With the summer here and some restrictions eased, Bristol is set for a stellar season with five new places to stay including glamping by The Wave inland surfing lake, a refurbishment of King Henry VIII’s Tudor Thornbury Castle, and the hotly anticipated opening of bohemian Artist Residence hotel. In addition, there’s new pop-up tipi restaurants on The Downs led by some of Bristol’s best restauranteurs, plus COVID-safe self-guided tours and a brand-new location-based digital museum which explores the city’s iconic music scenes. Get ready for a stunning summer in Bristol.
New places to stay this summer in Bristol
Leonardo Hotel Bristol Glassfields
Leonardo Hotels has just opened its 13th hotel in the UK last month. With 197 bedrooms and a meeting room, the Leonardo Glassfields aims to be a low energy/green hotel situated near Temple Meads train station, convenient for visitors travelling from London (the journey now takes just 1 hour 17 minutes from London Paddington to Bristol Temple Meads, thanks to the new faster train route from GWR).
https://visitbristol.co.uk/accommodation/leonardo-hotel-bristol-glassfields-p2939953
The Camp at The Wave: glamping for inland surfers
The Wave, the 180-metre inland surf lake, which opened in Bristol in November 2019, has added glamping accommodation in safari tents which opened last month. Creating a tropical paradise vibe, the safari tents will sleep groups of up to 8 people with comfortable beds, a kitchenette, toilet and private balcony area. The Wave’s 40-acre site in Almondsbury, north of Bristol includes a sensory wave garden with inland ‘cove’, activity areas, peaceful hideaways and wildflower meadows, as well as a café, street food stalls, changing facilities and retail experience. Using latest wave-making technology, up to 1,000 waves are generated per hour, with heights starting at 50cm and peaking at almost 2m, providing an accessible surfing adventure for everyone including young beginners, visitors with disabilities and professional surfers. Lead-in price for a safari tent is £125 per night and will vary by season.
https://www.thewave.com/the-camp/
Thornbury Castle renovations unveiled
Once owned by King Henry VIII and Queen Mary I, Thornbury Castle Hotel is a South Gloucestershire treasure and has been closed for a full multi-million-pound refurbishment, unveiled in phases from May 2021. The South Wing with the lounge, library, restaurants, twelve bedchambers, reception and events areas has re-opened first, and is followed by the re-opening of The North Wing which houses the Tudor Hall and remaining bedchambers. Many of the bedchambers have been renamed to recognise the key historical figures from the castle’s Tudor history, including Henry VIII Suite (the exact bedchamber where the King himself and Anne Boleyn stayed for 10 nights in 1535), Jane Seymour Suite and Catherine of Aragon Tower Suite.
Thornbury Castle - Thornbury - Visit Bristol
Artist Residence (summer 2021, date tbc)
Housed in a former boot factory, adjoined to a Grade I listed townhouse in Portland Square (between St Pauls and Cabot Circus shopping centre in the heart of the city), the new hotel is a continuum of the bohemian Artist Residence style – an eclectic fusion of art and vintage chic. When founders Charlie and Justin Sainsbury acquired the Georgian building in 2015 it was on the ‘At Risk’ register making it their largest and most challenging project yet. Bristol’s Artist Residence will join four sister hotels in Brighton, Pimlico, Penzance and Oxfordshire when it opens with 23 gorgeous bedrooms (choose from Shoe Box, Boot Room, Factory Loft or a vast Merchant’s Suite), a neighbourhood hangout with café and bar, and a garden and events space. Rates from £120 per night (room only).
https://www.artistresidence.co.uk/our-hotels/bristol/
Mollie’s Motel and Diner (July 2021)
Designed by the renowned Soho House & Co group, Mollie’s Motel and Diner is on track to open in north Bristol/South Gloucestershire in July 2021. With 123 rooms, an American-style diner and Drive-Thru, Mollie’s Motel and Diner promises to be an affordable, stylish place to stay and conveniently located for other attractions in north Bristol including The Wave, Wild Place Project, Aerospace Bristol and the hotly anticipated YTL Arena (due to open 2024). This will be the second Mollie’s Motel and Diner, the first in Oxfordshire having already featured in The Times’ Best Places to Stay.
https://mollies.com/locations/bristol/
New things to do this summer in Bristol:
A Piece of Banksy: Where the Wall street art tour
Award-winning street art tour operator Where The Wall has devised a new self-guided tour for the ultimate Covid-secure street art experience, accessed via your smart phone. Narrated by ‘the Godfather of graffiti’ and Banksy mentor John Nation, the tour is called ‘A Piece of Banksy’ and uncovers the story of the elusive street artist and over 30 years of graffiti art history with 13 audio commentaries in 13 different locations around the city.
http://www.wherethewall.com/self-guided-tours/
Breaking Bread
Pop-up success from 2020 Breaking Bread returns to The Downs near Clifton; a collaboration between some of the city’s best restaurateurs who have come together to create an al fresco, covered dining experience in tipis. Pub tipi ‘The Pipe and Lovers’ has been open since April, but last month the ‘Home Grown’ restaurant tipi opened too. In addition to these, and new this year is a covered outdoor event space which will host live music.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/whats-on/breaking-bread-p2937223
The Spiegeltent’s Outer Space (30 April – 30 June)
A brand new al fresco drinking and dining experience in the heart of Bristol’s Harbourside. A vibrant, laid-back outdoor pop-up space from the team behind the award-winning Spiegeltent, bringing you a totally unique experience including delicious, top-quality street food, great drinks and tunes selected by resident DJs throughout the Summer months.
The Spiegeltent's Outer Space - Visit Bristol
Yuup unique experiences
Launched in late 2020, Bristol-based online marketplace Yuup is gearing up for their first summer with hundreds of new experiences led by local experts for the curious visitor. From beekeeping to belly dancing, foraging to fox feeding, pottery to printmaking, sheep herding to soap making, weaving to wine tasting and vegan baking to vegetarian banquet making, the diverse range of experiences reflect the independent and creative spirit Bristol is known for.
https://visitbristol.co.uk/things-to-do/yuup-p2893163
Iconic Black Britons tour
A 90-minute guided tour of the Seven Saints of St Pauls murals, a collection of street art pieces celebrating Black Bristolians whose activism has changed the city. Easton-born artist Michele Curtis painted the murals to promote positive Black social history in Bristol, with murals depicting Carmen Beckford, Audley Evans, Delores Campbell, Barbara Dettering, Owen Henry, Clifford Drummond and Roy Hackett.
https://www.iconicblackbritons.com/heritage-trail
Everything is Music digital museum
A new location-based free digital museum celebrating Bristol and Bath’s music scenes through the ages has launched in May 2021. The platform showcases artists, labels, clubs, venues, record stores and festivals from the cities and tells stories through music, augmented reality, photographs, video, audio, podcasts, exclusively recorded mixes and experiences at location pins across Bristol and Bath. The platform includes a tour of four prominent St Paul’s sound systems, members of Portishead discussing Dummy in the studio where they recorded it and Bristol’s biggest live music fan Big Jeff talking through his best ever gigs.
Toot Bus
A new hop on-off bus tour and route has started this May in Bristol by TOOT (The Original Open Tour) Bus. By using the TOOT Bus app, visitors can explore the city like a local and use the interactive map to find monuments, must-see landmarks and audio guide commentaries, bus stops and real-time bus locations. The open-air top deck buses give unrivalled views of the city.
https://www.tootbus.com/en/bristol/home
Bristol Open Doors tour app
On a similar thread of Covid-safe tours, Bristol Open Doors has launched a smart phone tour Hidden Bristol app for visitors to download and enjoy three self-guided audio tours of the city. The three tours include Vibrant Bristol which explores street art scene in Bedminster; Hidden Harbour which uncovers 1,000 years of Bristol history; and Historic Bristol which travels around the Temple Quarter area of the city. The immersive audio tours are narrated by over 100 Bristolians from street artists to craft beer brewers, ship captains to historians and take from 60-90 minutes each.
https://bristolopendoors.org.uk/hidden-bristol-audio-walking-tours/
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