We both came away from
the table feeling like we
had eaten a fantastic
meal with excellent
service. We have vowed
to go back to dine again.
photos of Hollywood legends that I had to
stop and admire.
My room was a Club and it did not
disappoint. The view from my private
balcony was stunning and the room was
well appointed with air conditioning, free
Wi-Fi (I do hate it when hotels charge you
extra for this), a queen size bed and the
usual facilities you would expect from a
modern, quality hotel.
The bathroom can make or break a room
for me and this one didn’t disappoint. Nice
toiletries, luxurious towels, a bath and a
separate large walk in shower too.
I was joined by my girlfriend Jo on this
review and she is no stranger to fine hotels,
having stayed in some of the best across
the world. She was equally impressed
with the cleanliness and quality of the
furnishings but what caught her eye was
the delicious welcome brownies which we
both thought was a nice touch.
Unfortunately time did not allow us to
make best use of all the resort has to offer
but as part of your room rate you can enjoy
use of the Horsted Health Club & Spa.
The state of the art gym has 50 exercise
stations and two fully equipped aerobics
studios that offer a range of classes. There
is also a 20 metre heated indoor pool if
you fancy a swim but if you are looking
for something less energetic then there is
the relaxing spa pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and
steam room.
The Health Club also accepts individual
memberships so you can keep going again
and again long after your stay.
We had booked a table in the award
winning Pavilion restaurant (they recently
received their second AA Rosette) and
were greeted by Maître d’ Sam who
showed us to a window seat with those
stunning views I mentioned earlier. Our
waitress for the evening was Megan who
was polite, attentive and bubbly whilst
talking us through the menu as we sipped
on a couple of G&Ts.
Megan brought us some homemade
artisan bread to get us started which was
served with a delicious salted butter that I
couldn’t get enough of.
For starters I chose a the ham hock
ballotine which arrived like a work of art,
served with quails eggs, apple, pickles and
a delicious mustard dressing. Jo chose
asparagus which came with a hen’s egg
(she loves eggs) and burnt onions and I’m
guessing that it was good as he didn’t offer
to share!
Main courses arrived and Jo’s sirloin was
served with shallots, leeks, fondant potato
and some melt in your mouth beef cheek.
I chose a 10oz ribeye steak which arrived
on a board accompanied by a Jenga tower
of homemade chips that I’m guessing
were triple cooked and topped with a flat
mushroom and roasted tomato.
After that little lot we were quite satisfied
but I am a sucker for cheese and so we
ordered a selection to share. If I was going
to be critical I would say that the cheese
selection could have been a little more
adventurous and the presentation lacked
the same flair and wow factor that the rest
of the meal showed. Don’t get me wrong
it was a perfectly good cheese board but
having been spoilt up to that point I had
hoped for something with a little more
panache.
We both came away from the table feeling
like we had eaten a fantastic meal with
excellent service. We have vowed to go
back to dine again.
After a peaceful night’s sleep in a very
comfy bed we headed back to the
restaurant to try out breakfast. Like most
hotels this was served buffet style and in
an ‘eyes are bigger than my belly’ moment
I managed to pile on a full ‘full English’.
On checking out and exiting through the
main door I was greeted by a full size
statue of a gorilla that I hadn’t noticed on
my way in. I’m sure there must be a story
behind it but I haven’t found out why he’s
there yet.
The East Sussex National Resort is the
perfect getaway destination if you want
a quick battery recharge. It has it all;
comfortable accommodation, great food,
attentive service, beautiful surroundings
and all the facilities you could want. I
haven’t even talked about the two stunning
championship golf courses either!
If that wasn’t enough they also have a
huge conferencing suite that can hold up
to 400 so it is just as also a great venue for
businesses and events.
In the words of the great Arnold
Schwarzenegger “I’ll be back” but if
you would like to go then the team have
put together a fantastic competition on
page 81.
B
y Jason Edge
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