Eight, Bath, Somerset

Located in the centre of Bath, the hotel's main building, where you'll find the restaurant and around half the bedrooms, is on North Parade Passage, a quaint pedestrian lane. The other bedrooms are 50 yards away in a handsome old building overlooking Abbey Green, a photogenic cobbled square dominated by a very old plane tree. The Roman Baths and Bath Abbey are just yards away, and the hotel is sandwiched between Oak, Bath's best vegetarian restaurant, and Sally Lunn's, the city's most famous tea room.

By car: the hotel is 2 hours and 30 mins from London and around 40 mins from Bristol.

By train: trains from Bristol take just over 10 minutes. The train from London Paddington is 1 hour and 30 mins. Bath station is a five-minute walk from the hotel. Book trains to Bath Spa.

Eight is a conversion of two characterful old buildings - old as in pre-Georgian, which is unusual in Bath - with sensitive, modern design. A case in point is the glass-sided corridor that leads you off the street into the main building, with the restaurant's two cosy and intimate dining areas on either side of the glass.

Eight is a privately-owned enterprise. Co-owners Nathalie Brown and her French partner Fred Lavault (Eight's chef) are much in evidence, and the experienced senior staff are very obliging and know their stuff. Expect requests for things like restaurant bookings, or flowers or Champagne to be waiting in the room, to be expertly handled.

• Bar
• Restaurant
• Family-friendly
• Free Wi-Fi

The bedrooms feature soothing colour schemes (think grey, midnight blue), boarded floors and tasteful modern furnishings. Bathrooms are beautifully designed tiled affairs with powerful rainforest showers. The cheapest bedrooms are small attic spaces, while more expensive rooms, particularly those in the Abbey Green townhouse, feel very spacious.

Room types: Rooms 1-18

Key amenities: ensuite bathroom, double bed, smart TV, tea and coffee facilities, free Wi-Fi

Eight restaurant serves modern French/Italian dishes. The cooking is imaginative and consistently high quality. The short menu typically features three fish, three meat and three vegetarian dishes. You're encouraged to choose two: portions are between starter and main-course sized.

Eight plates: relaxed, modern European cuisine. Open Tuesday-Saturday 3-9.30pm. Plates from £8.50.

The historic bar: cosy, classy, extensive wine and cocktail menu. Open Tuesday- Saturday 12-10pm and Sunday-Monday 12pm to 6pm