Last weekend we visited the beautiful city of Bath and unlike most tourists who visit the city, we chose to arrive by car on a busy Saturday. After managing to navigate the maze like roads in the city with the help of our sat-nav, we arrived at our home for the weekend the Apex City of Bath hotel.
Finding a quality family friendly hotel is so important to us when we travel and the Apex City of Bath hotel ticked all the right boxes.
Opened in 2017 and built on the site of former council offices, the bath stone exterior of this modern and contemporary four star hotel blends effortlessly into the Georgian landscape of the city as if it had been there for years.
Bath is packed full of family-friendly things to do and the Apex City of Bath Hotel was the perfect base, just a stone’s throw away from the cities most-visited attractions including our favourite the Roman Baths.
Because of its city centre location the hotel has no dedicated car park, but has a drop off zone outside the hotel.
For parking there are several long-stay car parks dotted around the city and the hotel suggested Charlotte Street 5 minutes away (priced from £8.50 for 24 hours) or the hotel’s valet (£25.00).
After arriving at the hotel the last thing we wanted to do was search for a car park and opted for a stress free start to our city break. We left our car with the hotel’s valet parking (you can use the lane at the side of the hotel), our luggage was whisked away and we had a warm welcome to the hotel.
The bright and airy lobby oozes contemporary sophistication and charm with stylish lighting. The comfortable swivel chairs were a big hit with the girls as we checked-in.
The staff are a credit to the Apex hotel chain and made us feel so welcome, chatting to the girls about their soft toys that come with us on each trip we make.
At the lobby the girls received activity packs which put their creative side into action during our stay but when the check-in staff gave the girls two ‘Oliver’ notes each they initially looked as puzzled as I did.
They went on to tell the girls that ‘Oliver’ was the name for the city’s historic local currency and that they could use this special child-friendly currency to purchase a range of child friendly drinks at the hotel.
I thought this was such a clever idea merging history, fun and currency and the hot chocolates were a big hit with both Chloe and Holly. It’s these little extra touches that really made the Apex stand out as a family friendly hotel.
The Room
The hotel is one of the largest in the city with 177 rooms to suit every type of mini city-breaker, from infants and tiny toddlers to independent teens.
We stayed in a family room which at 30 sq metres offered more than enough space for our stay with a king size bed and two single beds. On each of the girls beds we spotted two little blue bath ducks perched on top of a bale of white fluffy towels.
As they both excitedly shouted out his name is ‘Oliver’ we learnt that at Apex hotels its a tradition to leave an Apex ‘Oliver’ duck for guests to take home. The girls loved these little ducks and they now have pride of place in our bathroom at home.
Also waiting for us in our room were chocolates, macaroons, chilled bottled water and a hand written note from the hotel which was a lovely welcoming gesture.
As the girls renamed their little blue ducks and started making themselves at home – covering their beds with some of their favourite toys from home (which we always say is a sign of a good hotel) the next shriek of excitement came from Chloe as she noticed that the room had full Sky TV.
This would basically mean non-stop Disney channel, Nickelodeon or Sky Movies when we were in our room to the dismay of my husband who was looking forward to watching the football on Sky Sports.
Combined with free high speed WiFi for their iPads our room offered all the entertainment options a child would need to keep them happy.
The rooms at the Apex are really impressive, beautifully decorated with a dark grey, white and yellow colour scheme creating a stylish contemporary ambience. We also loved the wall hung 3D photographs of Bath that catch your eye as you enter the room.
We’ve previously stayed in some city centre hotels where all four of us can barely fit into the room not including our luggage and we don’t tend to travel light, so it was great to have so much space.
From our room we had views across the city. Bath is such a beautiful city that even a standard city view is special. We liked peering across the rooftops of the beautiful Georgian buildings.
There was also a spacious desk / vanity area which the girls quickly converted into their beauty parlour and plenty of plug sockets in the room to ensure that all of our gadgets could get charged.
As you would expect from one of the leading luxury hotels in Bath, our room was of a very high standard offering all of the comforts required for a great family stay including:
- Large flat screen television,
- Air conditioning,
- Complimentary high speed WiFi,
- A mini fridge with complimentary 2 bottles of still and sparking water,
- Safe, iron and iron board,
- Coffee machine and tea making facilities
The stylish en-suite bathroom had a lovely walk-in rainfall shower, bath and a heated bathroom mirror helping keep it free from steam. We found another ‘Oliver’ rubber duck perched on the bath and I loved the fact that Apex supply Elemis toiletries which are one of my favourites.
Were the beds as comfortable as they looked? Yep! We all had a great night’s sleep and we were refreshed and ready to explore Bath for a second day.
Dining
Because of the hotel’s great location, there are an abundance of great restaurants on your doorstep. However after a busy day exploring Bath we didn’t want to venture out again and chose to make it easy dining at the hotel’s restaurant for our evening meal.
It was really family friendly with a children’s menu to choose from and the staff were so welcoming and friendly toward the girls, although the service was a little slow. Prices are what you would expect at a 4-star hotel for evening meals, however children under 12 eat free when dining with an adult, which I thought was good value.
The restaurant was bright and modern with the stylish lighting of the room complementing the contemporary style of the hotel. A unique touch on our table were the spotlights which the girls used to have extra light to complete their activity packs.
We began our meal with complimentary warmed breads to nibble on while looking over the menu.
Although we felt that the children’s menu was slightly limited in choice, when the girls asked for fish and chips – which was not on the menu it was no trouble for the restaurant, and their meals were excellent.
For mains I chose the Apex ground rib burger and my husband selected the sirloin steak and hand cut chips, both of which were delicious.
To finish I chose Eton Mess and my husband had the Apex ice cream sandwich consisting of roasted plum, brandy snap and tonka bean. From the children’s menu the girls selected the chocolate brownie sundae.
Breakfast
This was our first Apex breakfast and it didn’t disappoint. Breakfast was of a very high standard with a range of options on offer from hot cooked breakfast options to small pastries, yogurts, fruit and cereals.
The breakfast is served as buffet style but can also be cooked fresh to your requirements from a separate menu. Meanwhile hot tea and coffee are served to your table.
Highlights included freshly made to order crumpets and Chloe’s favourite pancakes. You are really spoilt for choice and the girls were delighted in sneaking a few mini muffins to give them the energy boost for exploring the city of Bath.
Facilities
What makes this hotel so attractive to families is the fact that it has a fabulous 15m pool and health suite in its basement.
The girls always ask if a hotel has a swimming pool when we check-in and having this facility quickly became one of their favourite things to do during our stay. For adults there were steam rooms and a sauna to relax in whilst the girls loved the ice bucket shower!
There were lots of beautiful communal spaces to relax in, with a stylish bar and a lounge area off the lobby with lots of comfortable seating areas. The girls used their ‘Oliver’ currency here that they received on check-in to redeem for their hot chocolate drinks.
The level of service received during our stay was exceptional and this high level of customer service is a credit to the hotel management because it really does make a difference during your stay.
Overall and is it family friendly?
Definitely, the Apex City of Bath hotel is an excellent family friendly hotel and is highly recommended.
Located in the heart of Bath with easy access to the historic attractions and great shopping, the Apex City of Bath is a fun, family-friendly hotel perfect for a weekend break in the UK – we had such a wonderful stay.
Room Tour
Prices at Apex City of Bath start from £155 for a family room when booking direct at Apex Hotels . We were guests of the Apex City of Bath.
What a fabulous review thoroughly enjoyed reading this 😍