A whimsical addition to Bath’s boutique hotel scene, No.15 by Guesthouse, Bath appears the picture of 18th-century discretion on the outside: the Georgian façade is virtually unchanged since Jane Austen’s time in this iconic, English city. Inside, however, it’s a different story – murals, mish-mashed patterns and modern art are an exercise in charming (Non)Sense and Sensibility. Head straight to the welcoming bar, where you’ll be greeted with a seasonal-sample-menu accompanied by bubbles or well-sourced wine; then mosey up to your plexiglass-accented suite. Traditionalists searching for a witty city stay with a dash of whimsy will need no Persuasion to make themselves right at home chez No.15 – after a few days here, you’ll be feeling all the Pride, and none of the Prejudice.
The Bar
Like the rest of the hotel, The Bar is a pastel-coloured treasure trove groaning with trinkets: glass tables display vintage jewellery and an accent wall behind the bar is lined in scalloped, leather scales, fashioned to look like exotic fish. Cocktails are artfully crafted – we like the Dorset Pick Me Up, a take on the classic espresso martini, and the Somerset Old-Fashioned, with cider brandy and demerara-sugar syrup made in neighbouring Bristol.
If you‘re peckish, the seasonal menu of small plates features beautifully refined and contemporary British fare – say, Old Spot Bath Chaps, Stokes Marsh Farm dry-aged steak sandwiches, and an avant-garde sweet option, white-pannacotta with rhubarb and ginger sable. Available from noon until dusk falls (between 12:30pm until 9pm). And for those waking with No.15 GuestHouse, take a leisurely stroll down the staircase for a breakfast of British-produce that will ready you for the day ahead.
15 Great Pulteney Street, Bath BA2 4BS
Tel: 01225 807015 Web: guesthousehotels.co.uk