The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne really is a grand dame of the seafront . It sits at the end of the promenade looking down on its rivals in all its white blousy glory. The hotel is impressive on the exterior and the entrance has a significant 'wow' factor. The high ceilings and marble columns take you right back to a former age. Although the clientèle are varied it definitely leans demographically towards the older and more affluent.
We arrived for my birthday treat weekend about 3:30pm. Check in is at 3 and we were lucky to snag the last unreserved car parking place in the smallish car park. There is a charge of £25 if you wish to reserve your space ( which basically means they write your name on a chalk board and place it in the parking space). I think that is rather steep but would definitely spare the frustration and driving around that we witnessed other later arrivals experiencing.
Check In was smooth and extremely polite (The Times is the only newspaper offered by the way)
Our room was spotlessly clean- even down to the carpeted bathroom floor. The room was rather 'wonky' due to the age of the hotel and some tables and bedside cabinets were at a slant. The furniture was old and a little faded in places but not yet shabby. Television is a small 20-22inch flat screen Hospitality tray has cafetiere and real coffee but really awful brand of tea ( in my opinion anyway)
Now to the big problem with the room....The draughty windows. They are old style single glazed sash windows. Lovely thrown open on a sunny afternoon enjoying the sea view - not so great in the middle of the night rattling and letting in icy blasts!
At 4;30 am I ended up fashioning wedges from coasters to stop the rattles. I did call the night porter but got cut off twice....
There was a radiator under the offending window that was lava hot - however the room was long and the draft was rather determined. The heat from the radiator only seemed to permeate about 2 feet from it. There was an extra blanket in the wardrobe and we huddled under it , barely keeping warm. Not exactly a five star experience.....
We dined in The Garden restaurant( more detailed food review elsewhere) - the service again was impeccable and the food was...ok. However I paid an additional £11 on top of our DBB charge for the 'Grand Mixed grill' and was very disappointed. This consisted of a burger, a teriyaki sirloin that was cremated and another cut of beef - again cremated ( I had asked for medium) I didn't send it back as it was edible and the veg etc was fine but it was decidedly average.
The bar staff were excellent and my cocktails were superb. Really enjoyed sitting in the bar listening to the live jazz band getting slowly sozzled on very strong cocktails
I enjoyed lovely spa treatments and a leisurely swim in the pool - the spa and pool are top notch, extremely clean and well kept. Again the staff were a delight.
Breakfast was buffet style and in the main very nice - the sausages were the highlight - the dried out black pudding was a low.
In the morning I did speak to the duty manager about our problems in the night and he was apologetic and offered a goodwill gesture of £50 off the room rate. He admitted that it was a known maintenance issue and although I appreciated his candour it did rather irritate me that this hadn't been addressed before.

I have tried to give a balanced view of my experiences here last weekend. I did have a lovely time, especially in the spa and the place is definitely worth a visit - even just for afternoon tea. Its a beautiful building in a wonderful setting. Each member of staff I encountered were courteous and approachable and its the service that really makes up for the irritations.

Outstanding service. Staff friendly but super efficient and addressed my son personally, not asked me what he wanted. Suite lovely and spotless and plenty of room.
Milk and cookies of an evening for children and activity pack upon arrival.
Pool and spa delightful.
Outside

A Grand hotel in every sense of the word. A car parking space had been reserved for us, check-in was very efficient and welcoming, our upgraded room spotless and the view amazing. Every member of staff we met was friendly and nothing too much trouble.

We ate dinner in both restaurants and would highly recommend them. The food and service were both excellent. This hotel is perfect for someone looking for traditional luxury at the seaside..

Celebrated my birthday here. Check in was very warm and efficient. Room was spacious and traditional and very clean. Room service was expensive but of a very high quality. Lunch was excellent re the beef but the melon was not ripe! Breakfast was delicious!! A grand dame of a hotel!!

About the 4th time I have stayed at the Grand with my wife and two children (6 and 4) and the Grand Eastbourne never disappoints.

We stayed over the Easter weekend and despite the hotel being full to brimming the service was outstanding at all times.

Of particular note for parents at dinner time - the Garden Restaurant has cracked the perfect combination of facilitating the kids being able to immediately eat (we know how patient they are) from a tasty buffet while the parents could order from a good set menu and still enjoy the surrounds of the restaurant and atmosphere with other families.

Alex, our head waiter, went the extra mile and was able to seat 8 of us at short notice by re-arranging the tables. It made the evening.

The Eastbourne Grand may not immediately appeal to the more contemporary set at first glance, but I encourage you to give it go. Sitting in the bar with the background sound of the piano and light conversation, surrounded by well kept 30's decor, you might well expect to see Fitzgerald's eponymous hero a few tables down.

Really enjoyed our weekend break at The Grand Eastbourne the staff was extremely friendly and very helpful.

The Health Spa was just heavenly. This was the highlight of the weekend.
Location was perfect

Service, bar, room, breakfast, grand hall for afternoon tea - it's all enjoyed in a beautiful setting. The Grand makes the most of its heritage with reminders of its 100+ year history dotted around the halls and corridors. For a hotel that prides itself on tradition, it's got a nice, friendly atmosphere too.

The hotel's well located; a 15 minute walk from both the pier in Eastbourne and the train station. The service is what you'd expect from a 5* hotel. The room was well sized and recently refurbished. The Grand does the basics well too.

The pool (which is fairly small) is located in the basement along with the gym (well kitted out for a hotel gym) and jacuzzi. It's also the right end of town for access to the south downs way and a walk to Beachy Head (a must whilst in Eastbourne).

I would definitely stay again.

Very welcoming and perfect in every way as you enter the building .The first thing we noticed was the warm fire which was just what was needed to make the very dull and wet day seem a little better .Our room was large with a veranda with sea view, an upgrade which was nice .the room overall was tired and although very clean needs updating to fit in with the beauty of the down stairs areas.staff were very polite and looked very smart.The breakfast was nice and the tables nicely set out.The spa area was nice although the pool was small for such a large hotel, I expect in high season this area would get very busy for those who enjoy a little bit of pamper.We had a problem with the bathroom and although we reported this,it did not receive attension which was disappointing .On the whole although we had an upgrade I still believe it to be over priced for the standard of the rooms.

Back here after a long while - this time at a at a conference.

Big spacious hotel and fabulous room with sea view.

Staff friendly, wonderful breakfast, and lovely setting.

Old fashioned charm with modern amenities.

Overnight stay with our 6 year old son who was spoiled rotten, Service is fantastic and unusually for the UK was child focused. My son thought the sports bag and hat were great as was the milk and cookies at bedtime. From the adult perspective the hotel managed to feel relaxed and yet still offer impeccable service and whilst it seems a little expensive initially many items such as parking & newspaper are included whereas other hotels add this on. We had an executive room at the side of the hotel and were impressed by the size, soundproofing and Jacuzzi bath. I really have to work hard to find fault but maybe breakfast not perfect as slight delay on coffee and toast. Not sure I would visit Eastbourne again but if I do this hotel will definatley be my first choice

I took my wife for yet another anniversary celebration to this hotel and once again we were not disappointed. From the moment we entered the hotel we were met with happy, welcoming staff who obviously cared about our welfare and made our short stay such a memorable experience.The room was first class, the dinner most enjoyable and the service faultless.Our sincere thanks to all who attended to us..

We have just celebrated our first anniversary at the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, having had our wonderful wedding reception there a year ago. Again, we were very well looked after, met with friendly and professional staff at all times, and no request was too much trouble. We had a super room with fantastic sea view. We were just generally made to feel welcome and at home the whole time, and our baby daughter was equally welcomed. Whilst we couldn't afford to do this every year, we will certainly be back.

We stayed overnight at the Grand, following a day long business conference. The room had been booked for us, so we did not really know what to expect other than the fact that the room would be a double. The room did not disappoint, it was very large (as was the bathroom) and very well appointed. The bed was large and very comfortable. Earlier in the evening we had dinner in a private room with our party. The food was very good and the service was excellent. After dinner our party adjourned to the bar which, again, was very comfortable. The bar staff were extremely pleasant and efficient, and there was an excellent range of drinks on offer. After a good nights sleep we had breakfast in one of the hotels restaurants. Breakfast was excellent. The choice of food available was terrific, and it was very well cooked/presented. The staff in the restaurant were friendly and efficient. We could not fault the facilities or the staff. Definitely intend to return.

This is now the go to place for us for a treat, we are always impressed by the level of service here, we had a wonderful weekend to celebrate our 33 rd wedding anniversary , with a delicious dinner in Mirabelle on Friday evening, thankyou to Ben who looked after us so well.
Our family visited us on Saturday and the young man in the health club opened the playroom for us to distract our twin granddaughters for 15 mins, thankyou to all the staff it is they who make this hotel so very special .

This was my first visit to The Grand since losing my wife and my boxer dog and I was content to settle for a deluxe rear facing double room for single occupancy. The deal was exceptional and the visit was truly therapeutic. If olde worlde charm and exceptional service are your bag, you won't be disappointed. I notice that there has been criticism of breakfast arrangements. If there were grounds for this criticism, they must have been addressed, as my experience was of service and quality beyond reproach. I shall return.

We stayed at The Grand for a four night break towards the end of March. We have two young children and all the staff were extremely friendly and welcoming and absolutely nothing was too much trouble. The children were always made to feel very welcome.. Special thanks to Sophie and Emily on reception who went to a great deal of effort to organise an early check in for us so that our toddler could have a sleep. Breakfast was fantastic and we had the best room service meals and service we have ever had in a hotel. Jamie in particular from Room Service was very helpful and friendly. Food was superb including lovely afternoon tea, again with lower table and chairs thoughtfully set up for the children. So impressed that we have booked to go again later in August year, and again great thought and help provided by Anton on reception in helping us find a nice room and organising everything for us. The service from everyone was outstanding throughout our stay. It was a wonderful, relaxing and very much needed holiday. Cannot stress enough how much the staff and their friendly welcoming manner made the stay a joy.

A very relaxing 3 day stay in a junior suite, Dinner, Bed and Breakfast for my wife and I plus our 15 year old son.
Lots to do in Eastbourne and also within the hotel with excellent gym, pool, sauna, steam room and snooker.
Food excellent, decor beautiful and. Very friendly staff.
What was nice was that the hotel was not trying to squeeze money out of you for everything, with free wifi and reception happy to print emails, scan, email and send documents for me without charging extra. Car parking included too. We shall return!

I just love this place, the moment you walk through the door you feel like you are stepping back in time to a world with first class service, amazing decor and a relaxing ambience. My husband & I recently visited for our anniversary and felt very spoilt throughout the whole of our stay. Nothing was too much trouble and we received a very warm welcome, the hotel and it's staff just have this ability to make you feel very special. We were lucky enough to be given a suite on the first floor which was beautiful, tastefully done in keeping with the age of the hotel not all glass and modern fabrics but just subtly done with a huge amount of class. We had pre-dinner drinks in the bar which has a lovely traditional feel to it, I had an amazing Mojito mixed by Ollie the barman which I have to say was the best Mojito I have ever had, so good I had to have 2! We then ate in the Garden Restaurant where the food was delicious and the service attentive without being over bearing. Overall we had a fantastic stay and wouldn't hesitate to go back.

My partner and I decided to spend a weekend in Eastbourne. We needed a break from the Big Smoke and the smog. It was our first time in Eastbourne and it was simply lovely. The town has kept its traditional touches and has not become seedy which was refreshing.
We stayed at the Grand and it did not disappoint and truly deserve its name. The hotel oozes grandeur and whilst part of it could do with some refreshing, the facilities are second to none. You really feel like you are stepping into a 5 stars hotel.
Staff: The receptionists (especially Anton) as well as the rest of the staff were delightful and made us very welcome. Only improvements would be around restaurant reservation and late night order:
1. that we asked for reservation and they was a misunderstanding when we got to the restaurant which had not been communicated to us
2. we ordered some hot chocolates and we had to chased for the cream and marshmallow. However they recognized their mistakes and did not charge us for them.
Room:
Spacious and the bed (effectively two single beds put together) big and comfortable. The bathroom was modern.
Hotel Facilities:
We thoroughly enjoyed the spa and my partner also had an express massage and rated it as in his top 3 massages (he is an expert). The breakfast selection was superb and the food delicious (meaty sausages always get top mark from me). The only drawbacks I could see is that the grounds need a bit of looking after (but then again it is only April) as well as some areas of the hotel.
Overall if you want a romantic weekend away in a bit of luxury then the Grand really hits the right note.
I would definitely recommend it and go back for more Grand-eur fun in Eastbourne!

Stayed here again, in a second floor suite with sea view. From the moment I drove into the grounds and was met by the doorman trying to sort out a very busy car park I felt the genuine warmth of the welcome which extended to every single member of staff no matter whether they were dealing with me or not. The hotel, the quality of service, the food are simply perfect. I just love the atmosphere here, this is an old fashioned hotel with old fashioned values. I cannot praise it highly enough, one of my favourite places.

Our second stay at The Grand. As before, excellent friendly efficient staff from the time we arrived to the time we left. Breakfast the best we have enjoyed, certainly on par with Gleneagles and almost but not quite with the Ritz .Accommodation and public rooms are very elegant but cosy and comfortable at the same time. One small negative, the food at dinner doesn't quite match the elegant surroundings. My main courses (both meat) were excellent, my husbands choices (fish both nights) were a bit plain and basic, though the scallop starters were perfect. This is a minor point and didn't detract from our stay at all. Overall a fabulous weekend and we look forward to our next visit.

This hotel is geared towards the elderly visitor. Communal areas are furnished in the style of a high end old peoples home.

Staff look like they've walked off the set of Downton Abbey. Service is very good, the staff are nice.

Drinks in the bar are over priced. Cocktails are £15.50. Gin and tonic around £12. This is Ritz pricing and the place is not in that league.

The building is grand but hasnt had much money spent on it for 15 years. Some of the chairs in the bar collapsed a long time ago!

Average age of the guests was around 75. You need to wear a jacket or tie to get in the restaurant (say no more).

We wouldn't come back, but ok if youre looking for a quality old peoples home by the sea.

We stayed at the Grand for one weekend at the end of March 2014. It was a very good experience. Especially staying in a hotel with almost 140 years of history was amazing.

The staff were polite, welcoming very helpful. We stayed in a deluxe room, which was OK in size for two people but you may find it small if you are travelling with your baby and going to ask for a cotbed.

Everything, including SPA was good. However the only disappointing part was the breakfast. It is included in the room price - which is good but you would expect a better breakfast from a five star hotel.

We chose the Grand Hotel as the venue for our wedding day after having some lovely meals there already. We were so impressed by the friendliness of the staff and excellent service. We were kindly upgraded to a beautiful room, although all of the rooms look perfect. We had a wonderful day and we can't wait to go back!

I chose to stay at the grand for a one night break with my girlfriend and it's safe to say we were not disappointed. First of all I would like to comment on the service, which was first class. From the moment we arrived to the moment we left, it was very good indeed. The room was very nice, especially the bathroom. Robes were included but you have to pay £5 for slippers as they are not included in the deluxe double room. The bed was extremely comfortable. We didn't eat in the evening but we did have breakfast on the Sunday morning, there was a good food selection and the restaurant had a pleasant atmosphere. The only thing I would say is the cooked breakfast was slightly on the cool side but that didn't really bother us. The spa was very relaxing, pool temperature was spot on. As we booked quite early the room price was pretty reasonable and I would say it was value for money. Would definitely recommend this hotel and will be back in the future!