We arrived on Friday at lunchtime, a great welcome from doorman who unloaded car and parked it for me. Immediately shown to our room whuch was very nice. We had booked a basic room which was huge, nice bathroom and very classic. TV was an old style narrow screen and channel 5 was unavailable. As the room was so nice we did spend some time in it and a full TV servise would be nice. The furnishing in the public roooms were all in a dire need of refurbishment. It seems that the decor had been redone, and some carpets were replaced , the coffee tables looked like they were as old as the hotel (1875) However the service was fantastic, food excellent, spa good- I had a very relaxing massage. Overall an excellent weekend and no complaints made.

The name says it all.
We arrived on Saturday afternoon, had a large, clean room with a very clean bathroom. We took advantage of the swimming pool and Jacuzzi (included). The breakfast was a good standard. The staff were very helpfull and overall the price was right.
The decor is a touch dated, but there is nothing wrong with that! If you want cheap, modern and impersonal there's a Travellodge down the road.
We'd recommend the Grand to our firends and we'd go back.

My lovely husband surprised me with a night at The Grand, Eastbourne for our Wedding Anniversary, I thought we were going somewhere else!!
He thought we could use some home grown pampering having recently tried another spa hotel, we just loved being spoilt.
The Grand didn’t disappoint at all, it’s a beautiful sight as you drive up into the courtyard, you are greeted by several uniformed gents, 1 for valet parking, a porter who whips your luggage out of your car for you, and shows you into reception for check-in. At check in we were told we were upgraded to an executive sea view on the first floor. And handed a Wedding Anniversary card, (nice touch!)
The porter carried our bags to our room chatting merrily. Just walking through the hotel gives you that first class feeling of splendour. Our room was fantastic, very large and very bright, clean, beautiful furnishings, huge canopied bed, a terrace with gorgeous views to the sea, it all feels very Grand! There were two really fluffy dressing gowns, bathroom slippers, tea and coffee making facilities, complimentary water, fine tea‘s and coffee.
The porter asked us if we would like some furniture for the terrace, it has been raining lots recently and today was really lovely, so we said yes, the terrace furniture arrived within 15 minutes so we had a cup of Earl Grey tea out there overlooking the sea - perfect.
We ventured down to the spa, checked in at reception, really friendly staff once again, we didn’t bring our robes so they gave us another 2, and more slippers and fluffy towels. There is nobody here, it’s great having it all to ourselves. We swam in the pool, sat in the Jacuzzi, and used the sauna and steam rooms! It is another world, well maintained and welcoming. It is smaller than some, but lovely nevertheless. The locker room is smallish but well equipped with a couple of hairdryers, dressing tables with mirrors, lockers, showers, and changing areas.
We were booked in to The Garden restaurant for dinner, so we went to our room to change. Still wowing at our view! Jacket or tie must be worn by Gents, but very fitting for the elegance of this fabulous restaurant. Barbara, Sean and the team in there looked after us like royalty, you really are made to feel very special. I love this place. Our table was at the top of the restaurant facing down towards the piano, across the entire dining room, and with all the gorgeous table settings and candelabras it is a beautiful sight. Pure elegance.
We had the Table d’hote menu with fabulous choices. Complimentary canapés to begin our meal. Goats cheese salad with walnut sauce was divine for starters, lime sorbet next, my husband had a rack of lamb carved at the table by Sean, I had a wonderful Chicken supreme, a large varied selection of vegetables, and selection of bread rolls. The service is only topped by the perfectly cooked dishes, lots of delicious food. Lots of choices. I then had a plate of local cheeses, my husband had several scoops of ice creams.
Part of our package was a complimentary desert flambéed at your table. I had to decline - no room - but my husband had this ‘performed’ by Sean. Pineapple in Malibu, brandy and cream, perfect, so much of it as well. I had to taste it, mmmmmm!!!! Sean asked us if we would like the same table reserved for Breakfast. We then had coffee and petit fours in the gorgeous surroundings of the elegant bar. Delicious.
We had to walk out across the road to the beach to walk all the food off, we haven’t eaten food as good as that for a very long time. We live just up the road in Brighton so for us it will definitely be a regular evening out in The Garden Restaurant when an occasion calls for a very special meal. It’s not expensive to eat there at all, given the ambience and the high quality of service and food.
At breakfast there is a cold buffet for juices, fruit, cereals etc, help yourself. Your order is taken for hot breakfast, Bacon, eggs any which way, black pudding, kippers, mushrooms, kidneys, anything you could ever want…Different types of breads toasted, little pots of jams. The breakfast was cooked to perfection, the fried eggs were runny as ordered and perfect! Everything the best quality yet again, and superb service.

The Grand delivers everything. A real treat. A genuine 5 star English hotel at it‘s very, very best, we can’t fault it. Why would you try? We were made to feel important from arrival to departure. A personal thank you to all the lovely staff. We will see you again soon, Let’s see, next excuse is May! Can’t wait! I am definitely getting accustomed to this lifestyle.

The Burgess’s

This is a splendid old hotel and one of the few 5* hotels on the south coast. It has very high standards of service and lovely facilities. The staff are excellently trained and the food and bar are second to none. The rooms, however, are NOT what one generally expects from a 5* hotel, they are spacious, but there is mismatched and elderly furniture, rather dubious decor, a tiny television with only a few channels and not much in the way of high tech communications apparatus! However, I would say that this is the hotel's only fault as it has so much charm and appeal and is really very relaxing; nothing is too much trouble for the many staff. Just don't come here if you are looking for 21st century equipment!

The Grand is a wonderful hotel. From the moment your car is parked for you in the expanded car park, to the check in, gifts for children, rooms, restaurant with piano, it is all excellent. A beautiful building with real charm. A hot, outside pool, perfect location, but above all, excellent service. This is the key point – excellent service. Every helps, is polite, helpful, says hello, smiles, and you really do feel the staff work at the hotel to serve, not just to have a job. The food is excellent and the breakfasts the best we have encountered. Look around the building and absorb the architecture, history and feel lucky to be part of it. 10/10

We stayed at the Grand for a long weekend in August, and were really impressed by the quality of the hotel. Unlike most large hotels nowadays, there is a feeling that the staff really want to live up to the hotels 5 star grading - they were always friendly, helpful and courteous.

The hotel feels a bit like the setting for a Miss Marple book, with uniformed staff and afternoon tea served with silver teapots!! The staff have got the balance right though - attentive, but not intrusive.

We ate in the Garden Restaurant, excellent food and service. The health club is good, and the outdoor pool was the warmest we've found in the UK.

We had a sea view room, which was deinitely worth the extra. There is some maintenance going on at the back - repainting I think - so the views from some of the non-sea view rooms weren't great.

Stayed in a sea view suite for a long weekend with my Husband and 2 year old. Room spacious & comfortable with lovely view but very dated bathroom with 80's suite & carpet - needs an urgent refurb!
All public areas are elegant & there is a nice ambiance more that of a country house hotel than a 5 star aimed at the corporate market. Altogether much more personal & they have excellent kids facilities including a welcome pack, club & babysitting. Perfect for a very happy Christmas for all the family!
We ate in the Garden Restaurant as we didn't feel it was fair to inflict our 2 year old on the fine diners in the Mirabelle & were very satisfied. Service, setting and food are all excellent we particularly enjoyed a delicious Fois Gras & Sauternes Jelly starter! If you are looking for a little old fashioned English hospitality by the sea then you will not be disappointed!

Have just returned from a pamper break at The Grand which was great. We were upgraded to a seaview room which was large, clean and had one of the biggest beds I have seen!

The spa treatments were excellent and the pool area, jacuzzi etc were good.

We ate at Mirabelle and the food was excellent (some of the best vegetarian food I have had). As has been said before all the staff were friendly and helpful and you were made to feel special.

This was not a cheap break but worth every penny. The hotel is well maintained and has wonderful old fashioned charm. We hope to return soon.

On arrival this place looks very impressive. you know it's going to be different.
Arrived very late at night. check in fully manned. big room with a fantastic view of the sea. a bit dated, but quality. carpet in the bathroom..... Moulton Brown toileteries show the class.
food excellent..you really have to have the breakfast - just for the experience. waiters in the old fashioned jackets, very grand room. Certaily worth a vist.. but don't have too high expectations - I think it's one of those places which will have some odd pokey rooms.
Oh, and it's full of history...over the last 100 years all the uks movers and shakers have stayed there.

The room (and indeed the hotel) is old-fashioned with excellent service from all the staff encountered. However, the room was small for the money paid and we did not feel it was good value (see my review of the Best Western Lansdowne next door). The food was expensive and room service missed basic items such as cutlery and coffee cups. Tea & coffee making facilities are available for free, but you have to ask - probably because the room we had was so small there was nowhere to put the tray! Could benefit from air conditioning as well, as at this time of year the whole hotel was very warm. One of those stays where the more we compared it to next door, the more disappointed we were.

In this day and age of 'contemorary', 'boutique' and 'hip', it is actually quite nice to get back to the basics of what a five star hotel should be about , i.e. personal service, grandeur, genteel standards (jacket and tie for dinner), staff dressed formally in morning coat or dinner jacket and chamber maids in black with white pinnies.

I booked the Grand for a family celebration (my mother's 80th) and 20 family members attended from 11yrs to 89yrs and it was perfect. Service was superb, food excellent and the most of the bedrooms were superb (my brother's standard room was a bit pokey, but all the others, and especially the family rooms we used were large and spacious). Our room was over looked the sea, on the third floor and it had great views (beware of rooms that face into the inner well of the hotel as these are quite dark).

The hotel is in good order and well maintained, despite its age and they have been remoddelling the front of the property. The slightly old fashioned decor does add charm, with quite a bit of draylon and chintz, which does date the hotel a bit. But it is in keeping with the property.

This is an old fashioned hotel with old-fashioned values, which personally I like. I like being greeted by the staff and I like all the staff knowing who I am and why I am there. Everyone was friendly, couteous and polite - which is probably the first time I have experienced this in a British hotel in many, many years.

A really great hotel ideal for a weekend away for all generations

The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne is a fine hotel. Its conveniently sits on the sea front and has free parking (handy if you come by car).

The staff are very friendly and helpful. They asked how we were, did we travel far etc. when we checked in. The room itself (deluxe room) was fairly large and very clean. The bathroom was nice (although a little small). The room furniture is from the 80's (not necessarily a bad thing). Dont expect large tv's, dvd players or mini bars. The bed was very comfortable.

The biggest plus for me was the Health Club which is a part of the hotel. It is superb. The indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and steam room were first class as were the changing rooms. Even though we went on a hot summer weekend the Health Club was virtually empty and we had the place to ourselves.

We did not eat in the restaurants or try the bar so i dont know how great they are but it all seemed very plush.

Enjoyed our stay and would stay again.

We stayed at the Grand for a weekend break and absolutely loved the place!

It is a huge grand place, well kept and with imposing public rooms

We were upgraded to a big Junior Suite with sweeping seaviews from our bay windows, a big comfortable bed and massive bathroom with lots of dinky Molton Products to play with!

This is not the place for ultra modern fittings nor plasma TVs, but if you're looking for classic elegance then we would highly recommend it

Best of all is the genuine warm welcome and help from the staff

I stayed at the Grand whilst on business in Eastbourne, and chose the hotel because my collegues in Eastbourne said it was the stand out hotel in the area.

I can not agree more. Although it is not the modern boutique style hotel that seems to be the fashion, what it is, is all in the name Grand.

It is huge, with big high ceilings, large bedrooms and traditional decor. The view out to sea when i open my curtains in the morning was sensational.

The breakfast was a huge buffet that would cater for all.

Will be returning on my next trip to Eastbourne.

Oh dear, was I expecting something like this? The staff is the most helpful and attentive people I've ever seen. Its like to live in a perfect world were everybody smiles and welcomes you all the time.Specialy the front desk manager, I think her name was Betty, she was superb.

My boyfriend and me were automatically upgrade to a seaview room, as they explained It was the hotel policy to upgrade when possible. The breakfast is lovely. Plenty of fruits,english&continental b'fast and the Garden restaurant were is served just makes you feel like a princess with the huge chandeliers and the piano. Only fault I can say is that the rooms need update. Tvs and hairdryers are from the 80s. Besides that, is a dream

After a lousy Christmas and a bad health January, this was the perfect way to be lifted out of the gloom. From the moment we arrived we were looked after and made to feel very welcome. The hotel was very busy due to a Mozart weekend but this just added to the buzz. We loved the palm court style 1920s string quartet and the dancing on the Friday and Saturday. We aren't ancient but we aren't young either and this made us feel like we could have fun again. Food terrific, service terrific and the room large, comfortable and quiet.

Stayed her with my mother and daughter whilst pregnant with my twins. My husband was away at a conference and I wanted a relaxing break before the twins were born.

The staff of the hotel could not do enough for me, especially my young daughter who is usually quite fussy about hotels.

The food was a delight, especially the breakfast.

I was a little scared of staying here because i thought it was only for pensioners but i had such a good time. My daughter loved the clean and beautiful beach which was seconds from the hotel.

We had such a good stay that i have booked to stay here again this easter with my husband and the twins!

Superb position on the best part of the sea front. Looks great from the outside.. Imposing.

The main public rooms downstairs are equally fine. But move more inside and it shows that the hotel has been in fact an amalgam of different buildings; the impression given is of long corridors , many odd corners , lots of small steps and everything often a bit dark.

Bedrooms large with high ceilings. And if you are on the front;great views

Staff are welcoming

I know that Eastbourne and the Grand Hotel has a bit of reputation "of do not go unless you are getting your pension" about it. We are definitely not in that category but I have to say, that as a couple, we had a great time there. As soon as we arrived a member of staff took our car away from us and the level of the staff's attention never dropped from that moment - they were excellent. The room was very well maintained and clean. We had lunch relaxing on a large sofa with very nice food and a couple of bottles of wine and the staff could not do enough for us. Dinner was excellent and the wine sommelier choose some lovely wine for us and the food was very well prepared.

In some ways we were surprised to have enjoyed it so much as I was half expecting a bit of a old persons, 1920's, art deco, slightly dilapidated, kind of hotel. How wrong I was! Recommended.
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Our two night stay was brought for us as present from our children. Apart from having great parents, what excellent taste they have! From the moment the concierge greeted us, til the moment the porter put our bags in the car, the staff could not have been more friendly or helpful. The meals were as good as ever one could expect. This was, without exception the best hotel worldwide, we have ever stayed in over the last twenty two years.

If you like the traditional grand hotel, this is a great spot. Right across from the sea walk; comfortable rooms, very nice discreet service. Lovely, old-fashioned experience, in the best possible way.

I have just come back from a weekend in Eastbourne. Me & my girlfriend were not expecting much of an aging hotel in a not so trendy town.

We where definitely pleasantly surprised. The service from arrival is excellent with car parking & porter to your room. All staff where very polite but not overly & seemed genuinely happy. The hotel is clean, well kept huge & impressive. It definitely is “grand”

We didn’t eat in the restaurants & instead had room service which was plentiful & not too over priced. £10 for sandwiches, crisps & fries. Beer £3.75 a bottle. Ok not cheap but for a 5 star hotel, not too bad.

Pool is small but warm & clean, nice Jacuzzi & steam room. Outside pool is heated & big enough for a few lengths. The gym looked to be very well equipped although we didn’t use it.

The only quibble was 2 singles pushed together to make a double bed. We didn’t really mind.

Overall we where very impressed & would go back, this time with a suite & ties to try the restaurants.

My husband and I have just returned from a fabulous weekend break at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne. The greating was wonderful, we didn't have to worry about where to park the car, they did it for us. Our bags were taken to our room, and we were given a bit of a tour on the way to our room, which was a junior suite and every bit as lovely as expected.

The service was definitely with a smile and everyone appeared to be enjoying the job they were doing. Nothing was too much trouble. The attention to detail made it extra special. When booking I had mentioned that it was our anniversary and on returning to our room on the first night there was a card under the door from the management and staff wishing us a happy anniversary!

We ate in both restaurants, the Mirabelle was nice, but not a vast choice (service though was exceptional), and the Garden restaurant was splendid. The beef that we had melted in the mouth and again the service was exceptional. The only downside to our whole weekend was that during our morning in the health club using the fab facilities, we were unable to get a massage or hair appointment as they were fully booked. If you want these services, I recommend to book well in advance. But the gym and the pool were virtually empty!

Overall this was an outstanding weekend. The staff were friendly and helpful and the hotel had every angle covered to make it a very Grand hotel indeed. Highly recommended.

We spend two nights here and ate in the restaurant one night. This is a traditional grand hotel that knows how to do its stuff. Staff are helpful and efficient. Our executive room was large, with handsome windows, and well lit, though the bed could have been bigger. The bathroom was fine and well supplied with toiletries.

The food in the Garden Restaurant was decent and some of it very good. However, used plates, bowls and glasses at breakfast were not as quickly cleared from the rather small tables, nor were supplies of bowls and glasses replenished , as rapidly as they might have been. Also, efficient service meant that the toast and coffee arrived before one had gathered much from the buffet and could be cold by the time that one gets round to them.

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This was our 3rd visit to the Grand and the hotel, the service and the food were as wonderful as ever. The decor and ambience are entirely in keeping with a top quality British seaside hotel. I love the afternoon tea, the oil paintings, the large squashy sofas, the TV sets hidden inside cabinets. The whole atmosphere is one of comfort and luxury but without any stuffiness or pretention.
Staff training must be very high on the hotel's priorities since everyone is charming, smiles in a genuine and warm way and tries very hard to make one's stay as enjoyable as possible. We arrive on foot with rucksacks and go out every day in hiking boots and shorts, but we are greeted just as courteously as the people pulling up in Ferraris.

Breakfasts are of exceptional quality and dinner in The Mirabelle was terrific, and good value. The chambermaids in their frilly outfits and the doormen in their tails are the icing on this wonderful wedding cake of a hotel. Please, don't change anything!