEstays at Pratt's Hotel in Bath, England
ON THE FACE of it, and after a flight to London,a train to Bath and a walk from the station, Pratt’s Hotel looked like an ideal base for a couple of days in England’s splendidly Georgian Roman city.
It sits at the centre of South Parade, a listed terrace, designed by John Wood the Elder in 1743, its facade of honey-coloured Bath stone glowing in the late-afternoon sun.
At first the hotel looked old but comfortably relaxed. On closer inspection that impression changed to one of exhaustion – understandably, as Pratt’s is housed in five of Wood’s original buildings. But the front door was open, so I wheeled in my suitcase. The lobby was clean and chintzy, the mood subdued, the coolly unwelcoming receptionist efficient and informative.
To paraphrase Jane Austen, a former resident of Bath, it’s a truth universally acknowledged that one cannot have everything in this life.
My single room was small and dark, in the way single rooms often are. It had a desk, a mirror, a chair, a television, tea-making facilities and a bedside table – with a skirt.
The mixer tap didn’t work for the shower, and, although I asked, it wasn’t repaired during my stay. That said, a couple of cold showers did me a power of good. The generous supplies of stylish and healthy-feeling bathroom soaps and unctions were Pratt’s own; you can buy a supply to take home.
The view from my long sash window was of a typical Bath cityscape. Centuries-old stone walls framed a tree nearly as high as the building, with, behind it, another of the 18th-century terraces that have helped make Bath a Unesco World Heritage site.
If you’re keen on history there’s plenty of it at Pratt’s, parts of which have been in use as a boarding house since 1791. Guests who have stayed here include Sir Walter Scott, William Wilberforce and Dame Peggy Ashcroft.
When Wood, who died in 1754, arrived in Bath, aged 20, his modest plan was to implement a grand Palladian design of his own and so turn the city into a “second Rome”. He died young and in debt – though by then he’d created a design vision and building demand that his son John Wood the Younger was able to carry on.
With all the history it has going for it Pratt’s couldn’t help but be friendlier than its receptionist, and, stolid hotel-issue floral carpets and wallpaper apart, it revealed itself as a place of character and warmth over my stay. The corridors were narrow and the floors creaked, but it’s another acknowledged truth that it is almost impossible to get the mix of utility and aesthetics right in a very old house.
An architectural gem was the wide bowed landing on the staircase, built for the benefit of the chairmen who used sedans to carry guests to their rooms after spa treatments.
My own sedan-chair moment happened in the lift, a shakily efficient vehicle awash with instructive signs I should have read but didn’t. When it unexpectedly halted between floors late at night I was on my knees in prayer before I saw the please-do-not-panic sign. I did as instructed, pushed a button and was carried on up. A fellow guest, when the lift stalled again next morning, called it a “naughty thing” and got us under way without panic or divine intervention. A stiff upper lip is a bonus at Pratt’s.
The dining-room staff and extravagantly full English breakfast are real strengths of the hotel. Solicitous and thoughtfully efficient, the staff got the Sunday-morning mood just right and kept the buffet table groaning with fruit, cereal, eggs, bacon, black and white pudding, baked beans, sausage, toast, breads, croissants and great coffee. Nothing exciting, but everything was hot, fresh, tasty, plentiful and included in the room charge – and it was great padding for the day ahead in a city that has more to offer culturally and historically than many entire counties.
If it’s a wildly hedonistic and gratifying nightlife you’re after, Pratt’s is not for you. It’s the sort of place where, on Sundays at any rate, guests attend church, then return to read newspapers and laze in old-style armchairs in a couple of old-style lounges. It’s all very restful and relaxed and guaranteed to keep your pulse steady.
The different receptionist who was at the desk when I was leaving was charm and kindness itself.
WherePratt's Hotel, South Parade, Bath, England, 00-44-1225-460441, prattshotel.co.uk.
WhatThree-star hotel in classical Georgian building.
Rooms46 individually decorated ensuite rooms.
Best rateBetween £45 (€50) and £60 (€66) per night for bed and full English breakfast. Four-day Christmas break, from December 23rd, costs £555 (€620) per person sharing.
Restaurants and barsSeason's Restaurant, plus a bar with two lounges, both overlooking the Georgian buildings of Grand Parade.
Child-friendlinessOffers include free meals and accommodation for under- fours sharing with two adults, plus free accommodation for children between four and 14 sharing with adults.
AccessDisabled guests are welcome, but let the hotel know about your needs beforehand, because of the age and layout of the hotel.
PetsDogs welcome for £7.50 (€8.30) per night.