So my birthday was looming and what did I want to do to celebrate the occasion? Easy… spend the day with my lovely husband and fabulous daughters lounging around and being pampered … just like the Roman’s did.

So once that was decided there was only one place to go – Bath Thermae Spa.

The plan to spend a couple of nights in Bath – a day to explore and another day spent in the Spa with a bit of Christmas shopping before coming home.

Well on the eve of my birthday we started our adventure –  waking up to 4 inches of snow which is somewhat unusual in Southampton!  So after a lot of checking and worrying if we were going to even get there, we got the wellies on and ended up on Redbridge station with our fingers crossed.  Luckily trains appeared and we ended up in Bath with only an hour delay. They had very little snow there so after finding our guest house – we set off exploring. First stop M&S for lunch!  Then off to the Roman Baths – fascinating. Walked to the Crescent – took some photos, looked in some shops and then out for dinner in the evening – great start though very very cold.

Next day, my birthday and woke up to pressies and cooked breakfast – yum!  Then after more worrying, we were relieved to find that Amy and Laura had boarded their train on time and were on their way – yay!

Met them at station, then back to the guest house for more pressie opening, then off to the spa for our experience! We arrived at 11.30 am and were given our robes, towels and slippers and then off to explore!  We started with the Minerva Bath. It was so cold outside and so lovely floating about in the mineral rich thermal waters at 33 degrees C. We then went up to the roof to try the pool there – it was amazing being outside in the warm water while there was snow on the rooftops and hills surrounding Bath. Our package included 4 hours in the spa plus lunch (I chose sea bass), a full body massage and a Kraxen Stove treatment (a bit like a sauna in a guinea pig hutch).

After our day in the spa we went out for another meal in the evening.

Next day we visited the Christmas markets which were lovely, could have spent a fortune, if just a little crowded for my liking.

Then train back to Southampton and off for a meal at Rasraj in Southampton with friends.  A lovely Indian restaurant that offers food from local suppliers – the Hampshire water buffalo was lovely. It was a perfect way to celebrate…

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