Georgian gem Bath is one of Britain’s most beautiful cities and Iwan Gabe Davies recently enjoyed its many delights after staying at the lovely luxury boutique hotel The Roseate Villa.

A WORLD Heritage site, the city of Bath is one of the UK’s most stunning attractions and only about an hour away from most parts of Gwent.

It has been drawing tourists for nearly 2,000 years. Its remarkably preserved Roman Baths (www.romanbaths.co.uk) remains one of the greatest spas of the ancient world and once attracted visitors from across its huge empire.

The city’s unique thermal springs rise in the site and the baths still flow with natural hot water.

No visit to Bath would be complete without taking it in and you can avoid the crowds in the summer because the Roman Baths will be open until 10pm until August 31 (last entry 9pm).

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By the light of flickering torches, you can take in the magical atmosphere.

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More recently, its gorgeous Georgian architecture made it so fashionable that that the most quintessential of British heroes, Lord Nelson, used to keep rooms here and Jane Austen was also a former famous resident.

Stunning landmarks such as the Circus and Royal Crescent, the latter a semi-circular terrace of majestic town houses overlooking Royal Victoria Park which was opened by the monarch in 1830 seven years before she became queen.

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Hitler paid Bath a backhanded compliment in 1942 when he sent the Luftwaffe on the so-called Baedeker raids (named after the popular travel guides of the times) in which targets were chosen for their cultural and historical, rather than their strategic or military, value.

Today, the city is home to a wide array of first-rate hotels, restaurants, pubs and boutiques.

I was lucky enough to stay at the wonderful The Roseate Villa (www.roseatehotels.com/bath/theroseatevilla), a quiet and pleasant spot on Henrietta Road that’s just a few minutes’ walk from Pulteney Bridge and the action of the city centre.

It is a high class B&B with superb rooms, wonderful staff and sensational breakfasts and afternoon teas.

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There are 21 individual stylish rooms with seriously comfortable award-winning Hypnos beds, goose down duvets and Egyptian cotton linen.

Faux-bookcase wallpaper covers the walls of the hall and the breakfast with bay windows overlooks pretty Henrietta Park.

The Roseate Villa also has a private garden for guests to relax and enjoy the sumptuous afternoon teas, weather-permitting of course!

A highly recommended restaurant is the excellent Green Park Brasserie (www.greenparkbrasserie.com) which serves locally seasonal food and live music in the old railway station at Green Park in the centre of town. The staff here are also fabulous.

Its 30-day aged succulent steaks, from nearby Newton Farm, are just about the best in the business and go down a treat with the creamy Dauphinoise potatoes.

Make sure you leave room for dessert, with the sticky toffee pudding served with caramel sauce and cream also ticking all the right boxes.

There are some fine boozers in Bath too and two that I enjoyed spending a memorable hour or two in were the cosy Old Green Tree in a 300-year-old building in Green Street and the quaint Coeur de Lion on Northumberland Place which claims to be the oldest pub in the city.

• For more information on The Roseate Villa, Henrietta Road, Bath, BA2 6LX, contact 01225 466329 or go to www.roseatehotels.com/bath/theroseatevilla.

• See visitbath.co.uk for more on the city or visit Bath Visitor Information Centre, Bridgwater House, 2 Terrace Walk, Bath, BA1 1LN, 01225 614 420, tourism@visitbath.co.uk.