Great location. Nice rooms and excellent restaurant.

We spent 5 nights at the Hydro and could not have been more impressed. All staff were polite, smart, attentive and obviously trained to a high standard. I love a traditional hotel and the decor and furnishings reflected a grander past but not at all dated with a slight art deco touch. We ate in the conservatory for 4 nights (booking advised) and the Crystal dining room on our last night. Service was faultless and food was great. Breakfast was good with a decent choice. I liked the kippers! Fruit and continental option were not an option (Covid-19?) but staff seemed willing to provide extras. Our bedroom was smaller than expected and serviced once during our stay, but appreciate the latter was due to current restrictions. We stayed during half-term and it was nice to see families and couples of all ages which is contrary to some reviews that unkindly likened the hotel to a retirement home. On the whole, loved every minute of our stay and would definitely come again.

My husband and I stayed for 2 nights, the reception was kind enough to give us a room with a nice view. However, we didn’t feel comfortable, we felt some ‘presence’ the hot itself is quite old though and needs a serious renovation. Despite the room experience, the food was divine, my husband enjoyed it very much

We recently visited the Hydro Hotel for two nights in two single rooms. Hotel is maintained to an extremely high standard and is very well managed with all staff smart and efficient. Beautiful grounds with outlook to sea – our rooms had sea view and also to the downs with my old school St Bede’s below. Breakfasts and dinners very good indeed too.

We have just spent 3 nights at the Hydro Hotel and were very impressed. Our room was spotlessly clean and very comfortable. The food was excellent and the staff were very polite and efficient.
Would have no hesitation in staying here again or recommending to friends & family.

My wife and I had the pleasure of an amazing Sunday lunch at the Hydro this past weekend. Having received a gifted voucher from our dear friends for our anniversary prior to lockdown. This was the first chance we had to use it.

 

On arrival access is via the side entrance. This is for COVID reasons. The track and trace QR code was on the door and easy to use. Sanitiser was just inside the door.

Walking through to the restaurant you could see that common areas were clean and dust free. All staff that I saw were wearing either masks or visors, and traditional hotel style uniforms.

 

The restaurant is a beautiful high ceiling room. Very bright and airy. The tables have been purposely thinned out to meet current health and safety requirements. The host kindly showed us to our table, and took a pre drink order whilst providing us with the menu of the day.  The menu itself was exceptionally well rounded. I don’t think even the fussiest of eaters could not find something of interest. At £25 for a three course and coffee. I feel it is great value too.

 

The table was set with immaculately clean polished cutlery, glasses were equally clean and fresh, water was served as standard. We both ordered a glass of the house Chardonnay to begin with. It was cold, crisply dry, pleasantly acidic with a trace of apple. Very acceptable indeed. This in turn complemented our starters. Both of us decided on the Tian of Avocado Prawns. Great presentation and an interesting twist on an otherwise traditional dish. The avocado bite sized and the prawns fresh and tasty.

 

I ordered a bottle of Montepulciano to go with the main course, unfortunately this was unavailable so I switched to the Malbec. The was a full bodied red with hint of  currants and tannin also 13% ABV. The bottle was opened and left to breath on the table awaiting our main course to arrive. We both decided on the roast sirloin of beef and trimmings. Once again lovely presentation. The meal arrived hot and beef perfectly cooked. It was accompanied by a couple of roast potatoes, fresh Yorkshire puddings, gravy, and a side of fresh vegetables. This was a generously portioned meal.

We had different desserts. Once again both were exceptional in both presentation and fusion of tastes.  Wife’s carrot cake was the highlight for sure.

We finished the meal with coffee. This was both hot and fresh and of an acceptable medium strength.

 

The toilet areas were very clean and acceptably stocked. Service was timely and efficient without being intrusive. The hotel is disable access also. Meals were by reservation only and booked over the phone.

 

We enjoyed a wonderful meal, and will be coming again..

Stayed two nights to celebrate our Silver Wedding. Cannot have parties and this was an excellent alternative. Good Covid precautions inc temp check on arrival. Recently decorated room with good sea view. Large bars which is not that common nowadays.

Evening meals well presented and the fish dishes were very good. Breakfast served at table and again very good.

All staff very smart and attentive.

Gardens and pool looked great but wrong time of year for us to use them.

We have just spent two nights here using their autumn break offer. The hotel is very traditional with lovely old fashioned lounges and great sea views. The staff worked really hard and were all most helpful. Breakfast and dinner both days plus a light lunch in the conservatory were all excellent. We would certainly visit again but next time I would check the location of the room first. We booked a sea view room and were given one on the third floor. It was really small more like a single room and had a sea view but only a small window. Not at all what we were expecting.

Very old fashioned hotel with mainly older clientele. In my opinion it’s not really suited for business use. My bedroom was ok but the shower was very poor with very low water pressure. Breakfast was excellent.

Always have a very relaxed time at hydro hotel . I would always choose it as the perfect place to have afternoon tea . The whole feeling is one of how life should be. Very nostalgic .thank you

Great food and service by friendly staff.

Excellent customer service. Great hotel

We were very much looking forward to yet another trip to Eastbourne, a town steeped in family history and memories. We are constantly looking for our perfect Hotel here but on this occasion Covid 19 made this difficult to find. The Hydro was well equipped for the Covid eventuality, signs everywhere, one household only in the lift and the gift cupboards were locked to customers so it was not possible to purchase from these (?). Hand gel readily available, but during our five day stay we only had our temperature taken once. On arrival we were asked to make payment and when we reached our room it was clear to see why. Room 121, a double bed squashed into a single room, probably once servants quarters. If we hadn’t already paid we would have run for the hills. Sadly after a six hour journey I felt I had to express our displeasure and we were moved to a side sea view room, a difficult task with a wedding party in situ and a coach trip coming in. The staff were kind and considerate. The lunch option was adequate but a little expensive. We ate in one evening - passable. We could say we came to see how the other half live, but now we are that other half and we were not impressed.

Booked a 3 night stay at this majestic old hotel as a quick break and arrived to a temperature check at the side door near the ample car park. The receptionist was very pleasant however our room was not ready on time which left us rushing to our cream tea booked for 3pm.

The room itself did have a fantastic sea view but was a little cramped as a table and two chairs were wedged into the corner at the end of the bed. The bathroom was a fair size but the bath taps were so close to the wall that I couldn’t turn them with my mildly arthritic hands. Tea and coffee making facilities were provided along with hot chocolate and biscuits which was much appreciated although these were not refreshed automatically. I found the side of the bed near the door was a little lumpy as I have hip problems and had to switch with my husband but he slept very well there. The whole room was spotlessly clean.

Afternoon tea in the conservatory was lovely with wonderful views of the garden and excellent service from all the staff. The tea was very generous with 3 very fresh finger sandwiches, a warm scone and three cakes each and a box was offered for the cakes we didn’t finish. I would definitely recommend this treat. We had two light evening meals in the conservatory and the service was again excellent and the meals fresh and tasty.

Breakfast in the Crystal dinning room was unfortunately not in the same league. On our first morning there were 3 mistakes with our order, one mistake on the second day along with a cold poached egg on toast that I watched being carried around the whole restaurant before making it to our table. By Thursday, our third day, I was not expecting much but was pleasantly surprised by Kasia and Francisco who provided the excellent service I would expect of a 4 star hotel.

The hotel is a little dated in it’s décor but is quite comfortable and is ideally situated for long walks. The COVID precautions taken by the hotel were well organised and appropriate and didn’t really impact our stay very much at all. Despite the “heated“ swimming pool being a little untidy and distinctly cool when we visited (other guests were told that there were some plumbing issues) we did have a very relaxing break.

My hotel room had all the usual conveniences- tv, tea and coffee , safe, cooler, iron and ironing board, fan etc. The food was good and the off street car park was a good size with half a dozen spaces right by the back door for disabled plus another 35 .
My only complaint is that my tv kept losing it's signal and instead of 100 plus channels there would be half a dozen. This happened every day and I had to retune it each time. This is not an isolated occasion as I spoke to other people and at least another 3 bedrooms had the same problem with one 85 year old lady having just one channel to watch. Also the mobile and wi-fi signal could be a bit hit and miss depending where you are in the hotel

Booked this last minute to take advantage of the late summer hot weather. The hotel and Eastbourne didn’t disappoint . The hotel is a traditional English grand style hotel with beautiful views over its magnificent gardens and the sea . It’s located at the quieter end of the town towards Beachy head and about 10 minutes walk to the Grand hotel. Our bedroom had a sea view with lovely views with very comfy beds and nice bathroom . Room was very hot even with a fan. The highlight was the use of the gardens and heated outdoor pool during the lovely weather plus the English breakfast served to the table in the modern conservatory served by lovely hardworking staff . Parts of the hotel still retain its original old world charm . Car parking is free . In conclusion a really nice break

Came here Monday to Friday break nice hotel, lovely room stayed in room 222 which was a seaview , hotel was very good with Covid restrictions , we ate in restaurant once food not very good I had cheese salad which was 3 lumps of cheese kale , potatoe salad very disappointing was more like a cheese board, hotel Arpark is small we were very lucky with weather, gardens are lovely

Stayed for 3 nights in Room 220. A sea view room which had been made up as a double which was nice. Due to COVID restrictions the room did look a bit bland as all throws and cushions had been removed. All other aspects were fine including no service to the room for my stay. Not a problem. The only comment I could make is that after paying for a sea view the windows which had an anti glare appearance, opened in a way that a 'real' view of the sea was not possible. A shame.
The staff were excellent, at reception, in the restaurant and bar. The pool was nice but felt a bit unkept. The gardens gorgeous.
All staff wore masks which was reassuring, a shame that quite a lot of the guests (mainly fairly elderly!) did not in the public areas despite being asked to.
Parking a bit tight in the carpark so I parked in the road which was fine.

This is our first visit to Hydro Hotel & Eastbourne for a one night stay. We chose this hotel as its location is set in a quiet area away from busy roads yet it is very close to the seafront and promenade. On arrival there was plenty of parking. Our room (215) was a Sea View Twin which was spacious, spotlessly clean, bright & modern. The view was superb of the grounds which seemed to flow endlessly to the sea. Our evening meal in the Crystal restaurant was excellent, plenty of choice the food arrived promptly and steaming hot served by pleasant friendly staff. Plenty of breakfast choices, again prompt and hot and locally sourced. Our full English breakfast was extremely tasty and kept us going for the rest of the day. We used room service just the once which was quick and efficient. If we had stayed here longer we would have loved to have dined in The Conservatory as well, which has magnificent views of the hotel grounds which are well maintained. The hotel has plenty of areas to sit and relax in comfy high backed chairs whilst admiring the beautiful period décor of this wonderful hotel. We are very much looking forward to returning here again and hopefully for a longer stay.

Great sea view from room. Electric car charging point worked well. Good breakfast. Hotel perhaps a little dated, but we had an enjoyable stay. Felt covid secure. everyw clean. Attractive grounds, pleasant walk into town.

Spent Two nights at the Hydro and would have to be extremely picky to find any faults with our trip.
Clean , comfortable room with lovely sea views,we also enjoyed sitting in the hotels grounds,relaxing just watching the sea.
Staff at Dinners and Breakfasts were professional and friendly.
We enjoyed all meals , dinners in Crystal Room were first class ,we found wine prices perfectly acceptable.
Comfortable lounge easy to relax in.
All in all a Hotel we will certainly return to,hopefully once covid is over and we can see Hotel at its best.

I had lunch there but the conservatory was rather hot in the sunshine. However the food was excellent

Service excellent, Scones, clotted cream and jam, and coffee to die for.

Delightful afternoon tea in the conservatory - shame it was raining as the chatter level rose by 2 octaves - did not detract from the enjoyment of the occasion

Lovely afternoon tea. Sandwiches a bit underwhelming. Lovely view & cheerful staff.