Grand Hotel

I have just come back from a weekend in Eastbourne. Me & my girlfriend were not expecting much of an aging hotel in a not so trendy town. We where definitely pleasantly surprised. The service from arrival is excellent with car parking & porter to your room. All staff where very polite but not overly & seemed genuinely happy. The hotel is clean, well kept huge & impressive. It definitely is “grand” We didn’t eat in the restaurants & instead had room service which was plentiful & not too over priced. £10 for sandwiches, crisps & fries. Beer £3.75 a bottle. Ok not cheap but for a 5 star hotel, not too bad. Pool is small but warm & clean, nice Jacuzzi & steam room. Outside pool is heated & big enough for a few lengths. The gym looked to be very well equipped although we didn’t use it. The only quibble was 2 singles pushed together to make a double bed. We didn’t really mind. Overall we where very impressed & would go back, this time with a suite & ties to try the restaurants.

My husband and I have just returned from a fabulous weekend break at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne. The greating was wonderful, we didn't have to worry about where to park the car, they did it for us. Our bags were taken to our room, and we were given a bit of a tour on the way to our room, which was a junior suite and every bit as lovely as expected. The service was definitely with a smile and everyone appeared to be enjoying the job they were doing. Nothing was too much trouble. The attention to detail made it extra special. When booking I had mentioned that it was our anniversary and on returning to our room on the first night there was a card under the door from the management and staff wishing us a happy anniversary! We ate in both restaurants, the Mirabelle was nice, but not a vast choice (service though was exceptional), and the Garden restaurant was splendid. The beef that we had melted in the mouth and again the service was exceptional. The only downside to our whole weekend was that during our morning in the health club using the fab facilities, we were unable to get a massage or hair appointment as they were fully booked. If you want these services, I recommend to book well in advance. But the gym and the pool were virtually empty! Overall this was an outstanding weekend. The staff were friendly and helpful and the hotel had every angle covered to make it a very Grand hotel indeed. Highly recommended.

We spend two nights here and ate in the restaurant one night. This is a traditional grand hotel that knows how to do its stuff. Staff are helpful and efficient. Our executive room was large, with handsome windows, and well lit, though the bed could have been bigger. The bathroom was fine and well supplied with toiletries. The food in the Garden Restaurant was decent and some of it very good. However, used plates, bowls and glasses at breakfast were not as quickly cleared from the rather small tables, nor were supplies of bowls and glasses replenished , as rapidly as they might have been. Also, efficient service meant that the toast and coffee arrived before one had gathered much from the buffet and could be cold by the time that one gets round to them. .

This was our 3rd visit to the Grand and the hotel, the service and the food were as wonderful as ever. The decor and ambience are entirely in keeping with a top quality British seaside hotel. I love the afternoon tea, the oil paintings, the large squashy sofas, the TV sets hidden inside cabinets. The whole atmosphere is one of comfort and luxury but without any stuffiness or pretention. Staff training must be very high on the hotel's priorities since everyone is charming, smiles in a genuine and warm way and tries very hard to make one's stay as enjoyable as possible. We arrive on foot with rucksacks and go out every day in hiking boots and shorts, but we are greeted just as courteously as the people pulling up in Ferraris. Breakfasts are of exceptional quality and dinner in The Mirabelle was terrific, and good value. The chambermaids in their frilly outfits and the doormen in their tails are the icing on this wonderful wedding cake of a hotel. Please, don't change anything!

I have just returned for a very expensive week at The Grand. The main rooms are magnificent and we were looked after beautifully on arrival. However, I found our ground floor suites a let down. I was staying with my elderly disabled mother and her carer, I also, am disabled. I was aware on booking that the hotel boast only one suite with disabled facilities, this I chose for my mother. On arrival we found this to be far from adequate. The bathroom has a very slippery tiled floor and the shower cubicle was so small, it was impossible for my mother's carer to wash her. The same applied to the toilet, which is extremely low, with nothing to hold on to except a red hot towel rail. There was a useless dangerous makeshift plywood ramp, to supposedly allow the disabled person to be wheeled out onto the small patio balcony. The room was situated right next to the bar and dance floor, which was extremely noisy on Friday and Saturday nights. Mine and my mother's carer's suite were adequate if a little tatty for a 5 star rating. The television channels are very limited. I found room service to be quite prompt, but the Garden Restuarant was very slow in serving and we had to leave without eating the full meal because of the long wait..

I have stayed at the Grand many times over the past few years and no England Seaside Hotel comes close, I Love it"! The Hotel went through a really bad patch in the late eighties and I swore I would never go back. Howecer since it's ownership by Elite Hotels, I have beeen back time and time again. Staff from the moment you arrive are always friendly, polite and accomodating, only once or twice out of numerous visits, have I had cause to be dissapointed by the re-action of a member of staff, the most annoying being when I was told in front of everyone at reception that my credit card had been refused, when in fact it was an error with the receptionist. The food is great, as are the rooms and the health club. It is in an amazing setting and I always look forward to arriving at this giant wedding cake of a hotel. It is perfect for all ages and tastes. The only negatives are that if they have a wedding this dominates proceedings and reduces the enjoy of your stay, they section off areas of the hotel for them, take over the bar etc, ( so check first) The other negative is that although they have 24 hour Room Service, it is very poor. It is very slow and in soome cases they have completely forgotten our order, and you usually have to chase it. Having said that I would definitely recommend the Grand.

I just returned from a night at the Grand Hotel. We chose this hotel to spend our wedding anniversary, wanting a luxury break that was close to london, and was also child friendly (we have a 16 month old baby). We booked the Epicurean Escape package. This included: chocolates, flowers and Champagne in our room, one nights stay, dinner in the Mirrebelle Restaurant with a 6 course tasting menu including wine matched with each course, and breakfast. At £380 total for the two of us, it was not a cheap stay, but was well worth it. After one night I was more relaxed that some week long holidays. From the time we drove up to the time we left the service was expectional. The little things made the difference, like glass of warm milk delivered to our room at the baby's bedtime (not charged). We both had a Massage -which was very good and not overpriced. We were lucky to have a weekend of pure sunshine, but just in case, they heat their Pool. To a wonderful 35deg. This was the first time that our baby enjoyed swimming - normally he hates the cold water - we couldn't get him out! Dinner was supurb- I have eaten at many exceptional restaurants around the world and this held it own in terms of food, service and atmosphere. Seven courses of wonderful food (only thing that i would say didn't work was one entree of Foie Gras with smoked salmon and avocado. The flavours did not gel.) The wines here well matched and generous - the wine waiter knows his stuff. The biggest thing for us was how baby friendly the hotel and the staff were. I am always concious of keeping our baby well behaved in public spaces, but in this hotel, we felt relaxed enough to let him have a crawl around and this was not a bother to the staff who delighted in stopping and talking to him at every chance. The Baby Listening service made a huge difference - you call reception once the baby is asleep, then leave the phone off the hook and reception keep an ear out - they come and find you if they hear anything. this is so much nicer than a babysitter as you dont have to rush back to your room at a certain time. Free too. We are already planning to book for our next anniversary (two nights this time) and cannot reccommend it more for anyone wanting a special treat.

We stayed in a room with a sofa bed, suitable for my 12 year old son, over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. Arrival was excellent, with one of the porters taking the luggage out of the car and another parking the car. Check-in was effortless and we were taken to our room by another member of staff, who also took the luggage. The room was spacious, with a King-size bed (With canopy), an armchair, sofa-bed, chest of drawers, writing table and chair, rather small TV housed in a unit and a reasonably large wardrobe. All was spotlessly clean. The bathroom was rather cramped; the over the bath shower was an old-fashioned large brass drencher, although there was a hand-held shower head attached to the brass bath taps as well. As mentioned by others, the windows were single glazed. Fortunately we weren't disturbed too much by traffic noise, but I did hear one woman asking in reception for a room swap due to the noise. The indoor leisure pool is quite small, sauna and steam rooms adequate, but I felt that a hotel of this stature should have had something a lot bigger and better. It was too cold to go into the outdoor pool, but that too wasn't very big. Breakfast, as mentioned by others, is buffet style. The quality was good, and there were plenty of alternatives for those who don't want cooked breakfasts - cheeses, meats, salmon, pastries, fresh fruits, a variety of rolls and a selection of cereal. Once you are sat down (after queueing for about 5 minutes on the busy mornings) the member of staff will take your tea/coffee and toast order. Service was slooooow. If you are going to have a cooked breakfast, you may have finished it before your tea and toast arrives unless you wait for a while. Didn't eat in either restaurant as they were both fully booked. Bar prices are hiked high, higher than I would have expected, even in a establishment like this. The staff throughout were magnificent, nothing was too much trouble. Overall, a very enjoyable visit but a bit over-priced compared to other similar places I have stayed in

My husband and I stayed at The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne for two days in May. This hotel is aptly named - the experience was indeed "Grand"....from the Sitting Parlors where drinks and tea are served on silver platters, to the dining rooms where meals are served on covered dishes and from silver bowls, to the elegantly furnished rooms. We had a standard deluxe room furnished with antique furniture and marble/granite bath. As stated in other reviews, I suspect the furnishings in the hotel are very much as they were 30 years ago - lovingly cared for to preserve the ambience of a bygone era. The hotel also has a lovely indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna with fully equipped mens and ladies dressing rooms, complete with showers, dressing tables, hair dryers. Our room rate included both dinner and breakfast and we were not disappointed. The breakfast buffet was indeed one of the best we have ever experienced and the dinners were outstanding. Wine selection was also impressive. Note: While a family friendly hotel, proper dress and attire are required in the parlors and dining rooms after 7:00 pm (no jeans, sweats or trainers). The experience was very enjoyable - the only distraction being other guests that did not uphold the high standards of courteous, polite, genteel behavior. We would definately return to this lovely hotel.

I stayed at the Grand with my girlfriend in April 2007. We don't normally stay in expensive hotels, but we booked at the last minute and got a good offer for a 5* hotel. We stayed Friday and Saturday night. The hotel is very impressive on the seafront and the valet parking on arrival was excellent. The hotel is stunning inside and really has the touch of luxury. We had a very nice meal in the Garden Restaurant on Friday evening, which is essentially a good quality traditional restraurant (silver service etc.) serving classic French food. Our room was large with a nice bed and had everything you would expect. The location of the hotel is excellent, being a short walk from the centre, right on the coast and a bit of a walk upto the top of Beachy Head if you are feeling energetic! The only disappointment with our stay was the breakfast in the morning. The cooked buffet was a bit disappointing, but I now realise you can order a fresh cooked breakfast if you prefer-I would recommend this. Also, we arrived for breakfast at just after 10, with the last service being 10.30. However, when we went up again for more, we came back to find our table had been cleared! Not a big deal, but we maybe expected a little bit more for the price. The hotel did have an older clientelle (my girlfriend and I are in our 20s) but it didn't affect our stay. Very enjoyable time and would stay again - wallet permitting!