The perfect spot when you are in need of some luxury
Estel is a Content Editor for Bristol Live. She joined Bristol Live in December 2019 after working at WalesOnline. She was a finalist at the 2019’s Regional Press Awards as well as the 2019’s and 2020’s Wales Media Awards. Born in Barcelona, Estel loves the countryside, yoga and a good bath.
The Lido also now has a boutique hotel(Image: BristolLive)
It is no secret that I am in love with the Bristol Lido, and I have written about my love affair with this idyllic spot in the past. Sadly, I do not have a membership for the only outdoor pool in the city, but it is my go-to place when I am in urgent need of some self-care.
So, hearing the news the Lido now has its own boutique hotel, I was incredibly excited to pay it a visit. The Lido Townhouse is a five-bedroom Georgian property that has been carefully renovated and gorgeously decorated, located just over the road from the lido itself.
While my partner wasn’t able to get to the Lido until later on in the day, I wanted to make the most of our stay and I arrived shortly after 3pm. After checking into the lido itself, I was then walked over the road – literally – to the townhouse.
Our room was on the bottom floor and I was immediately impressed by how cosy, yet luxurious it felt straight away; from the colour scheme to the decoration, this was totally how I would have imagined a hotel by the Bristol Lido to be.
The bed was extremely comfortable(Image: BristolLive)
The duck egg blue walls gave the room a calming feel, while the huge shower and the claw foot bath in the room itself made me feel truly pampered; if I ever get to have a bath in my bedroom, I have made it in life. In the meantime, staying in places that have one will have to do.
After relaxing in the room for a bit, it was time to put my swimsuit and soft robe on to walk across the road for some swimming. However, after a few laps, the temptation to have a glass of wine and some olives while enjoying the last bit of sun became too much.
With the Lido serving some of the best olives I have had in the UK, it has become a bit of a tradition for me to enjoy some with a glass of wine at some point during a visit. I would totally recommend others to join me in this habit.
(Image: BristolLive)
It was my partner’s first time at the Lido, so I was looking forward to showing him one of my favourite place’s in Bristol. Once he arrived at about 6pm, we spent the next couple of hours alternating between the sauna, hot tub and pool (well, I was the only one swimming as he isn’t that keen on cold water).
Before we left to get ready for dinner at about 8.30pm, I had the delicious pleasure of having the pool just to myself for a bit; this felt like such a luxury. Especially when the sun goes down, as the lido turns even more magical.
Our cocktails with a pool view(Image: BristolLive)
While I had eaten at the bar in the Lido several times, this was my first time at the restaurant itself so I was a bit unsure about what to expect. Looking at the menu, it quickly became apparent the restaurant also had that excellent Mediterranean feel the bar has.
We started off with a couple of cocktails; my partner’s alcoholic lemonade was terrific and I will certainly be getting one of those next time. I was also persuaded to try oysters again and the salsa ruda they came with made all the difference to my unsophisticated palate.
Oysters as a starter for dinner(Image: BristolLive)
As starters, we had the charcoal grilled octopus with a tomato sauce, agretti, Isle of Wight tomatoes, caper and bottarga. A big fan of octopus, it is hard to go wrong with this mollusc in my eyes and I am always so happy when I see it in a menu.
We also had the wood fired n’duja and mussels sourdough flatbread with cultured cream and chives. With its yummy richness, I am so glad that n’duja seems to be featured in every restaurant’s menu at the moment. While the mussels didn’t really add much to the dish for me, my partner happily enjoyed mine.
Pictured is charcoal grilled octopus (back) and wood fired n’duja and mussel sourdough flatbread(Image: BristolLive)
Moving over to the mains, we also decided to share and went for the charcoal grilled Iberico pork bavette with Isle of Wight tomatoes, oregano triple cooked chips and tzatziki.
For me, this dish was the absolute highlight of the meal. The pork was very tender, the tomatoes so full of flavour and the tzatziki simply delicious; thankfully, there was plenty of sauce as I kept wanting to dip back for more.
Charcoal grilled Iberico pork bavette with Isle of Wight tomatoes, oregano triple cooked chips and tzatziki
We also ordered the tagine of Cornish hake, braised squid, mussels, wild Atlantic prawns, saffron potatoes and chermoula. This dish was very hot when it arrived, so we let it cool down for a bit first.
I was also very impressed by the tagine and the tomato sauce it came with was simply stunning; it is one of the best tomato-based sauces I have had for quite sometime. As someone who grew up in a food culture based around “sofritos” (slowly cooked tomato-based sauces), this is quite a compliment I would say.
Tagine of Cornish hake, braised squid, mussels, wild Atlantic prawns, saffron potatoes and chermoula(Image: BristolLive)
Following our waiter’s recommendation, we also ordered some charcoal grilled broccolini with anchovy butter, which were so deliciously salty and moreish.
We finished off our meal with a couple of shots of limoncello and some rum and raisin ice-cream, served with some Pedro Ximenez liqueur on top. My partner adored the ice-cream, and he looked so happy as he ate it, so I would probably not be wrong if I said this was his highlight of the meal.
Our lovely dessert – limoncello shots and rum and raisin ice cream with a shot of Pedro Ximenez(Image: BristolLive)
Making the most of staying over the road, we finished off our limoncellos in the room, having a chat before drifting off to sleep in an extremely comfortable bed.
After an excellent night’s sleep, we couldn’t help ourselves and popped back to the Lido for a quick swim and sauna. Sadly, we had to rush off for my partner’s graduation (I know how to look after him, don’t I?) – or I would have made the most of it and stayed right until check out time.
What a wonderful addition the Townhouse is to the Bristol Lido; I certainly didn’t want to leave.
Lido Townhouse, Oakfield Place, Clifton, Bristol, BS8 2BJ. Nightly room rates start at £145