Travel review: Time to enjoy a relaxing Bath

So you can imagine the sighs of relief among the powers-that-be at Bath's Roman Baths when the travel writer came to the conclusion that he quite liked them.

In fact Bill didn't just like this example of living, flowing, history, he loved it. So much so that he agreed to record his musings as he went to explore.

The result is one of the most absorbing guided tours you are ever likely to find. Yes, it involves grasping an outsized mobile phone to your ear, but it's worth the time and trouble to listen and, contrary to expectations, makes the experience more intimate and real.

In fact there are three commentaries to choose from, from the wry observations of Bill to the expert word of TV historian Alice Roberts and finally a charming simplified version for children.

The Roman Baths, with its steaming waters and fascinating maze of ancient spa rooms, is the obvious place to start if you choose to visit this beautiful honey-dipped city.

It places Bath's origins within the context of its relatively more recent past. And, as Bryson himself observes, the rooftop view it affords of the baths, cast in the shadow of Bath Abbey and enveloped by the sandstone city, is really something to behold.

It links centuries of history and architecture in one wide-eyed panorama, from the powerful influence of Rome to the bestowing of today's elegant city by its medieval, Georgian and Victorian ancestors.

Bill would, no doubt, also thoroughly approve of Bath's Grove Lodge, a fantastic luxury bed and breakfast an easy 20-minute stroll from the centre of the city and my stay for the weekend.

Owners Giovanni and Mary Baiano took it over a couple of years ago and have transformed it into a laid-back but incredibly stylish resting place.

Appropriately, a Roman bust greets you as you arrive. There are three spacious suites, Georgian, Roman and Chinese, the latter a modern twist of 'Chinoiserie' that was fashionable in the 18th century. Giovanni and Mary describe the place as 'elegant, comfortable and quirky'. It is certainly all three, but it also captures the very essence of Bath. Set in an imposing Georgian town house, guests are treated to their own suite and are delivered a five-star breakfast on a silver tray. Food is sourced locally, to the extent that the eggs come from 'Nick at Southside Farm' and the fruit from 'Rich's allotment in Larkhall'. And Giovanni and Mary really make the difference. Attentive but unobtrusive, they rightly bristle with pride at a B&B that they have made special.

Grove Lodge sits opposite Bath Rugby Club's training ground. This is a city where the locals live and breathe rugby. Visit on a matchday weekend and you will be swept up in the crowds heading to the Rec and enveloped by them in city pubs afterwards.

Rugby is a middle class sport, no more so than in Bath, where the hipflask ratio is high and the average fan ambles with collar up and Telegraph in hand.

This season has been a disappointment by Bath's standards. But it remains a sport uniting a city that, despite the melting pot of nationalities caused by the influx of tourists, has a feeling of community.

Bath's centre is relatively small, which makes it ideally suited to exploring on foot. There are plenty of set-piece attractions for tourists, but this is a place to discover informally and at ease.

There is plenty to see in this city, tucked into a valley around 12 miles from Bristol. The magnificent Royal Crescent is Britain's most famous row of terraces, still largely lived in by real people bar the posh hotel in the middle.

It sits close to Royal Victoria Park, where families picnic in the summer and that boasts one of the country's best playgrounds.

A five-minute stroll takes you The Circus, another example of Georgian splendour where you can wander as Jane Austen once did. And Bath Abbey is just splendid. Its vivid East Window depicts Christ's life in 52 parts and looks all the more spectacular for having survived the wartime Bath Blitz. A word also for the staff within the Abbey, who couldn't be more friendly, helpful and, when dealing with brash American tourists, are faultlessly polite and patient.

Bath's Achilles heel used to be food. There were, and still are, a number of high-end restaurants, mostly within hotels. Afternoon tea in the Pump Rooms has also been an ever-present pleasure. But, in a city with two universities it lacked culinary breadth. That has changed in recent years and today there are endless places to eat and to match all budgets.

One of the best examples is The Raven, a free house real ale pub stuffed full character that serves great home-made pies with a large pile of mash and a large ladle of gravy.

Bath is full of independent outlets, but the arrival of chains like Jamie's Italian and Brasserie Blanc has also enriched the city.

And, if you want to spend the day as Bathonians used to, the Thermae Bath Spa, which is this year marking its 10th year, allows you to eat a light lunch in your fluffy white robe before a steam room sweat or a swim in its spectacular rooftop pool.

This Georgian city is perfect weekend break fodder. It has a great mix of bars and restaurants. Its shops have retained a high proportion of independents among the familiar chains and there are dozens of coffee shops to sit and watch the world pass by.

Much is said of Bath being Bristol's smaller sister. But the two neighbours, linked by the River Avon, are perfect companion pieces.

Bristol has an industrial, maritime past. It's cool and current. Bath thrives on its Roman history and Georgian architecture.

And, in its own way, it too is cool and current. Be it as a location for a romantic retreat or a family adventure, Bath is a charming mix – both absorbed by its past but also embracing the present and looking to the future.