Brighton Harbour Hotel & Spa

About Brighton Harbour Hotel & Spa

Brighton Harbour Hotel occupies a pair of joined Regency buildings at 64 Kings Road, on the seafront between the two piers and a couple of minutes from the bottom of West Street. It trades on being sleeker and quieter than the grand Victorian hotels either side of it, and the atmosphere is aimed squarely at couples and weekending adults rather than families.

The bedrooms are the strongest part of the offer. Many have floor-to-ceiling windows facing the sea, and the better categories add freestanding baths positioned to take the view, heavy fabrics and bespoke joinery. Rooms without a sea view are a good deal cheaper and, given how thin the Regency party walls are, arguably quieter. A decanter of gin in the room has become something of a signature.

HarSPA is the reason a lot of guests book. It runs underneath the building in brick vaults said to have been smugglers' tunnels, and includes a pool, hydrotherapy pool, hot tubs, sauna, steam room and treatment rooms using Elemis products - an unusual thing to find in the middle of a city centre. Above ground, HarBAR and Kitchen serves seafood-leaning British food with tables looking onto the promenade.

The location is about as central as Brighton gets: The Lanes are two minutes inland, the Palace Pier a five-minute walk east, and the Royal Pavilion ten. That also means the West Street club strip is close by and weekend nights can be audible at the front of the building. There is no on-site parking, but the Regency Square car park is a short walk along the front.