Bath surprises with fabulous, continental-style shopping

Were it not for breast cancer, dear readers, this week would have brought a series of reports from Barcelona. It was time for the annual Gartner IT Expo, and the usual holiday extension into the weekend afterwards. After years of returning to Cannes the conference organisers had moved to Spain's most trendy city for art and culinary experimentation. The Northwestern girls were excited. But medical leave put an end to both the work trip to Spain, and the fun afterwards.

We still wanted to get our traditional girls' Christmas shopping weekend in, especially since it's now decided that I start chemotherapy on 7 December. Some power shopping, spa relaxation and good food sounded like a fine idea before the medical hijinx. Where to go to find that variety without too much driving? Bath.

The Northwestern girls had been there together years ago, and I've lost count of the visiting Americans I've taken around the sights. It is undoubtably the most beautiful and extensive Georgian town in England. Huge swathes look pretty much the same as they did when Jane Austen lived here, which is why keen eyes will pick out Bath in the background of just about every film set in the 18th century, no matter where its action is supposed to take place. As if Georgian architecture weren't beautiful enough, all of Bath is built of that distinctive, golden Cotswold stone, which gives it a rich yet mellow glow under most lights, and it's built up the slope of a bowl-shaped valley, adding height and drama to the views.

Tourists usually wander about the ancient baths after which the city is named (with plenty to see from the original Roman complex), the abbey, the assembly rooms where the Georgian great and good socialised, Pulteney Bridge and the aristocratic housing developments of the Royal Crescent and the Circus. There are enough architectural highlights, small museums and neighbouring country houses (Dyrham Park being a favourite) to keep a serious culture vulture occupied for a week.

Having done all of this before, our primary objective was the Bath Thermae spa, which opened in 2006 in some of the historic spaces that had been public baths in earlier centuries. Research, however, cooled our enthusiasm. Treatment prices were at least 10% higher than nearby luxury hotels, and did not include the price of admission. You have to pay an hourly fee just to get into the complex. When we discovered they also charged for dressing gowns and shoes ... and found a better package spa deal at a five star hotel nearby ... we decided on a change of plans. I still plan to pop in to the Thermae someday, but only for the main facilities and not for the overpriced treatments. (For more on the spa day we ended up with, see the next entry.)

The real surprise of Bath was the shopping. Based on previous visits, I'd thought of it as a mix of tourist tat, chain stores and dusty old antique shops. No longer. The chains are the more upscale ones, and at least half the shops in the central district seem to be independents. The town is now awash with trendy clothing boutiques, interesting galleries and fun home decor shops. New arcades and alleyways have been developed, and everything feels far more prosperous than it used to. (Our B&B host attributes this to the spa bringing a more affluent type of tourist, and broadband allowing more people with well-paying London jobs to move here.) In a country where shopping is increasingly homogenised, this was a retail experience closer to our outings to Venice or St. Paul de Vence. We will all be going back.

If heading there yourself, explore Milsom, George and Bartlett Street, paying special attention to the latter two. George Street is now a string of independent boutiques and galleries. Check out Prey, which carries quirky stuff like buttons and aprons made from vintage fabric, and silk scarves copied from ancient book frontispieces, screen printed by the same workshop that produces Hermes scarves. They have a great range of cards, jewelry and home decor items. A few minutes' walk east is Via Appia, an Italian boutique filled with exquisitely designed knits and formal wear and some surprisingly reasonable, yet beautifully designed, jewelry. Just next door is Topping and Company, an independent bookshop so redolent of individual taste and good advice (hand written descriptions and recommendations taped to shelves below books) it almost makes you want to give up your Kindle. If bookstores are to survive at all, I'm convinced this is the kind of place that will hang in there.

Turning up Bartlett Street ... a small lane that heads north and is a prime cut-through to get to the Circus and the Royal Crescent ... you'll find more women's boutiques like Mee, Lux and The Loft that all carry boutique brands with interesting cuts and distinctive looks. Not cheap, mind you, but if you want something that's obviously top quality and is unlike what everyone else is wearing, this is a place to wander. The Loft is also a home decor shop with some great rustic furniture and modern accessories.

After a satisfying and successful day of Christmas shopping in ever increasing crowds, we were glad that our B&B was outside the bustling city centre. Bathford is just four miles from central Bath, but could be a village deep in the Gloucester countryside. Except that its architecture is a spill-over from the Georgian jewel. In fact our B&B, Eagle House, was designed by architect John Wood, famous for the Circus and Queen's Square in town. If you want the experience of staying in grand Georgian architecture, but don't want to pay for a grand country house hotel, this is a good option.

Eagle House is a classic small country house of the era, with an imposing classical pediment surmounted by an eagle on the garden face that looks out over gardens and sweeping views. Inside, guests have access to a gracious staircase hall, an octagonal drawing room with towering ceilings and a large dining room used for guests' breakfasts. Several of the bedrooms are large and quite grand, sharing the same view as the drawing room, and there's a large family room with three beds that's perfect for our girls' trips.

Despite the grand architecture this is more standard B&B than luxury experience, certainly one step down from a place like Cotswold favourite Windy Ridge (see 27.7.10). Though, sadly, not that much cheaper. This is still very much a family home, with surroundings being a hotch potch of items (including some shockingly out-of-context works by an artist son) rather than a carefully put together decor. Architectural damage like a glass screen at the top of the stairs and odd interior windows harkens back to the building's days of institutional use from the '50s through the '80s. There's a gorgeous fireplace in the sitting room but it's not lit, and there's no honour bar to draw people into the room or encourage them to linger. Most irritating, there's a charge for a cooked breakfast. At £45 per person per night ... £135 for the room ... we thought this was a bit of cheek.

I had used Eagle House seven years ago for a house party to celebrate my birthday, and it was ideal for booking out for exclusive use. The location, beauty of the house and helpfulness of the owners still puts it on my "must consider" list for Bath. But after this trip I do have to question value for money, and think I may be doing a bit of web surfing to see what else is in the area.

Of course, if money were no object, I'd be sleeping at the Bath Priory. For our adventures there, see the next entry.