A Stay at the Queensberry Hotel, Bath

Find out why a stay at the elegant Queensberry Hotel is the perfect way to visit the beautiful city of Bath.

I’m ashamed to say that until recently, I’d never visited the historic Somerset city of Bath.

It had always been on my list of cities to visit, and I knew that there is a plethora of reasons to go there. But somehow I’d never quite got around to it.

So when I was recently asked if I’d like to review the Queensberry Hotel, I was very happy to accept the invitation. I’d heard a lot about the Queensberry, and was keen to see for myself if it was as good as everyone says.

And after all, what could be nicer than spending the night in an beautiful boutique hotel in one of the most elegant cities in the UK?

I soon discovered that the hotel would exceed even my high expectations. Read on to find out why I think spending a night at the Queensberry Hotel is an excellent reason for visiting Bath.

The History of the Queensberry Hotel

Anyone with even a passing knowledge of boxing (i.e. me!) has probably heard of the Queensberry rules. They are the rules of boxing which were endorsed by the 9th Marquess of Queensberry in 1867.

The building which now houses the Queensberry Hotel was commissioned as a home for his father, the 8th Marquess of Queensberry.

The house originally spanned across three classic Georgian terrace buildings, which explains the rabbit’s warren of corridors and stairways that you’ll find inside it.

The hotel’s current owners, Laurence and Helen Beere, expanded into one of the adjoining houses a few years ago, giving the Queensberry Hotel a total of 29 stunning bedrooms.

A further 8 bedrooms are currently being re-furbished ready to be available later in 2019. The work on the hotel should be completed by 2020.

How to get to the Queensberry Hotel

The Queensberry Hotel is situated in the UNESCO World Heritage centre of Bath, in the beautiful county of Somerset. It’s a city that is adored by people across the world and a popular site for visitors to the UK.

Reaching Bath by road or rail is very simple.

By road, you will probably travel on the M4, leaving at Junction 18, 10 miles from the city. The hotel is in the centre of the city, making it an ideal base for sightseeing. You’ll find several car parks within easy reach, but the hotel itself offers valet parking at a very reasonable rate.

If you’re travelling in by train, the nearest station is Bath Spa. It’s about a 20 minute walk from the hotel, so you may prefer to take a taxi!

For visitors travelling to Bath from overseas, there are several options. Cardiff, Bristol and Birmingham airports are all within a 2.5 hour drive of the city.

Once you reach the Queensberry Hotel, you’ll notice the hotel’s individual style as soon as you step inside the front door.

Laurence and Helen Beere created the Queensberry after years of experience in high quality hotels including Claridges, the Savoy and Cliveden. They decided that they wanted their own boutique hotel to feel more like ‘a fabulous rest in a friend’s very smart spare bedroom’.

So when you enter the Queensberry’s smart entrance hall, you’ll be greeted by a team who are dedicated to putting the guest front and centre, 24 hours a day.

I arrived mid-afternoon and was greeted by Antila, the hotel’s knowledgeable and friendly concierge. After I had checked in, my car was whisked away to the secure parking.

Meanwhile Antila took me up to my room on the very top floor of the hotel. There’s a lift between the floors, but some of the rooms do have to be accessed by short flights of stairs as well. So if accessibility is a priority, it’s worth having a chat with the hotel when you book.

A Room at the Queensberry Hotel

I would be sleeping in a Superior room, which is a little larger than the Club and Classic rooms. At the time of my visit in 2019, this room was available at £135 per night on a room only basis.

Classic FM was gently playing on the DAB radio, and I was utterly delighted by the first sight of my room.

As with many Georgian houses, the rooms on the top floor have lower ceilings than those on the lower floors. So my room had a lovely cosy feel, accentuated by the shades of paprika and pistachio used in the decor.

The incredibly comfortable bed was made up with high quality bedding, and there was a sumptuously lavish wallpaper on the feature wall behind the bed.

In keeping with the rest of the hotel, the traditional Georgian styling in the room is matched with a modern twist when it comes to the furniture.

And I loved that the ceiling has recessed lighting, which helps to make sure that the room doesn’t feel cramped. The lights are dimmable, which just adds to that cosy feeling.

There’s enough space in the room for a seating area with a coffee table, and a pile of glossy magazines to relax with. Some of the rooms also have paperback novels for you to enjoy during your visit.

There are no tea and coffee facilities in the bedrooms at the Queensberry hotel. But guests can help themselves to the facilities which are available in the sitting room and on the 2nd floor.

And the dressing table held a yummy welcome gift of Lily O’Brien chocolates.

My room had a fairly small ensuite bathroom, but the designers had made the absolute most out of the space available.

The grey tiling and antique style white bathroom furniture gave the space an elegant look, while the large mirror helped to make the room feel light and airy.

And gorgeous White Company toiletries helped to complete the feeling of luxury in this gorgeous room.

After I’d settled into my room, I headed back down to reception, as the hotel’s manager Magaly had offered to show me some of the other rooms.

I was keen to take a look around, as all of the rooms at the Queensberry Hotel are individually designed.

Luxurious Bedrooms at the Queensberry Hotel

Magaly showed me a selection of rooms at the different price points. Each of them had very different decor, but all paired classical Georgian features and colours with modern accents.

The picture above is another Superior room, and I loved the elegant blue tones in this room. But it was the bathroom that made my jaw drop…

Features like the elegant chandelier and distinctive wallpapers give every room in this hotel an air of elegance and individuality.

The room above is one of the Queensberry Hotel’s Junior Suites. These are open-plan suites in rooms which used to be Georgian drawing-rooms.

You’ll find the typical Georgian high ceilings and feature fireplaces, while floor-to-ceiling windows look out onto Russel Street. The junior suites have king sized beds and you can request roll-away beds for children if you need them.  

And there’s also a spacious seating area for you to relax in.

But Magaly had saved the best room for last, as she took me to see the Queensberry Hotel’s stunning four poster suite.

This elegant room is decorated in muted shades of cream and caramel, with a beautiful dark wood four poster bed.

It’s a spacious room with a large seating area. As you can imagine, this room is very popular for wedding nights and mini-moons.

And it comes with a seriously luxurious bathroom…

This room is bigger than many hotel bedrooms, and continues with the cool shades of the bedroom’s decor.

It is furnished with a large standalone bath, two hand basins, and a massive double rainfall shower.

There’s even a chaise longue for you to recline on while you wait for your bath to run. This is certainly one of the most luxurious hotel bathrooms I’ve seen.

A night in the four poster suite would be perfect for any special occasion.

A Look around the Queensberry Hotel

After looking around the bedrooms, I explored the rest of the hotel on my own.

The Sitting Room

The hotel’s sitting room is a peaceful haven to relax in. There’s a real fire, soft lighting and comfortable seating.

You can sit and browse through the day’s newspapers, and there are also plenty of glossy magazines to choose from.

As I mentioned earlier, there are no tea and coffee facilities in the bedrooms. But there is a Nespresso machine in the sitting room, and you can help yourself to a selection of teas and coffees between 8am and 8pm. A similar machine is available on the second floor of the hotel as well.

The Old Q Bar

A little way down the corridor from the sitting room, you’ll find the Old Q Bar. It’s a fabulous place to relax with a pre-dinner drink or maybe chat late into the evening.

The bar has a cool, quirky vibe and modern furniture provides a counterpoint to the period features in the room.

The Old Q Bar is stocked with a more eclectic range of drinks than many other hotel bars. So you’ll be able to choose from a range of whiskies you may not have seen before, and wines from top wine suppliers.

From this room, you pass down into the space that is known as the Low Bar

The Low Bar

The Old Q Bar, like the rest of the hotel, was re-designed by local interior designers Jane Clayton & Co.

The Low Bar has been designed to have a more snug and cosy feeling than the first room. There are large welcoming sofas and chairs looking out into the hotel’s garden.

And I love the striking lamps which sit into the recesses at the back of the room!

The Garden

Each of the four houses that make up the Queensberry Hotel has a small courtyard garden. And these have all been interlinked to make one beautiful terrace behind the hotel.

Elegant garden furniture is arranged in cosy corners to make it a peaceful space to relax in. It looks beautiful even in winter but it would be lovely out here with a cool drink on a warm summer’s evening.

After I had finished looking around the hotel, I headed back up to my room to get ready for dinner. This was something that I’d really been looking forward to!

Dining at the Queensberry Hotel

I always look forward to dinner when I’m staying in a boutique hotel. But I had been anticipating this meal even more than usual, because the Olive Tree was recently awarded a Michelin star.

In fact, it’s currently the only restaurant in Bath to hold this prestigious award.

Editor’s Note: The Olive Tree maintained its Michelin star rating in 2021.

The restaurant’s talented chef Chris Cleghorn has put together two tasting menus, ‘Five’ and ‘Seven’. These imaginative menus showcase the very best of local and seasonal produce.

Vegan, vegetarian and dairy-free options are also available. And you can choose two or three courses to be served a la carte if you don’t want to indulge in the full tasting menu.

Now, a special meal such as this really deserves more coverage than I would normally include in a hotel review. So if you’d like to read a course-by-course account of my experience at the Olive Tree, click here to read my full review.

But suffice to say that the meal was utterly delicious, and the service at the Olive Tree was absolutely impeccable.

At the end of a wonderful evening, I headed up for a fantastic night’s sleep in my cosy room.

Breakfast

Early the next morning, the sun was rising as I looked out over the rooftops of Bath.

I’d slept every bit as well as I had hoped, and felt suitably refreshed as I headed down to the hotel’s restaurant for breakfast.

The space which had been so cosy and intimate the previous evening was now bright and cheery, and I pored over the menu to make my choice for breakfast.

There’s an excellent range of options for breakfast at the Queensberry Hotel.

You can choose from a selection of fresh juices, smoothies and mineral water, or even mix yourself a virgin Bloody Mary if you wish.

You can also help yourself to cereals, pastries, yoghurt and fresh fruit salad.

If you want to start the day with a hot breakfast, then the Queensberry has you covered there as well. You can choose from a full English breakfast, smoked salmon, boiled eggs with soldiers…

But I was in the mood for something a little different, and the French Toast caught my eye. I hadn’t had french toast for ages, and it was just what I fancied that morning!

And the dish placed in front of me was just what I’d hoped for.

Soft, squidgy french toast served with thick cut bacon which was cooked beautifully, the fat crisp around the edges.

It was a delicious and indulgent start to the day, and absolutely perfect to set you up for a day of sightseeing around the city of Bath.

Because you will be spoiled for choice when it comes to things to do in Bath!

Things to do near the Queensberry Hotel

You won’t find yourself short of things to do when you visit the city of Bath. From the Roman Baths themselves to the stunning Bath Abbey, there’s history at every turn.

If you love Georgian architecture, then you’ll be in your element as you stroll through long crescents of beautiful period townhouses.

It’s worth planning a visit to One Royal Crescent, where you can see how a Georgian townhouse would have been decorated in its hey-day.

Of course, fans of novels such as Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility will love the Jane Austen centre, where you can learn more about the author of these classic books.

And you must call into Sally Lunn’s for a classic Sally Lunn bun in one of the oldest houses in the city!

There’s masses more to do in Bath, whether you’re visiting for a day or staying for a longer break.

The Queensberry Hotel: My Review

After my delicious french toast breakfast, I reluctantly prepared to check out of the Queensberry. My stay had been short but very sweet. And I think it lived up to the owners’ aim of feeling like a stay at a friend’s smart home.

The hotel is indeed very smart, with an intriguing mix of period and modern styles. Yet it always feels very relaxed, from the gentle notes of classical music as you enter your room for the first time, to the chilled out vibe of the Old Q Bar. And in the Olive Tree, they have a restaurant that serves fine dining without ever feeling stuffy.

I loved the winding corridors and staircases, and the relaxing feel of the sitting room. And I’d definitely like to return in the summer to sit in that beautiful terrace garden with a glass of something chilled.

The Queensberry Hotel is definitely a hotel I’d recommend if you’re planning a visit to Bath. In fact, a stay at the Queensberry Hotel may be all the reason you need to visit the city!

The Queensberry Hotel: The Details

The Queensberry
Russel Street
Bath
BA1 2QF 

www.thequeensberry.co.uk
01225 447928