Inflight Magazine of Brussels Airlines

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United Kingdom : Bristol - January 2009

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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. , 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. ) 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. ) 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. , 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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