Bath is a historic city where children can learn about the Romans, the Georgians and about the discovery of Uranus.
Not all its hotels have space for families but a great selection do, with fun activities laid on in Georgian townhouses or lawn games and picnics possible in the grounds of country houses.
Read on to find out what we class as the best hotels in Bath for families.
1. No 15 by Guesthouse
Set along historic Great Pulteney Street, not only does this fashionable townhouse hotel welcome kids with open arms but they are within skipping distance of Sydney Gardens, where there’s an attractive new playground built from natural materials called No 15.
The hotel hopes to capture young imaginations by erecting mini tipis in bedrooms and by opening a pantry filled with old-fashioned sweets and other treats.
At meal times, there’s a kids’ menu and children can get stuck into DIY ice cream sprinkles. The hotel also provides instant cameras for them to snap their way around Bath.
Among the 36 bedrooms, some are adjoining, plus highly-trained Norland nannies are on hand to babysit.
Doubles start from £134 per night.
Booking Information
Address: 5 Great Pulteney St, Bathwick, Bath, BA24BS
Phone Number: 01225 807015
2. Apex City of Bath
This new, large and modern hotel sits close to Bath’s shopping streets and Bath Abbey.
Families like it as it has a swimming pool but it is also walking distance from everywhere in the city centre. The 177 rooms of Apex Hotel have a Scandi feel, with floor-to-ceiling windows and practical, contemporary pine furniture that pops against dark blue walls.
Family rooms have one king-size bed, plus two single beds and a 49-inch flatscreen TV. The open-plan restaurant has banks of orange leather seats that can easily accommodate families and menus offer a range of sandwiches, burgers and mains.
Time in the heated indoor pool must be pre-booked by all guests. Parents will enjoy the sauna, steam room and heated loungers too.
Doubles start from £71 per night.
Booking Information
Address: James St W, Bath, BA12DA
Phone Number: 01225 418500
3. Bath Priory
Close enough for a stroll into Bath but also with extensive gardens for burning off energy, Bath Priory provides families with a luxurious city escape.
Nature hunts and elaborate picnics take place in the grounds or families can borrow yoga mats and a set of instructions before finding a quiet spot in which to stretch.
Croquet and boules are available too. Children have their own Garden Menu in the restaurant and there is a big selection of bedrooms.
Choose from family rooms with interconnecting spaces or pull out the sofa bed in suites. For the tiniest family members, the hotel has bottle sterilising kits, monitoring handsets, changing mats and bathroom stools.
Doubles start fro roughly £194 per night.
Booking Information
Address: Weston Rd, Bath, BA12XT
Phone Number: 01225 331922
4. The Boathouse
This riverside pub, on the western fringe of Bath, has a lovely garden and in summer it is possible to paddleboard or kayak on the Avon below.
The Boathouse is one of the best hotels for families in Bath who want to be close enough to drive into, but far enough to experience the calm sounds of nature.
The restaurant is a welcoming place to eat, and there is a children’s menu. Plenty of thought has gone into making the interiors stylish, with a bright conservatory, a colourful boating theme and a terrace overlooking the river.
Lots of the bedrooms will take a Z-bed, and some of these have balconies, though there is not enough space to sleep four in the same room.
It is a ten-minute drive into central Bath, or you can go for a wander along the river path in scenic countryside. The next village has an excellent farm shop with pigs.
Prices are approximately £120 per night for double rooms.
Booking Information
Address: Newbridge Rd, Bath BA1 3NB
Phone Number: 01225 482584
5. The Z Hotel
Opposite the Theatre Royal in Bath, The Z Hotel is a modern property with a pedestrianised square out front and a choice of good, family-friendly restaurants nearby.
The hotel’s Family Rooms sleep four in two double beds, with the top one on a bunk above, reached by wide steps. Space is tight in all rooms and each is sparsely furnished, with hidden storage.
You can, however, expect comfortable beds, air-conditioning, tea and coffee-making facilities and HDTVs, with sports and movie channels.
The Roman Baths are a short walk away, as is the excellent children’s theatre The Egg.
Double rooms start from around £50 per night.
Booking Information
Address: 7 Saw Cl, Bath, BA11EY
Phone Number: 01225 613160
6. Homewood
Homewood is both child and dog-friendly, set on 20 acres of grounds to the south of Bath.
Little ones will enjoy the indoor pool and there is a heated outdoor pool too, though neither are particularly big.
The bold contemporary art that fills the house will delight children, as will the animal-shaped bushes they can find on a run around the grounds
Extra beds can be fitted into Junior Suites and above for £35. The restaurant offers Mediterranean-inspired cooking and lists pizza, goujons and salads on the children’s menu.
Nintendo Switches are installed in the hotel, which are perfect for young gamers on rainy days. In better weather, there is a riverside walk to be enjoyed from Freshford village, just down the hill.
Double rooms start at around £152 per night.
Booking Information
Address: Abbey Ln, Freshford, Bath, BA27TB
Phone Number: 1225 580439
7. Broad Street Townhouse
Located between Bath’s artisan quarter and the city’s main sights, the Broad Street Townhouse is a Grade II-listed boutique hotel.
Inside are intriguing original features, like stone alcoves, which add character to the small cafe downstairs that turns into a wine bar at night.
A continental breakfast is served down here but there is no restaurant or any other communal space. The 11 appealing bedrooms have king-size beds and are spread over three storeys.
Two categories of room can take an extra bed for £25 or the largest room has a sofa bed and can sleep four. Some rooms interconnect, which might suit older children.
Doubles from £88, Butcombe.com
Booking Information
Address: The Pig & Fiddle 2, 32 Saracen St, Broad St, Bath, BA15BR
Phone Number: 01225 330190
8. The Pig
Set within a deer park and gardens, children can run freely at this country house hotel on the edge of the Mendip Hills, a 20-minute drive from Bath’s centre. It’s certainly one of the best hotels in Bath.
Trips to the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey can be combined with visits to the hens and pigs that live on the hotel grounds or to spot deer that roam in the fields.
The farm-to-table restaurant has a relaxed atmosphere that suits those still perfecting their table manners and there is a dedicated children’s menu and high chairs.
The Pig’s bedrooms are decidedly roomy, so it is easy to stash a travel cot (just ask for one) or an extra bed in most of them. Older children can make use of the interconnecting rooms.
Double rooms start from £225 per night.
Booking Information
Address: Hunstrete House, Hunstrete, Pensford, Bath, BS394NS
Phone Number: 01761 490490
9. Lucknam Park
Wrapped in 500 acres of woods and parkland, Lucknam Park is a luxurious country house hotel.
Though it is a 20-minute drive from Bath, it has top-notch facilities for families, including an equestrian centre that will excite horse-mad youngsters.
The palladian mansion sits at the end of an impressively long drive and has a kids club, tennis courts and an adventure playground on its grounds. The gorgeous spa pool accepts children (and parents love it). Rooms are traditionally and lavishly furnished, with options for extra beds.
Even better for families are the new luxury cottages that feature large kitchens, lounges filled with tech and three or four ensuite bedrooms.
The spa brasserie accepts children or babysitting is available for parents wanting to try the Michelin-star Restaurant Hywel Jones.
Double rooms start from around £310 per night.
Booking Information
Address: Lucknam Park, Chippenham, SN148AZ
Phone Number: 01225 742777
10. Woolley Grange
Part of the Luxury Family Hotels group, Woolley Grange is a gabled manor house just to the north of pretty Bradford-on-Avon.
Though it is a 25-minute drive or a 12-minute train ride into Bath, the hotel is a winner with families thanks to its focus on entertaining young visitors.
The extensive gardens are equipped with a trampoline, football goals, sports equipment, a fairy trail and a romantically-tall tree swing.
There is also a heated outdoor pool and safari tents for glamping in summer. An Ofsted-registered creche provides childcare and there is a wide range of rooms with extra beds available.
Children can eat dinner early in the orangery, allowing parents to dine later in peace, using the hotel’s baby monitoring service.
Prices start at around £130 per night for double rooms.
Booking Information
Address: Woolley Green, Bradford-on-Avon BA15 1TX
Phone Number: 01225 864705
I have more than a decade’s experience of writing and editing for the nationals; working for print, online, news and features, mainly at the Daily Telegraph. I moved from London to the outskirts of Bath to go freelance and currently specialise in family and hotel travel.
