If you have read my reviews before then you know I rarely review anything without the help of my partner Jo who also has a wealth of experience when it comes to hotels and restaurants . At the invitation of Ben Haynes , who is the general manager at HdV , Jo and I rocked up at the hotel ’ s reception on a grey Monday evening . Nestled in the quaint narrow cobblestoned alleyways of The Lanes , the oldest part of the Brighton , is where you ’ ll find Hotel du Vin . Literally a stones throw from the seafront , HdV is merged set of quirky gothic-style buildings that were , appropriately enough , first built by a wine merchant in 1695 .
After a warm welcome at check in we were shown up the magnificently restored carved sweeping staircase , through a little rabbit warren of corridors and up another flight to a door with a silver plaque that boasted the name Roederer Cristal . Cristal is a well known champagne that is usually the preserve of the rich and famous so for a hotel room to be named after it I thought we might be in for a treat .
Wow ! We were !
The first thing that struck me was the size of the room . It wasn ’ t big , it was gargantuan ! Walking into the absolutely stunning Cristal room we could see it was a magnificent loft suite and obviously the ultimate Hotel du Vin room .
A wooden floor with underfloor heating keeps you toasty throughout the main bedroom . The décor is made up with beautiful shades of warm tones and neutrals which give the room a chic feel . However the unmistakeable centre piece is an enormous 8ft by 8ft size leather sleigh bed with a luxurious handsprung mattress covered in fine Egyptian bedding .
At the end of the bed , mounted on a pillar was a 60 ” widescreen plasma TV that was like being at the cinema . Behind that was a stunning B & W Zeppelin iPod docking station ( which we did test a little too loudly at one point ), and twin free standing bath tubs at the foot of the bed for total relaxation .
If showering is more your thing then running ¾ the length of the bedroom was a glass wall behind which was a huge double walk in wet room with powerful drench showers – I hope they are not on a water meter .
Next to the glass wall in the corner of the room was a pinball machine , a full sized , old fashioned pinball machine set to permanent free play . I felt like a kid again as Jo and I tried , but failed miserably , to set a new high score . On the opposite side of the room from the pinball was a space that sported a large corner sofa suite that I reckon could comfortably accommodate a large family like mine ( Jo and I have seven kids between us ).
Doors from the bedroom opened out onto a small private roof terrace with a telescope to make the most of the sea view . This unique loft room really had an indulgence factor you rarely see in most hotels .
The bedhead was against a full height partition covered in wallpaper to look like a library and behind this partition was the dressing area , equipped with plenty of wardrobe space , fully stocked mini bar , Nespresso machine and a complimentary bottle of wine ( well it is the ‘ hotel of wine ’) which we thought best to try .
Ben had also invited us to review the hotel ’ s restaurant and you can read about that on page 40 but needless to say it was excellent .
The hotel has a large vine-covered pergola in a central courtyard which I have enjoyed a glass or two of wine in during the summer months but as the wintery skies threaten rain we sensibly stayed indoors . The main bar and lounge area is open , airy and also a little quirky with an upper mezzanine and large mural of people looking down on you . The wooden floors , exposed brickwork and leather seating give it a trendy loft kind of feel . The bar staff are knowledgeable and you can choose from over 100 whiskies and rums as well as cocktails and of course wine . It doesn ’ t feel like a hotel bar but if you want something even more laid back you can pop next door to join the locals in the ambience of Pub du Vin which has a good selection of craft beers and an amazing venue space called the Dome Room .
The hotel has 49 distinctive bedrooms that all have that HdV charm . You ’ ll find supersoft Egyptian cotton linen , big fluffy towels , roll top baths and drenching monsoon showers as fairly standard here .
We had a wonderful night ’ s sleep in that luxurious giant bed and despite the huge meal we had eaten in the Bistro the night before we headed down to try out the breakfast .
The breakfast selection was great and the service warm and friendly . As a creature of habit I opted for the full English which did not disappoint whilst Jo was very happy with her boiled eggs and soldiers ( she loves eggs ).
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and it gets double thumbs up from me . Did we stay in the best hotel room in Brighton ? Quite probably but if any hotelier out there thinks they have better then do get in touch and I will happily come and do a review to compare .
For an overnight treat , weekend getaway , meeting or just a glass of wine , Hotel du Vin in Brighton won ’ t disappoint you . I promise .
By Jason Edge
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