Bath hotels with a swimming pool on site are limited to four main options: the Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa, the Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel, the Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel, and the Apex City of Bath Hotel, rather than relying on a day pass to Thermae Bath Spa. All four combine a pool with a spa or leisure club on site.
Thermae Bath Spa is the city's famous rooftop pool experience, but it's a day-visit attraction rather than somewhere you stay, and it gets booked up. If you'd rather have pool access built into your stay, here's what's actually on offer.
The Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa
A 5-star hotel set right on Bath's most famous street, with 45 individually decorated rooms and a historic Georgian Bath House spa. The spa includes a pool alongside a hot tub, sauna, steam room and a 3 AA Rosette restaurant on site.
- Setting: on the Royal Crescent itself
- Star rating: 5-star
- Pool type: spa pool within the historic Bath House
Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel
Set in its own grounds, this 5-star hotel has a 15-metre indoor swimming pool as part of its Vital Health & Wellbeing leisure club, plus a separate outdoor hydrotherapy pool, a gym with Life Fitness equipment, and an on-site spa offering Elemis treatments.
- Setting: landscaped grounds close to the centre
- Star rating: 5-star
- Pool type: 15m indoor pool plus outdoor hydrotherapy pool
The Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel
The only hotel in Bath with its own natural thermal water spa, fed by the same hot springs as the Roman Baths and Thermae Bath Spa. It's a 5-star hotel roughly 400 metres from Bath Spa station, with a pool, spa and fitness centre on site.
- Setting: central, near the station
- Star rating: 5-star
- Pool type: thermal spa pool, fed by Bath's natural hot springs
Apex City of Bath Hotel
A 4-star, more moderately priced option in the city centre, close to the Roman Baths and Bath Abbey. It has a heated indoor pool, sauna, steam room and gym, making it the most accessible of the four if a full spa hotel experience isn't what you're after.
- Setting: city centre, near the Roman Baths
- Star rating: 4-star
- Pool type: heated indoor pool
Comparing your options
| Hotel | Star rating | Pool type | Setting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Crescent Hotel & Spa | 5-star | Historic Bath House spa pool | On the Royal Crescent |
| Macdonald Bath Spa Hotel | 5-star | 15m indoor + outdoor hydrotherapy | Landscaped grounds |
| Gainsborough Bath Spa Hotel | 5-star | Natural thermal spa pool | Central, near station |
| Apex City of Bath Hotel | 4-star | Heated indoor pool | City centre |
The Gainsborough stands out if a genuine thermal spring experience matters to you, since it's the only one of the four drawing on Bath's natural hot water rather than a standard heated pool. Apex is the more accessible option if you mainly want a pool and gym without the full luxury spa price tag.
Thinking about Thermae Bath Spa instead
If your priority is specifically Bath's famous rooftop thermal pool, staying at a hotel with its own pool doesn't include access to Thermae Bath Spa, that's a separate, bookable day visit. Our guides to Thermae Bath Spa and the best spa days in Bath beyond Thermae cover that side of things in more detail, and is Thermae Bath Spa adults-only is worth a read if you're travelling with children. For a broader view of where to stay in the city, see our guide to where to stay in Bath for first-time visitors.