Our stay in The Grand was really great. What a beautiful impressive building coupled with excellent staff and good food. From the moment we drove up we were met with friendly, helpful people who greeted us with a smile and "Welcome to the Grand". We felt we were back in the days when people really did speak to each other and care about the jobs they had. Our room was large and well furnished although we could have done with a fridge and an ironing board and iron, but that is the only downside. The bed was comfortable and large. We were only staying for two nights and didn't use the gym and pool so cannot comment on that. All in all a very pleasant stay and certainly somewhere we will want to come back to.

From the moment you drive into the front of The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne you are met with well trained staff. Your car can be valet parked and when you move it, they will reserve the place. Inside the hotel the staff are all dressed in uniforms, at least 3 Concierge men to help with trolleys and directions and the receptionists are excellent.
The rooms are good, our wasn't the greatest. We only had an Executive Room, but I expect they all are a bit old and creaky. The bathroom was the main thing we didn't like, it was far too small and the extractor fan was deafening, like a helicopter hovering over you, the floor squeaked a lot and the central heating made a loud water moving noise, all night long.
The Charterhouse Lounge was excellent, as soon as you order anything a spotless white linen tablecloth is laid over the coffee table, then the service follows, all staff again in distintive uniforms and well trained.
There are 2 main restaurants, we ate in them both, they are expensive, you can't just order a steak, you have to pay for the dinner plus a supplement even though you don't want the dinner and the wine is pricy, but today you get what you pay for and this is luxury highclass, you could have been in a Cunard Princess or Queens Grill room. Great selection of food, my wife has to be on a Gluten Free Diet, this was catered for, but they could have offered a better selection of basic food, bread, rolls, breakfast cereals and sweets, but overalll we enjoyed the food and the service, we had a great time and would certainly go there again, when we have saved up for it.

Quite a few things to say about the staff behind reception and all of them - warm, friendly and helpful. The building itself is very grand and imposing - in an "old world" kind of way... the location is great - across the road you are walking along the seashore :)

We visit The Grand about once a month,and stay for a few days,usually midweek.We think she is like a huge Ocean going liner,from the days when liners crossed the Atlantic every week of the year.So----bedrooms are on the large size,and I admit the furniture is a little on tired side,but the bed linen,towels,duvets,gowns are allof excellent quality.Bathrooms are always spotless with a full supply of toiletries.The experience you have when you walk along the magnificent corridors on the way to your room is something no recently built hotel can offer,because The Grand is just that GRAND!The enormous main dining offers a superb breakfast.When it comes to dinner the room turns into a candle light magical room.The food is good hotel food,but if you choose to have what is on the silver trolley you really can't go wrong.Local beef,chicken,lamb and roasted ham all carved before you.Superb!The Mirabelle dining room is intimate,and offers an ever changing repertoire of delicious dishes.Finally and not least----The Staff!From the moment you are greeted when you park your car,it is SMILES all the way.Everyone knows what they are doing,and it shows.Once half term is out of the way,we will return for another few days to stay in this Grand Old Lady!

The uniformed doorman who stepped out smartly to greet our arrival, the porter who carried our bags, the staff behind reception and the breakfast waiting staff - all warm, friendly and helpful.

The building itself is very grand and imposing - in an "old world" kind of way. Room was lovely (but no fridge). Gym and pool to help counter the delicious breakfast calories.

Location is great - cross the road and you are walking along the seashore.

No good if you are on a tight budget, but if you can afford it, or want a special treat for a few days, I can recommend the Grand Hotel at Eastbourne.

Stayed at The Grand a few weeks back during a business conference, the room, food and service was absolutely superb. The conference went along with ease thanks to Leslie, Elliot and their team who looked after us during our meetings and at lunch and dinner. Everything they did seemed effortless, but I'm sure there was plenty of hard work going on in the background.
Alex from Housekeeping was also great as on the Tuesday night of the conference I asked for an iron and board but he informed me that they were all in use at the time. However, Alex offered to iron my shirts for that evening and for the following day. He was extremely helpful and professional in returning my shirts all pressed within ten minutes. He provided an outstanding personal service that went beyond what I expected. All of the staff worked so hard looking after us during the conference. It really was a grand place to stay. I will be returning to The Grand with my family in the summer. Great value for money, a wide range of facilities and a town that is so close by too. It has to be one of the best hotels I have stayed in for a while when it came down to the level of quality and service I received!!

Having stayed at this place before on quite a few occasions. usual superb service and food. However the rooms are in need of up dating as they are a bit like grandma,s bedroom. The biggest laugh is carpet in the bathroom! Is this the height of luxury? With a lovely aroma of an old sweaty sock. The beds too are typical B & B stuff. Otherwise a lovely location for relaxing. The spa is great but again a bit old fashioned.

The Grand hotel has a very large Dining Room or Restaurant but in addition has a gem of a small select restaurant named The Mirrabelle.
We dined in there on a cold winter lunchtime and all staff, including in particular the manager who has been there for over seven years, are highly professional, courteous and attentive.
The cost of a lunch is no more than charged at 4* hotels and is excellent value. The quality of cooking and the presentation is first class.
Whether staying or just visiting make an informed choice and dine at this excellent venue.

we had a wonderful weekend at the Grand Hotel. We were there for a friends wedding on the Saturday. The staff were very efficient, attentive and friendly. nothing was too much trouble, the food was excellent through the whole time and the setting for the wedding was brilliant. the hotel boasts generous size rooms and great facilities. We will definitely be going back to this hotel

Have stayed at the grand several times over a 10 year period the main hotel is superb apart from the rooms are a little tired but the big problem is the spa which is just a complete joke for a 5 star hotel 20 years out of date it has not improved since i first stayed 10 years ago so sort the spa out

We went to book in and were told we had to let them authorise payment for the stay, PLUS £100, in case we stole something !!!!!! not a very good start ! I was not impressed at all !! The Room was ok, but another poor point was that the toiletries were not replaced, so there were none on the second day, and only one small bar of soap. We are talking FIVE star hotel here with 5* prices, this is penny pinching in the extreme. We went to the Bar for a drink and no nibbles, remember five star hotel here. and to cap it all we were overcharged £50 on checkout, remember we are talking 5* hotel here . all in all not very good, hotel needs to pull its socks up !

Our frequent visits to The Grand Hotel Eastboune including stay over the christmas and new year, Management & staff in our opinion first class, Excellent service & food lots of attention to detail (a cruise on land) Entertanment over the festive season first class, The Grand Hotel Eastbourne (Claridges Of Eastbourne) Mr L Edmonds & Mrs S Edmonds

We recently had a festive afternoon tea at the Grand between Christmas and new year for family to meet up. The service was disappointing - given that there were 9 of us and we had one pot of tea between us, we were constantly asking for refills. The selection of sandwiches was reasonable, though somewhat meagre - one 1/2 round per person, with numerous cakes and pastries. There were an excessive number of staff, but trying to catch someone's eye, usually to fill up the teapot was a bit of a challenge. It was also somewhat strange that they came and took away the cake stands half way through the tea - we can only presume they were needed for another table. That said, the lounge was beautifully decorated for the festive season as was the lobby and entrance.
The cost per person we felt was rather high, given the choice available and we have certainly had more variety, and more food at other hotels.
For convenience for meeting up with family it was central, but given a choice, we wouldn't return for the afternoon tea option again.

We stayed at the Grand Hotel for 3 nights during half term in October 2012 with our 6 year old granddaughter. She shared a room with us, her bed was made up every night, so during the day we had loads of space. She was very hesitant about going to the Junior Crew Club, but once she went she loved it and went every day. The indoor pool is a perfect size and for the needy there looks to be a very good gym and spa. The food for 6 year olds was very good and we were able to choose our dining time. The staff who looked after the childrenin the Junior Crew Club were just brilliant, we had no hesitation in dropping her off each morning whilst we went for a good breezy walk along the esplanade.

I stayed at The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne with my mum from the 27th to 29th December and for my birthday and it was perfect. The attention to detail and the friendly staff were 100%. We had a seafront twin room and the view of the sea were amazing. The food was delicious but it would have been nice to have a greater selection of local fish and shellfish. I received a birthday card from the hotel and was very touched. The spa was well worth visiting as they really pamper you.

I had a lovely surprise when i found charlie had booked us in to the Grand for my birthday weekend. not only that my daughter and her baby, betsy, joined us. we had a lovely time. the swimming pool was wonderful and the food sublime.

We've just had our first stay at The Grand and I'm really wondering if all those contributing recent adverse comments actually stayed in the same place. Everything, including service, accommodation and food was superb. Although we had only a deluxe room it was a great deal larger than the hotel's own website photo gave it credit for. The staff are outstanding and for its size it's the cleanest hotel we've stayed in. The only adverse comment I have to make myself concerns the price of drinks where the mark-up in general seemed quite extraordinary, even allowing for 5 star rating. That said, we'd go again any time, even though we live just 5 miles away!

As you drive up to the hotel it is impressive. However, it badly needs refurbishment. We had an executive room but it was reminiscent of an old fashioned B&B, although the room was very big, it badly need redecorating, bathroom modernising and new beds. The Garden Restaurant was very big and felt like a large cafeteria. If you are a senior citizen and like your food typically british, you will enjoy it. The Mirabelle Restaurant was more intimate and the food much better with a european twist. The clientele is mainly well off seniors with some families. Having said that we enjoyed our stay but would not return. It is just as one would imagine a faded grand seaside hotel.

Stayed at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne for a family New year with extra days before and after.

This is a truly beautiful hotel and if you wish to experience standards of care and excellence of a bygone era (yet due to its size capable also of discreetly (and quietly) hosting more modern functions (Nicki M, Bruno M, Ke$ha, Gaga, Psy etc!) if you require)), then this is for you!

The pleasant and friendly booking staff were very helpful over the months of preparation for the event, and no effort appeared to be too much in order to fulfill the most complex arrangements (Arranging a VIP lux car for granny to come for a few hours from her care home (all taken care of!)).

The hotel is situated in the most elegant part of the town, behind the peaceful region of the pretty Victorian seafront esplanade and gardens, remote from the bustle, yet close enough to easily reach the centre on foot or by hotel transport.

The beaches are renowned in summer for their family friendly nature and great swimming!

The presentation and view of the hotel is from another era and really quite unique and outstanding (an oasis of peace and tranquility!).

The great reception hall is something to behold, (it really does strike awe (in the older sense!)) and is a very elegant area to entertain, with a roaring log fire, a truly extraordinary tea service, with your cup poured for you (almost I imagine a ceremonial Geisha type experience) accompanied by musical and singing recitals

The bars, restaurants, and lounges are very elegant and spacious and can absorb family gatherings without trace, avoiding the feeling that you often get that you might be crowding others out.

Dining is first class in the main restaurant (dress code, as expected), and a discrete special restaurant is available with the highest level of modern dining for that extra special event! (We had to photograph the chefs creations (Sorry!)).

The function rooms are just a dream, and provide a setting that appears stylish elegant and romantic.

Entertainment (music and song) is provided with a gentle theme in the lounges after dinner and is of a standard that can be appreciated whatever your tastes.

If the ladies are "dressing up" then here is another place capable of acting as a most presentable (and affordable) backdrop for your fantasies!

The bedrooms are spacious and elegant, and the hotel is of a size such that the hallways are of sufficient dimensions to ensure a degree of privacy and peace rarely found in smaller hotels.

Room service was of a very high standard, and even our dogs were catered for with special cuisine and a waitress service! (Had to try that once!) (Tip: if your pooch is not acclimatised to the "Hills" cuisine, ask for the simple menu!).

The spa consists of gym treatment, treatment areas, an an elegant and inviting warm pool and jacuzzi area.

The pool and jacuzzi were very much enjoyed by all, easing away the aches and pains of life!

What is great about this hotel, is that in winter, if the weather closes in, the hotel is virtually a complete microcosm, where everything can be catered for (ie it is ideal for a family visit with the complete camel train of: dogs, kids, grannies, working dads, aunties, adolescents that need to have a constant 24/7/365 multi channel high capacity data link to the "hive" etc etc).

The family can get lost in the hotel and only meet up at key nodal points of the day!

The New Years Entertainments were, as expected, awesome (ie really and truly great!).

Two extraordinary multi piece bands played music with a modern theme (60's to Naughties) in separate venues, one for the hotel guests, and one for the "hoi polloi" (visiting guests).

If you are young at heart still, and have fallen through the "space time rift", (as our generation seems to have!) then the visiting guest venue will be for you! It rocks, and the guests are there to party!

The bands were really extraordinary (as expected for the price) and the range of their requests playable was impressive.

The hotel is themed for a time of effortless elegance gone by, and if you wish to sample this, I can think of no better place to stay or have a family function to be remembered, and that will encompass the needs, likes and tastes of all generations of the family!

The staff were extraordinary and no request was too much!

It will be interesting to see the development of this hotel as the new generations come through with changing tastes!

A place for that romantic stay, dream family holiday or event! (And at a not unreasonable or unacheivable price!).

The location is one of the best.

Eastbourne is a quiet residential holiday and retirement town (with a thriving heart) of great elegance, and is situated close to where the South Downs Chain of Hills runs into the sea at Beachy Head. (In fact the South Downs Way (80 miles from Winchester) ends only a mile up the esplanade from the hotel (an ideal place to rest and recuperate after your long journey!)).

The delights of the South Downs area from Beachy Head to behind Brighton are accessible and form some of the most beautiful and dramatic areas of the Sussex Countryside.

Brighton (Lanes, Shopping etc etc) is one hour, the ancient town of Lewes (Bill's Bistro, Harveys Brewery Shop, etc etc) is half an hour.

Alfriston, Birling Gap, Beachy Head, the river valleys (Jevington), Cuckmere, Ouse, Firle Beacon, Folkington, Fryston, Beddingham, Mount Caburn, High and Over, Wilmington (Long Man fame), Dyke, all have extraordinary vistas, and attractive village amenities.

Other places to visit are Glyndebourne (near Lewes), and Charleston Farmhouse (Bloomsbury experiment in living (Ladies really "groove" to this (Hopeless doomed romance!), (Gents, watch your credit card in the gift shop!)).

Further inland, try the picturesque and elegant Sussex Weald: eg The Roebuck Inn at West Hoathly is a good place to start here.

In the summer your dreams begin here!

All in all, a great and very special Hotel, for all seasons, and those rare and special events in the Journey of Life, and also those romantic occasions!

|We were left with nowhere to live due to a banking error, so there we were 2 adults, 3 kids and the dog. We rang the Grand and they were fantastic, they even took the dog. We had virtually nothing with us and they supplied us with everything we needed. The staff were super helpful at every stage even offering to move us if a party next door disturbed us and putting extra beds in the bedrooms for the kids.
All weekend the staff were very kind and the breakfasts were so good we couldn't fit lunch in!
I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

We arrived in bad weather at about 11.30 am, my wife uses a wheelchair and the car park was busy, we were met by staff with umbrella's, whisked inside with luggage and the car parked in a reserved spot right by the entrance, excellent service.the staff could not have been more friendly or helpful.
We had a ground floor accessable suite which was really good. We were booked into the mirabelle restaurant with impeccable service and some of the best food we've had.
Overall we had an excellent weekend and would recommend and use again and again

I just returned from a one night stay at The Grand with a spa weekend. First of all upon arriving at the hotel, we were immediatly impressed by its 5 star service. The staff all had impeccable manners and were very friendly. The hotel is beautiful, very classic and atmospheric. After our spa afternoon which I will get onto later we went to our rooms to get ready for dinner. The rooms were large, clean but still very cosy and comfortable. Dinner was an amazing experience, we had a 3 course meal in the garden room and again the staff, waiters, etc... were all extremley friendly with amazing manners. Our meal was exquisite and the staff were only too happy to recommend places to go in Eastbourne afterwards. Breakfast the next day was also lovely, although the eggs were powdered which was disappointing and I couldnt help but feel the staff werent as friendly as the evening staff, but it was still a good breakfast. Overall I adored the hotel and would love to stay there again. What was disappointing however was the spa. We arrived slightly later due to the trains and were given dressing gowns but no slippers. The changing room was small and cramped and looked as though it hadnt been tidyed up in hours. The seating area was exactly the same. There were hardly any magazines to read and we were not offered anything to drink. The pool was nice but unfotunately guests had small children in there. While I have nothing against children, screaming and laughing kids dont exactly go with a relaxing spa experience in my opinion. The jacuzzi was really cold and not worth sitting in. My all over massage was lovely but that was the only thing that made the experience feel like a spa. To be honest the rest of it just felt like I was at my gym fot the day. I would definitely stay at the hotel again but I wouldnt go near the spa.

We were pleased to be upgraded to a suite when we arrived for a weekend break at this lovely hotel where we have stayed 4 times before over the years. It is a beautiful oldfashioned but stylish hotel and our room was palatial, with a separate sitting room and tv in there plus the bedroom. Lovely huge balcony with sea views. Stormy weather but nice and warm inside! Great food, lovely menu with a great variety of choices and excellent service as always. Definitely the best hotel we have ever stayed in, eg when you go down to the bar for a predinner drink, you are served canapes and nuts and olives with your drink, a nice touch. Very good hotel to feel pampered and special in!!

Just spent a Saturday night at The Grand, how romantic! The service was impeccable, nothing was too much trouble, the dinner service in the Garden Restaurant was particularly fabulous. The after dinner dancing was a treat and we even joined in, for thirty something's we weren't all that bad! Breakfast in bed was a treat, beautifully presented. Just a couple of things not near perfect...we asked for some chutney with our cheese and it came with some accidental bits of cheese in it, a bit odd,where did it come from? We did mention it. Also maybe it is not necessary to have two restaurants that require ties? In this day and age a little OTT we thought. We will be back it was a weekend of true romance and pampering!

In the distant past this place was obviously somewhere that the great and the good of Sussex used to kick up their heels but now it’s a sad reflection of it’s past. I think the mature crowd who patronise the Grand today come here because it’s too expensive for the hoi polloi to turn up and order 2 Jägerbombs and a packet of cheese and onion. It’s not because of the décor.

The valet parking and the checkin was seamless. It’s not cheap and we were given a massive room at the side of the hotel. It was trying to be cheerful in a dark and dreary economic downturn sort of way. The furniture was faintly grand, appropriate for the room, dated but optimistic and well looked after. The robes and the Molten Brown were nice but expected at the high cost of the room. The high cost was a theme all over the hotel. The bar was incredibly expensive but I would have been happy to pay £17 for two drinks if the empty surroundings weren’t grey dull and subdued. The spacious salons need a major design overhaul. This would include the breakfast room which was massive but reassuringly intimidating.

Unfortunately the breakfast was really average. The buffet was disappointingly limited although the quality of the sausage and the bacon was good. The poached eggs were inexplicably small and tepid. Also the confused service revealed that service ambitions based on a bygone era are now not economically viable. We saw a haddock dish being presented covered in a cloche but no one had thought to remove the cornflake dish in its way. This type of service requires two servers. The haddock had to go back to the kitchen and the offending dish removed.

After breakfast we took a spa treatment which was great but again the dreary subterranean surroundings didn’t encourage me to linger.

The one thing that brought it all together for me was the engaging and interested staff of the Grand. They have a really good attitude and carry a certain amount of the Grand’s heritage with them.

09 November 2012.