Hotel du Vin & Bistro - Brighton

Hotel du Vin & Bistro

2 Nights (Friday and Saturday)

Room Type: Standard double room

Price: ₤360 (room, tax)

Overall Grade: A-

3+

1. The hotel is well located for all the great parts of Brighton - the beach, the pier(s), the Lanes and North Laine shopping and restaurants/bars. The hotel is easily accessible from the train station via foot, although the trip to the hotel is much easier as it is all downhill! Going back to the train station was a little more work.
2. Staff/service. Eddie had originally booked a superior double room but when they gave us the one on the ground floor of the hotel overlooking the front entrance and the sidewalk outside we were slightly disappointed. Fortunately, they were able to accommodate us with a different room on the first floor. It was only a standard double room (₤10 cheaper per night) but it was surprisingly bigger than the superior double we were in originally. The staff were great about the whole thing and while the new room didn't have the stand alone tub, it was much quieter and felt more like part of the rest of the hotel. Actually, apart from the stand alone tub and the walk in shower the standard double was identical to the superior (the standard room still had the monsoon shower head.) The staff were extremely friendly and accommodating about the move.
3. The hotel building was very interesting, on the outside and inside. The style of the building is Gothic revival and mock Tudor (according to their website) and it is unlike any other hotel we have stayed in. While the lobby was small, it opened up to a two storey lounge/bar area that had big comfy couches and was constantly packed from late afternoon. Although I have read complaints online about the lack of elevator in the hotel the carved wooden staircase in the lobby was quite the showpiece. Outside, right off the lobby and lounge was a patio that definitely looked like it belonged to a beach hotel.

3-

1. If you stay in a room in the front of the hotel or one near the outdoor patio, it gets very noisy, especially at night. The window in our room had double glazing which helped with the street noise but the window in the bathroom did not. It seems kind of cheap that they would only do one window.
2. The place needs some sprucing up, especially the room floors and the tiles in the bathroom. In both rooms we saw the carpets were noticeably stained and the caulking on the tiles was either stained or falling off. The "bones" of the room are good but some things definitely need to be replaced, especially for the prices they charge for the rooms.
3. Breakfast was not included in the rate and at ₤9.95/person for continental only, we decided to search for our own breakfast both mornings.