A Grand Time at
the Eastbourne Grand Hotel Text and Photos by Simon White
W
e visit the Grand Eastbourne Hotel in East Sussex to find out what makes this location an absolute must for cyclists;
I don’t drive, so when planning a family trip to East Sussex from Margate in Kent, I was relieved to find a fairly straight forward train journey ahead with just one change at Ashford. Eastbourne station is in the town centre, a 15 minute walk from the seafront, which is ‘award winning’ for its clean seas and magnificent beaches. It is lifeguard-patrolled, with an assortment of top end seafront restaurants and bars, with a kid-safe wristband scheme and children's attractions. Having found the Pier it was a short walk as the sheer size of the Grand Hotel struck me, a towering palacelike appearance commanding a vast area directly opposite the beach, which delighted my six-year old daughter and three-year old boy to no end. Met at the entrance by a suitably smart concierge we are shown into reception, and I began to realize exactly why this traditional building is the only seaside
hotel in the UK to achieve 5 stars… When booking in, children are given their own forms to fill in for their entertainment and presented with a ‘sailor’ goody bag. We are escorted to the family suite which the children
heated) a gym, sauna, whirlpool spa and a whole host of girly beauty treatments that Angie delighted in. In the meantime I had a chance to re-visit my misspent youth on the full size snooker table. Later we found the cocktail bar and the two restaurants to be just as luxurious as the rest of the building, with a dedicated family area to make things easier with young children. The Mirabelle restaurant is particularly fine, voted by the Independent as one of the top 50 best restaurants in the UK.
waste no time in exploring; at this point I’m just praying they don’t break something expensive! The interior is impeccable, with a rich Victorian feel, large rooms with modern amenities that cater for an entire family. Board games, a PlayStation and even a complimentary laptop to borrow, are just a phone call away. But being eager to use the facilities, we unpack the swimwear and head to the spa area. I perhaps showed a little too much excitement when realizing there is a supervised play room! So leaving the little darlings to wreck the place, my partner Angie and I tested out the spa and wellbeing facilities, which include an indoor and outdoor pool (both
Being just a little too ‘pino noired’ that evening, it is not until the following morning that I perused the range of bikes available to rent from the Hotel. Bike storage is also available for guests who bring their own bikes. I decided to take advantage of being a stone’s throw from the South Downs National Park, 1600 kilometers of natural beauty, with breath taking views and some of the best mountain biking terrain in the country. Not forgetting a beautiful coastline, with Brighton just 19 miles away. Eastbourne itself hosts its own cycling festival in June, which is well-attended and provides cycling events for every type of rider. When returning it was time to pack up and we all felt a little sad at departing from such an extravagant place. It wasn’t just the grand and posh décor that made our stay so enjoyable, it is the fact that this traditional establishment with exemplary service genuinely invokes calming relaxation with a feeling of complete contentment, perfectly situated in an unchanged and unspoilt British seaside town.
Cycling World December 2015
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