Monday 8 June 2015

The Grand Hotel, Brighton



Brighton’s fabled Victorian Grand Hotel is where modernity blends harmoniously with tradition. Recently, having had a face-lift, this hotel standing regal on Brighton’s seafront is an address that lives up to its name.

Walk in through the revolving doors and into the lobby and you know you have entered somewhere special. Like many guests before you will be duly impressed by the lobby and the magnificent sweeping staircase, a fine example of the Italian effect on Victorian architecture.  

Built in 1864, just as Brighton was establishing itself as a fashionable spot for tourists, this now independently-owned hotel welcomes a diverse clientele from business leaders to politicians to people coming to enjoy a weekend break. 



The Grand Hotel, Brighton


Ensure you book one of the sea-facing  rooms with triple French windows opening on to a balcony. The view gives you that instant feel-good factor. Rooms are plush and spacious. Decked out luxuriously in neutral shades complete with bed dressed in Egyptian cotton sheets, cosy sofas and chairs to sink into, you won’t want to leave.   

While afternoon tea here is a crowd-puller, you must try the seafood restaurant and bar, GB1 which is contemporarily furnished with leather banquette sofas set against a backdrop of white-louvered windows. Relax over a glass of champagne and some oysters at the eye-catching central bar. Or, if the sea air has given you a hearty appetite and you fancy something more substantial, try the main restaurant.

Alan White, executive chef of the hotel told me that his fish supplier has day boats which sail within a radius of four miles of the hotel so you can rest assured that the food is good.



A room with a view

The scallops I had were delicious and the lobster, cooked to perfection, which I  washed down with a glass of Bourgogne Clos de Loyse was scrumptious, A sorbet and a glass of desert wine rounded the meal off beautifully.

For coffee head to the Victoria Lounge, it is a lovely place for  a night cap or for that matter to refuel during the day.

Being by the sea is always revitalising, but should  you want to indulge in a little relaxation, there is a spa with a sauna and steam room which offers an array of treatments, There is a charge (£35) to use the facilities even if you are a guest and don’t book an hour long treatment.

The Grand is a seaside treat and the perfect base to explore this lively city.  

 By Daralyn Danns


For more information visit  www.grandbrighton.co.uk