The Grand Hotel Eastbourne

About The Grand Hotel Eastbourne

Standing at the quieter, western end of Eastbourne's seafront, The Grand Hotel has been a fixture of the town since 1875 and remains its most recognisable building, a vast white Victorian pile overlooking manicured lawns and the Channel beyond. Its scale and formality set it apart from anything else in Eastbourne, with columned public rooms, a ballroom and a long tradition of afternoon tea on the terrace.

The hotel's spa and indoor pool occupy a substantial wing to the rear, while bedrooms vary between traditional, chintz-heavy rooms in the original building and slightly plainer options in newer sections, most with views over either the gardens or the sea. Its position near Meads and the base of Beachy Head suits guests planning to walk onto the Downs directly from the hotel.

Dining runs from a formal restaurant to a more relaxed garden room, and the hotel's grounds and croquet lawn give it a resort feel unusual for a British seaside town. It is priced and positioned as Eastbourne's top address, and books up well ahead of the tennis in June and the summer season generally.