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United Kinkdom : Bristol - January 2009 Country Code: Dial ++44 for United Kinkdom
Getting around
Bristol International Airport
Bus: The Bristol
International Flyer
connects the airport
to Temple Meads Rail
Station and Bristol
Bus Station, with
drop-off points
around the city
centre including
Clifton. Services run
every 15-20 minutes
between 5am and
12.10am from Temple
Meads. A return
ticket costs €10/£7. Taxi: A single journey
from the airport to
the city centre costs
around €23/£16
and takes about
30 minutes. Tourist information: The central tourist
information is at
Wildwalk-At-Bristol,
Harbourside (tel.
(0)906 711 2191,
visitbristol.co.uk).
CABOT CIRCUS
Cabot Circus, the €575 million retail
centre built on the hinterland between
St Pauls and Broadmead, has really
changed the look of the city centre.
Shop til you drop – Where to start?
There’s a Harvey Nichols (1
Philadelphia Street), a Reiss (13
Philadelphia Street), a Thomas Pink (12
Quakers Friars), a Kurt Geiger (9
Philadelphia Street), an LK Bennet (7
Philadelphia Street) and The White
Company (15 Philadelphia Street).
Must eat – Raymond Blanc has made
a cottage industry out of bringing
accomplished, affordable French cuisine
to the provinces. His Brasserie Blanc
(The Friary Building, Quakers Friars, tel.
(0)117 910 2410) does rustic, fullflavoured
dishes like seared sea bream
fillet with parsley squid, tomatoes and
artichokes in a bouillabaisse sauce, or
Burgundy snails in garlic herb butter.
Culture vultures – With 13 screens,
3,000 seats, concierge service and
cocktails, Cinema de Lux (Glass House,
cinemadelux.co.uk) has, by its own
admission, set about redefining the
cinematic experience.
CLIFTON
All Queen Anne grandeur, rolling downs
and that dramatic gorge, Clifton is by
far the city’s most photogenic district.
Must drink – If the sun is out, wrap up
warm and sit on the terrace of the
White Lion (Sion Hill),
which looks right out
over the gorge and
Isambard Kingdom
Brunel’s famous
suspension bridge.
Must eat – The Clifton Sausage (7-9
Portland Street, tel. (0)117 973 1192) is
possibly the perfect cold-weather
restaurant, with a cosy, low-lit dining
room and a menu full of warming winter
dishes. Try the traditional toad in the
hole, made with Gloucester Old Spot
sausages, followed by the Bramley
apple and cinnamon crumble with
lashings of proper custard.
Sleep soundly – The Clifton Hotel
is a no-fuss three-star in a great location,
tucked just behind Whiteladies Road,
Clifton’s main thoroughfare.
BATH
A 15-minute train ride away, the
ancient spa town of Bath combines
the effortless good looks of Clifton
with the serious shopping credentials
of Cabot Circus.
Shop til you drop – Pick up goodies
from Ren, Eve Lom and Chantecaille
at Space NK (10 New Bond
Street), and unusual
accessories and
jewellery at Mimi
Yuyu (12 Margaret’s
Buildings, Brock Street).
Must eat – Owned and run by French
chef Richard Bertinet, The Bertinet
Kitchen (12 St Andrew’s Terrace, tel.
(0)1225 445531, thebertinetkitchen.
com) cookery school holds regionally
themed classes on Morrish mezze,
French bistro food and classic Italian
cooking, using local ingredients sourced
from artisan producers.
Culture vultures – The only natural
thermal spa in the country, Thermae
Bath Spa (Hot Bath Street,
thermaebathspa.com) has an amazing
pool and does some gorgeous
treatments. Inhale healing herbs in the
Kraxen Stove, a traditional Alpine hay
chamber, and follow up with a Watsu
massage, administered as you float in
warm, mineral-rich water.
Sleep soundly – Rooms at The Royal
Crescent Hotel are all oldfashioned
elegance: lots of period
pieces, Regency striped cushions, dusky
colour palettes and fresh flowers
everywhere. And, fittingly, the spa here
is something else. Converted from an
old coach house, it has retained much
of its original character, with deep, teaklined
tubs lit by gabled windows in old
stone walls. Go for the signature Bath
House treatment and follow up with an
holistic pedicure.
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