If you are working or a holiday maker to Eastbourne make this your hotel of choice! If you love the glamour of the 20s and 30s this hotels decor with make your heart flutter take tea in one of its beautiful lounges or in the conservatory the staff are helpful and pleasant the rooms are comfortable and tastefully decorated choose from two dinning rooms which are both elegant and the food for this star hotel very good but don't be fooled by the miss marple approach this hotel is bang up to date but is just smart enough to realise that old school glamour goes along way 😊

We really enjoyed our stay. The room was fine - not particularly luxurious but nicely furnished, spotlessly clean and a good view of the town. The food was lovely, both dinner and breakfast and the service in the restaurant was superb. The hotel is in a lovely spot - up on the South Cliff with views over the sea. A nice easy walk down into Eastbourne along the seafront, or for the more energetic, a good walk up to Beachy Head. We will definitely return.

Our fourth stay here and the experience just gets better! This hotel combines genuine comfort in a building full of character with gracious service and concern for guests. The hotel commands lovely sea views and a restful garden. You are immediately enveloped in peace and comfort. It is not suitable for those who do not appreciate or want old world service and a peaceful setting. This doesn't mean that it only caters for the older guest but it maintains a tradition of quiet, generous hospitality. The staff are amazing from the manager to the housekeepers. Our room was spotless and extremely .comfortable. The sea views are well worth paying that bit extra for and nothing is too much trouble for the staff. We will return!

A very good hotel, stayed for 2 nights, all staff were courteous and helpful, we ate in the restaurant on our second night with family and friends (who live in Eastbourne) the food was delicious but in our opinion a little over priced, Breakfast was excellent. We had a room with a sea view which was well worth paying the extra, the room was very well equipped perhaps, a little more attention needed by the cleaners at higher levels, i.e. the top of pictures. Would like to use again, perhaps look for " special offers "

My Daughter got married in May at this hotel. The staff, the location, the food and the attention to detail was faultless. The hotel staff could not have done more to make it a special day for all concerned. The rooms were well laid out and we had a wonderful view towards Beachy Head from our room. The only downside was we could not have the windows open due to inquisitive birds... I have a fear of birds and I do know one of the wedding guests did have one appear on the windowsill!! Other than that I cannot fault this wonderful hotel

This hotel is not for the youngsters who would (on the whole) not appreciate this hotel. It has bags of charm, good staff, GREAT food, a quiet peaceful hotel full of elegance (unless you are unlucky enough to visit when a wedding party is there).
We have been to this hotel many times in the past and wondered if it would still be as good this time round. We need not have worried apart from new curtains and chairs in the dining room,, which were lovely (and more comfortable than the old ones) everything else is the same. Even the old lift which is supposed to hold 4 but in reality will only hold 2 and a suitcase! Thank you Hydro...we will return.

Got the £99 amazon deal. Very nice old style hotel. Must of been very grand in its day. Rooms are well fitted out with everything you need. We where upgraded to a sea view room. The staff at both dinner and breakfast where very friendly and nothing was to much trouble

Stayed at this hotel last Saturday, was checked in by the most polite helpful receptionist I have ever met, :) loved the Art Deco look! Rooms very comfortable with everything you need, food lovely and the outdoor pool was gorgeous felt like we were abroad. Beautiful grounds and kept so clean. The duty manager that was on was also very polite and works so hard! The only downside (not really a downside tho really!!) was the receptionist that checked us out, she was far too "formal" but all the other staff made up for her attitude, as they were brilliant!

Had a wonderful nights stay at this Hotel. Customer service was exemplary, all the staff without exception were consistently excellent. Felt really welcome and noting was too much trouble, their was an 'air' that the customer was really important. Candice our delightful waitress could not do enough for us. In fact all the Restaurant staff were lovely, smiling with warm greetings. The bright Conservatory was a lovely place to sit. Comfortable arm chairs in quieter areas, well thought out. We had sea view rooms which were outstanding, spacious, quiet, nice crockery and as its a little off the main road nice and quiet. Our only regret was that we could not stay longer. Thank you and keep doing what you are doing
Marie Garrard

Stayed with my daughter on a "Travelzoo" offer - £99 dinner bed breakfast and glass of "fizz". The disabled bays in the car park were blocked by massive stone plant pot arrangements. At reception one member of the team was very friendly, however the two others chose to ignore us - notably one was distinctly "stone-faced". On the plus side we were upgraded to a sea-view room with great views and reasonably spacious with a small en-suite and very comfortable mattresses. From previous reviews we expected a certain geriatric element and were not surprised to find the hotel populated with a section of middle class society that I knew existed but had never before encountered in such numbers. We bravely had a swim in the little "heated" pool which was rather bracing! Followed by a couple of rounds of putting on the miniature green (find the clubs in the large box adjacent). We had a pre-supper cocktail in the "cocktail bar" which appeared to be a novelty for the staff and the cocktails were distinctly bland. Waiting staff at dinner were lovely but the food itself was not - the butter came in catering packets - the pate was flavourless and when asked if my sole was on the bone or filleted no one seemed to know. My daughter is a vegetarian and sadly she faired rather badly the vegetarian "gateaux" was just layers of aubergine and courgette. If you need to stay in Eastbourne and this offer is available then well worth it - but don't go out of your way.

Yes this is an hotel that caters well for elderly visitors (like me!) It has an old world charm and all staff are friendly and considerate. ( not sure they are necessarily happy)
The restaurant food is about 3 star. Portions on the small side but pleasantly served.Wine reasonable.

We ate in the conservatory - there is a certain amount of luxury in this hotel but it is badly let down by the food. Where the presentation is fine they use the cheapest bread - dry value wholemeal. and the biggest no-no of all - scones are microwaved and cream was in fridge - 1 minute in a mini oven and they would be great !!! - such small details but let it down badly. For the atmosphere, the staff (excluding bar man who was a tad curt) we would definitely return but maybe only for a cup of tea as the food was disappointing.

This is an old hotel (opened 1895!) and has been very well updated while keeping the style of old-fashioned comfort and service. Also the food was very good and always freshly prepared. So nice to be treated as a guest rather than a customer.

A group of 16 for lunch can cause havoc in some restaurants but not at the Hydro where you get the full choice of a 3 course Sunday lunch menu and the service is very slick despite the dining room being packed.

Older hotel but remarkably clean and well-decorated throughout. The room was clean, spacious and comfortable, the bathroom looked new and was spotless. Attentive staff everywhere especially the restaurants so service exceeded expectations. Dinner was presented well but somehow lacked in taste and I couldn't help thinking the full breakfast was a bit overcooked but the poached egg alternative was spot on... Afternoon tea was a treat not to be missed so very much a mixed opinion here. Few minor criticisms really - shower too small, mixer tap with a mind of its own, TV more suited as a PC monitor given the size of the room and.... Given the name and location of the hotel, no bottled water in the room. The days of drinking tap water out of your tooth mug are over so it seems petty that a 10p bottle of water was not provided. After all that, I'd still go back for a peaceful hassle-free break.

Want to check out the room, view the video here - https://youtu.be/Zcc3bd0LnSc
Room 215

My wife, baby and I came a for a quick get away to the east coast. There was a deal on Amazon for this hotel so we decided to use it. We upgraded to a sea view room which we was told was more spacey and we are glad we did.

We was greeted nicely on our arrival and was in our room in quick time. The room was very clean and spacious. The bathroom was also very clean and a good size. The carpet in the room was very soft and made you want to loose your shoes and walk around in your socks as soon as you get in. The view from our room was really good. You can see the hotels crocket/golf green and the sea beyond that.

Check the video link at the begging of this review to view our room.

The staff here are very courteous. They do have a decent level of customer service. At our 1st dinner, the menu only had one vegetarian main which we didn't really want (personal preference, nothing to do with the hotel), we talked to a guy called George and he spoke to the chef and created a dish just for us and it tasted great! Breakfast is good. Would be great to have more freshly prepared fruit but there options are ok. They even have soya milk if you want it. They also do a GREAT hot chocolate, (soya or milk). At our last dinner, I requested a milkshake (which was not on the menu), they said it could be done from the bar, but the bar only had coffee, vanilla or coffee ice cream. Me being picky asked if its possible to make it with raspberry ripple ice cream from the restaurant desert menu, George again, said why not, and he would see if it was possible. Once again, he came through!

George is the best, anything you need when in the restaurant, ask for him! Candice in the restaurant was also very helpful as well and had great customer service.

The standard of service in the conservatory slips slightly during busy periods but once told them that we was missing a plate, cutlery and a hot chocolate that we ordered, they apologised and rectified it quickly.

The whole hotel has a very nice feel to it. It has a lot of comfortable soft seating in its lobby areas and there are nice little cubby chill out places to relax and read a book or surf the net, or just close your eyes and snooze. You you can use it as a place to have tea and still have a bit of privacy as well. It feels well maintained.

We would return here again if we ever came back to the area.

I brought my husband and myself a voucher to stay at the Hydro for two nights with breakfast and evening meal. We hadn't stayed here before but the reviews were excellent. We loved it! beautiful views from our bedroom window especially with sun shinning onto the sea. The room was very comfortable and clean with everything we needed. The staff were very friendly and accommodating nothing was to much trouble, even stopped for a chat. The Crystal restaurant is a beautiful and the food was very nice. Breakfast had a lot to choose from and the cooked was a lovely start to the day. We would defiantly go back it is just so relaxing, we sat in the lounge to quite late very cosy and the conservatory was gorgeous with stunning views while we had a really tasty coffee.

We stayed one night and everything was excellent - the building is fabulous and has a lovely atmosphere. We enjoyed good food and all the staff.were smiley and helpful. The hotel was also spotlessly clean. We had a 1st floor double room with side sea views. Highly recommended.

I stayed here at the Hydro for a friends wedding.
- Very good rate included for wedding guests.
- easy check in,
- lovely friendly staff on reception
- great room, it was a single room but perfect for me. Very comfortable bed and great sized for me to spread out.
- Good shower (toiletries supplied - just as well as I'd forgotten any shampoo)
- Wedding side of things was amazing. I know my friend had the most perfect day. The Fred of having to sort things out after an amazing breakfast was ruined because the staff had already done it for us. They were brilliant!!!!

There is only one real fault. The mirrors are too high up for anyone under 5.10. :) I used my pillows to prop myself up to do my hair.

we stayed here for an overnight stay with dinner. The staff were welcoming, helpful and extremely charming. Our room was surprisingly spacious, a lovely view of the sea and very quiet. We had a drink in the bar overlooking the beautifully laid out grounds, followed by Dinner which was was excellent. Thoroughly reccomended

I spent a long weekend at the Hydro Hotel in Eastbourne. The hotel is very well positioned on the South Cliff. It is well situated for both the town and Beachy Head. The Staff are extremely helpful and friendly. The décor is slightly dated but in keeping with the age of the hotel. The bedrooms are spacious and comfortable . The restaurant had a varied menu ,the food was beautifully presented and cooked. I would recommend the hotel to friends and relatives.

We gathered here as a family to celebrate a birthday with afternoon tea in the conservatory. We were a large group, but had a nice table at one end near the door allowing children easy access to the safe lawn area. Sandwiches and cakes were delicious.

One annoyance was baby changing was upstairs. There was nowhere close to table to put bag so bit of a juggling act holding baby, getting nappy etc out of bag before putting baby down.

We were bought a nights stay in this lovely hotel as a birthday gift. The whole experience was really first class, we were upgraded and our room was newly decorated. We had an enormous bed and a lovely view of the sea. The room was lovely and clean as was the bathroom . We had a delicious meal in the evening, I am a coeliac and was given a menu which was marked with the dishes that were gluten free. We found all the staff courteous and nothing was too much trouble.
I really recommend this hotel, very enjoyable stay.

We purchased a voucher for a 2 night stay at the beginning of April. What a wonderful olde world hotel this is.
We had a corner room which gave wonderful views up to Beachy Head to the west & the pier to the east. From the lovely reception staff to the housekeeping staff, restaurant & bar staff to the porters nothing was too much trouble & we only had to ask once for something to be done & repeated each time it was needed.
The food was superb & drinks were, refreshingly, not overpriced.
This is most definitely not a modern, trendy hotel however if you want to be thoroughly spoilt we would definitely recommend this hotel & look forward to staying here again in the future.

Comfortable and clean. Breakfast and dinner were well above average.
This was a TravelZoo deal.
Excellent hilltop location.
Within walking distance to the Eastbourne Pier.
Room and bathroom were very well presented.