insideKENT Magazine Issue 75 - June 2018 | Page 139

GETAWAYS Flying the flag for beachside brilliance at the BRIGHTON HARBOUR HOTEL I BRIGHTON! FROM AN ABUNDANCE OF CHILDHOOD MEMORIES OF TRAIN TRIPS TO THE SEASIDE, FAMILY GATHERINGS, TEENAGE YEARS MEANDERING THE LANES AND SOME TRULY MEMORABLE, SOMEWHAT RAUCOUS EVENINGS OUT, NOT LEAST THE ONE THAT CEMENTED MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY NOW HUSBAND, BRIGHTON HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY GO-TO DESTINATION. SO, IT IS ALWAYS WITH AN AIR OF EXCITEMENT THAT I RETURN, ALBEIT ONE TINGED WITH JUST A LITTLE APPREHENSION AS TO WHETHER THIS TRIP WILL FULFIL MY EXPECTATIONS. THIS TIME AROUND, I WAS SCHEDULED TO STAY AT A HOTEL THAT HAS HAD EVEN THE STAUNCHEST OF BRIGHTON LOCALS RAVING; I HAD AN INKLING THAT I WAS ON TO A WINNER WITH THE BRIGHTON HARBOUR HOTEL . BY SAMANTHA READY The Brighton Harbour Hotel could still be deemed a relative newcomer to the Brighton hotel scene, having swung open its refurbished seafront doors just last year. Like most destination hotels it recognises that most will come, check in and go out – that’s what one does in Brighton, no? But, it succeeds in an offer that when you are there you don’t really want to leave… Check in was personal and friendly and we were pleasantly surprised by the contemporary interior, fresh art work and homely feel that belies its exterior; not least because many moons ago, I actually stayed in the same very building under a previous – and pretty hideous – incarnation. This was less refurbished and more reborn, a testament to the Harbour Hotel Group and its painstaking reinvention that has finally realised the building’s potential. Not content with simply offering 79 nautical hipster-sleek guest bedrooms right opposite the beach, ours, along with 34 others, came complete with sea views, the comfiest king- size bed, plump pillows, a cool colour scheme, and bathrooms filled with The White Company goodies. Ooh, and help-yourself decanters of sherry and local gin! Win! The Brighton Harbour Hotel has stepped it up more than a notch. A basement spa haven of secluded swimming pool and treatment rooms ripe for escapism; The Jetty restaurant – so sought after that even we couldn’t get an early spring evening reservation; and HarBar a cocktail bar that somehow manages to offer atmosphere and sophistication without attitude and enough mixology magic to make it less cocktail bar and more lifestyle statement. So at home were we making our way through the drinks menu – we highly recommend the Java Joe, a twist on a traditional Espresso Martini, and the Grey Goose Le Fizz – in the New York-sophistication vibe of HarBar, that we debated not leaving to go out at all… Instead we ordered one more for the road, immediately Instagramming it; not for self indulgence, but simply because it needed to be shared. Venturing out, the prime location of the Brighton Harbour Hotel becomes even more evident; a few steps from the beach and pier, a quick double back to The Lanes and North Laine, and very close to a fair few of Brighton’s best eateries and bars… While we may not have had the pleasure of dinner at The Jetty this time around, we were able to sit windowside for a delicious, local breakfast, which is handily served late on the weekends; the perfect start to a Brighton day and the perfect end to a Brighton Harbour Hotel stay. Brighton Harbour Hotel 64 King’s Rd Brighton East Sussex 01273 323221 [email protected] www.brighton-harbour-hotel.co.uk BrightonHHotel BrightonHarbourHotel SOUTHERN RAIL Passenger numbers have doubled in just 12 years on Southern, part of the GTR franchise, which is in the process of transforming and future-proofing rail services into and across London, with the addition of new trains, modern infrastructure and improving ways of working. Southern provides train services for commuters, airport users, business and leisure travellers across the south of England, moving an average of 620,000 people every day. Passenger numbers have doubled over the past 12 years on Southern, part of the GTR franchise, which is in the process of transforming rail services in to and across London, with the addition of new trains, modern infrastructure and improving ways of working. Save time and book your Off-Peak and Super Off-Peak tickets online at southernrailway.com and up to four children can travel with you for just £2 each. With no online booking fee and a guaranteed refund if plans change and you don’t collect your tickets, you can login to your account and request a refund. www.southernrailway.com 139