I took my aunt to The Grand for her 90th birthday and the staff made her feel very special indeed. I had requested a flower arrangement in her room upon arrival - it was and very beautiful it was too. The staff gave my aunt a birthday card and the chef went to the trouble of decorating a plate specially and she was given a little cake with a candle....a nice touch. The room I had was lovely, my aunt's was a sea-view and delighted her The beds are very soft (my choice is slightly firmer but I found it completely acceptable) . The food was excellent the service first class. Worth every penny. One has the feeling that nothing is too much trouble for the staff who are all very pleasant and polite.

The service given by the staff was excellent.
The hotel entrance was stunning, however the standard isn't carried through the rest of the hotel. The rooms could follow the high standards. We had a sea view but the the windows were dirty.
The spa is so dated and actually seems dirty- I don't think it is but it looks that way. The jacuzzi wasn't working. The sauna is in the changing room so I had to go by myself and not with my partner.
The spa staff were highly trained but lots of money needs to be spent on the spa.
The afternoon tea was delightful in front of an impressive fire!
Eating in the Mirrabelle was a real treat. The food was good. One waiter had lots of wrong information about the food though.
The breakfast in the garden restaurant was great!
I would go back but wouldn't use the spa.

I stayed three nights with my family and overall, it was really good.
Staffs were excellent and the room was comfortable although I found it might be a little difficult to stay during hot summer...But this classic hotel is where I will definitely return for my family holidays.

I came for a little weekend away, and we were very happy with the hotel overall. Our room was fairly cheap, and so the view was correspondingly limited (a gloomy inner yard filled with pigeon feathers). The interior strays into dated chintz territory a little, but it was lovely and clean and the bathroom was clean and modern and relatively spacious.

The spa and gym downstairs are nice to have, although the gym is only quite small. The thing I liked best of all was the outdoor pool, it's a lovely unique feature, and swimming outside with a view of the hotel is fabulous. Even flipflops are thoughtfully available if you forget to bring your own.

The breakfast was of an excellent standard, loads of choice, and nicely laid out around the dining room so you don't end up in an unseemly scrumdown with other guests.

Oh, and the beds! best night's sleep EVER! It was so, so comfortable, right down to the perfect pillow. Would come again, just for the beds.

Faded elegance in all its glory, well worth a stay here to take in a time past but presented with today's amenities.

Met up with a former colleague for a leisurely lunch. Waited in the lounge which has a definite old world charm and elegance. Friendly polite staff who were helpful but did not hassle you. Newspapers were available. Went through to the dining room which was spacious and a pianist was playing though not too loudly so it was not intrusive. The staff again were helpful and did not rush us. We had a 10 minute pause before selecting from the sweet trolley. Our food was delicious and hot. The guinea fowl was served with a sauce which was slightly mustardy - not a combination I would have thought of, but it worked. Certainly go again.

Booked for a one night birthday surprise for my wife and when I mentioned this we were promised an upgraded room. With the children the minimum room size available was a junior suite which we knew were at the back but that wasn't an issue - we weren't going to spend all our time looking out of the window!
On arrival we were very impressed with the parking/check in system. A nice chap in uniform takes your bags inside and parks your car for you while, after checking in, an equally nice chap takes your bags up to your room and shows you around.
The room was ok - not really a suite but a very large room with a large bed at one end and a sitting area with two armchairs and a sofa (which converted into a small double bed) at the other end (and an extra single bed in the corner).
Although the room did look relatively recently decorated it didn't really have any "wow" factor that may be expected in a 5 star hotel and the furniture was slightly old looking (maybe antiques?!)
Other disappointments were no mini-fridge where we had expected one, only two bottle of water and two kinds on each type of tea (for four of us) and only one packet of biscuits!! However, after calling reception all of these things were brought up very quickly including a mini-fridge which are apparently only "on-demand".
The bathroom was lovely though, with a nice bath and a great selection of quality toiletries.
We had considered eating in the hotel but the only available options after 6.00pm were a choice of two rather expensive three course only restaurants. We only really wanted a lighter meal and although these were available in the bar, only until 6.00pm. They really should extend this as it forced us to go out to eat so they lost our custom.
Location is excellent - just across a green from the sea where it is a 10 minute walk to the pier/town.
Breakfast in the morning was excellent - there was the choice of a buffet which was by far the tastiest and best quality of any hotel breakfast buffet I had ever been to (particularly the mushrooms and scrambled egg). There was also the option of ordering other types of eggs (or indeed any other hot item) freshly cooked if required.
We used the leisure facilities and the indoor and outdoor pool were both great - lovely and warm. The changing facilities were very clean although relatively old and apparently some of the gym equipment was old and not working.
My wife also had a spa treatment in the morning (back massage) which she said was very good.
There is a very nice snooker room with two full size tables in a basement room - get the balls/cues from reception.
Overall this is a great old traditional hotel with great service and excellent staff who do everything to help. The public areas downstairs are all very grand and well decorated. It is not cheap but I think worth doing once for the experience, as long as you are not too bothered about the room (or know exactly what you are getting beforehand).

I've wanted to go to the Grand Hotel Eastbourne since its Mirabelle Restaurant was listed in the Good Food Guide - which was a long time ago. The excuse finally came with a wedding anniversary which we celebrated with a night's stay and dinner.
We were delighted with the experience. The food was excellent, our room (upgraded) very comfortable, the ambience and the service appropriate to the High Victorian setting.
The visit was like going back in time - but in a good way.

Lovely food and good service for a family celebration with a group including a wide range of ages from young children up to grandparents in their 80s. This is a lovely place for a celebration meal or a special week-end away.

Excellent service throughout the weekend stay. Staff were always there and always helpful. Food was excellent and the service in the Garden Restaurant was over whelmingly good for the family birthday dinner. Grandchildren were rewarded for their good behaviour at their dinner table. Would recommend and will stay again.

Have eaten at the Grand on 3 occasions, twice before for a business lunch/meeting & this weekend as a guest at our friends wedding.

The service was slick silver service, as to be expected from this hotel with our glasses being refilled quietly & efficiently. The warm chocolate brownie was heavenly (for a serious chocolate lover, it is one of the best I have ever eaten). The only slight minus was that the coffee was not particularly warm & we were not offered a refill.

Overall - very enjoyable

I booked The Grand for a family afternoon tea to celebrate my fathers 60th birthday and we weren't disappointed.

We've dined at the Grand on numerous occasions over the years for special family meals and each and every time the service and food is impeccable.

This being my first ever afternoon tea experience, I wasn't sure what to expect. There were a selection of sandwiches, cakes, pastries, an Eton Mess shot glass and probably the best scones I've ever had.

To compliment this a tea menu is available with 10-15 different varieties of tea to choose from. I had coffee which was excellent, both are regularly topped up without us having to ask.

Our server also presented my father with a special 'birthday brownie' with a candle in it which was very sweet - thank you!

Overall the experience was excellent and one I'd be keen to repeat again - even if it's not a special occasion!

The price of £25 a head for the Grand Tea at first sight seems expensive, however you are paying just as much for your surroundings as well as the food and service. We all actually commented how full we felt afterwards, which I didn't expect.

My niece had the £15 a head junior tea which comprised of a sandwich selection, jelly bowl, chocolate eclair and a big chocolate cookie as well as a seriously good looking chocolate milkshake.

Will definitely be returning in the near future!

There were 16 of us to celebrate my grandparents' 60th wedding anniversary. The organisation before we arrived was done superbly, and everything went smoothly on the evening. My room (20) was very good - nice comfortable bed and a lovely waterfall shower. Great to have Molton Brown toiletries as well.

Breakfast was very filling and tasty. Did not use an spa facilities but my parents used the pool and enjoyed.

Room excellent, great location ,brilliant staff, great meals. Worth having a front facing sea view.

Overall a really lovely hotel with great service and excellent breakfast.
All staff were very helpful and friendly.
Very nice spa with warm indoor and outdoor pools.
Room was OK but just seemed to lack something for a 5 star hotel.
Overall expensive but worth it for the experience if you are not too bothered about the room.

We stayed there for one night and it was a great experience. The spa facilities are very good, you can relax there during the afternoon. There is an amazing outdoor pool which is heated ! So you can swim there early in the morning. We had a deluxe room and the bed was very comfortable. There was a noise coming from the kitchen extractor but they switch it off at night so it was fine. The staff is extremely kind and helpful, Madeleine at the reception is a very helpful lady who recommended us a great restaurant. Great breakfast served in a beautiful dining room ! We highly recommend !

Excellent. Service and food delicious. Staff very friendly.
the lady from Poland/Warsaw extremely efficient (working in dining room) Receptionist (Melanie) excellent. Very knowledgeable, spoke perfect German

Comfortable, clean, well appointed and equipped room. Staff are excellent.Very friendly willing and helpful. Food in the Garden Room Restaurant was varied, well presented and tasty.
Being able to park our car in the hotel car park within 20 yards of the entrance door was a God send.

Not overly inpressed, they gave us swipe keys to a wifi keyed room, 20 minutes to get a room change as housekeeping locked the room. Tv didn't work, no pen to complete the room service card for breakfast, not a complainer but not up to standard for the price. Our honeymoon night and should have stayed at a premier

My wife surprised me with Sunday lunch and a nights stay for my 60th birthday, lunch was very good, service excellent, the room, sea view with balcony was outstanding everything you needed and to top it all had to endure afternoon tea the following day which again was first class, overall a very nice hotel, excellent staff and food, would highly recommend.

The Grand is a huge Victorian building on the sea front in Eastbourne.
It's exterior has been recently repainted (in brilliant white) and really looks the part. The interiors are very grand with the main foyer (and staircase) especially impressive.
We had a bedroom on the first floor which had a side view of the sea, and it had everything you'd expect in a hotel of this class, including a very modern bathroom (which itself had a window which is always a plus point in my eyes!).
The building is old so you do get some noise creeping in from outside (unfortunately there was a triathlon taking place on the seafront which kicked off at 6am which we could havve done without!)

We arrived early and so had a late lunch in the bar/lounge on the terrace overlooking the outdoor pool. We had a couple of club sandwiches (which are often a hotel staple) and am pleased to say the Grand does them very well.

In the evening we ate at one of the two Hotel restaurants (Mirabelle) where the service & food were exemplary. They also offer a wide selection of English wines which was a nice touch.

The breakfast didn't quite live up to the room or dinner experience, being no more than adequate - but with definite room for improvement.

So all-in-all a great stay for a night away treat especially if you can get a good deal on the rate. There aren't many of these big Victorian hotels left and it's great to see this one prospering.

Breakfast was spoilt on Monday by kitchen issues meaning only buffet items were available, which were generally not hot enough and therefore unappealing. Otherwise the stay was very enjoyable with the staff attentive, polite and helpful at all times.

This really is a grand old hotel. A little tired here and there but well cared for. My room had pink carpet, green armchairs and a floral bedspread... not my taste at all, but it was spotless and perfectly comfortable. I hear the hotel are in the process of upgrading all the rooms and my one was clearly awaiting that upgrade but the price reflected that.

I stayed here for one night at the end of September and was made to feel very welcome. All staff members were very friendly and professional, right 'down' to the maids in their traditional uniforms, who never failed to greet me or, on one ocassion, ask if I was running low on anything in the room.

I used the outdoor pool which was nicely heated and had a great back massage in the spa area, which was again, decoratively a little tired.

The main public areas are very grand and the restaurant service and food very good indeed... but a little pricey at £35 for two courses, with a further £8 for a glass of wine. I did look to eat elsewhere but most other places in Eastbourne were 'dead' and uninviting, while The Grand was quite busy and seemed the nicer option. Breakfast again, was very good, with a very wide selection of items on offer at the buffet and many further items available to order.

All in all, this was a pleasant night away that I'd be happy to repeat.

Gentile atmosphere of bygone days and superb staff. Do it before its too late you wont regret it. Go for a sea view if you can pay the extra its worth every penny. Wonderful food cooked to perfection. Go for the freshly prepared cooked breakfast rather than from the buffet as its served under big silver serving covers ~ very grand.

Service and food very good but the hotel is past it's best and both room and communal areas need updating. Room was tired and very dusty. Not worth the £240 rates they are charging; rack rate as the hotel stands should be closer to £110p/n