Home from home in Bath
You know when you discover a hidden treasure, somewhere that has a touch of luxury and style to it but yet instantly feels like home? Well, this weekend I had the pleasure of staying in such a place.
On Friday night I hopped on the train from Cardiff and headed for one of my favourite cities, Bath, along side one of my favourite friends. On the journey I had to ask her to remind me of the finer details that had been planned for the weekend. "Where are we staying again?" and "whats the plan for food tonight?" were two things I was a little hazy on. Such is the pace of life at the moment that whatever information I take in on my first read of a text/email with plans, such as those my oldest friend ('official holiday organiser extraordinaire') had laid out, is what I'll know of the days ahead.
So you can imagine my excitement when we met the rest of the girls (who'd already dropped off their bags) and they exclaimed "Oh Lowri, you're going to LOVE the apartment."
And love it I did!
The apartment was on two floors and part of an old Georgian townhouse on The Paragon, a brilliant location in the middle of town. It was booked through Airbnb and the home of a warm, welcoming lady called Rebecca (and her daughter Kitty), who clearly had an eye for beautiful interiors and the finer, luxurious details.
The huge table, made from old cheese boards, in the open plan kitchen and living space was the perfect spot for an evening of long overdue catching up and plenty of laughs.
Chatting late into the night (after a few cocktails) meant we were so ready to head to bed when we did. I wasn't too tired to notice the french linen sheets that awaited us though.
"REAL linen" I think I exclaimed as I crawled under the feather duvet, a full night's sleep and lovely long lie in ahead of me.
The morning light on Saturday brought the main living space into it's own and the views over Bath's rooftops and beyond (which we'd missed when arriving in the dark) were simply beautiful.
We all gawped at the open shelving and I sat at breakfast, imagining having a space big enough to fit three 15 foot pieces of wood, piled high with mismatch vintage crockery.
The cookware and ingredients, cleverly hidden behind curtains, gave little clues about the fact that the owner was most certainly an accomplished cook.
The bedrooms were all painted in bold Farrow and Ball shades, which we spent the weekend trying to guess. This is London Clay in case you were wondering!
Every colour suited the room it was in and, although I wouldn't be brave enough to attempt it in my own house, made the whole space feel like home.
The bathroom was a dream, with a beautiful freestanding bath, tiled floor, Persian rug and old armchair in the corner. The artwork on the wall and Molton Brown simply adding an extra touch of class.
This was the perfect spot for the most delightful pre-dinner bath I've had in a very long time. *Reminds herself these don't usually exist in real life but to try harder, with or without the Cava.*
On every wall there was interesting and mismatched, yet perfectly curated, collections of art. We were told on Sunday that these had been pieced together over many years. Just another reminder that it wasn't just an opulent and stylish space but a home which had character and meaning behind every feature.
Days spent with your closest friends, who you've known since school, really are days well spent but when they're spent in a place as lovely as this, they're even better.
If you'd like to find out more details of how to book this property, then pop over to Rebecca's Airbnb page here.
Have a lovely week ahead, I for one will be dreaming of that bathroom, lazy starts and butter croissants oh, and did I mention those shelves?!