This is a truly lovely hotel just west of the town. Not modern (I don't like modern) but rooms beautifully and tastefully decorated. Has a huge conservatory with views of the sea and a swimming pool. Great staff. Great place to stay for the annual Eastbourne AirShow.

Stayed here for several weekends mainly out of season always relaxing food normally very good apart from when the kitchens were being refurbished,porridge like cement and raw boiled eggs for breakfast.
Nice lounges and conservatory serves nice lunches and afternoon teas rooms adequate and clean garden nice with outdoor swimming pool. Nice snooker room.

I was there for a night in the gloom of late January – not a great time of year to be staying in any seaside hotel. This must be the lowest season, and probably accounts for the almost completely empty – though large, warm and very comfortable – public spaces, and a cavernous dining room with not far off 60 café-type tables with spindly legs showing beneath the linen drapes, but only about 6 occupied. Sepulchral is not the word; I spotted not one mobile phone – which gives a good idea of what generation was at dinner (I didn’t have mine either). There was an encouraging advert for what looks like a fine dinner in March accompanied by South African wines, but only a month past the winter solstice hivernal gloom had settled on the kitchen. The confit duck salad came with an unpleasantly sweet dressing, and the single bread roll would probably have spontaneously floated towards the lovely ceiling if I hadn’t weighted it down with butter. Main course beef was good and pink, but drowned in tan-coloured gravy with a hint of skin; the accompanying spinach puree was sour, and the assortment of vegetables, while quite tasty, was minuscule. However, I had a nicely varied cheese board served with a small glass of port and, interestingly, fruit cake, a lovely combination which I have experienced in the north. It was nice to have a full English breakfast served at table, rather than having to assemble it yourself; the bacon and sausage were excellent. Waiting staff were attentive and well-scrubbed.

The architecture of the hotel is typical of the mess that results when fire and building regs and wholly undistinguished functional add-ons cumulatively take their toll on what must have been originally a fine 1890s building. The marvellous entrance hall looks a bit Deco, though the person who chose the carpet deserves free eye tests for life. Victorian properties in London that have been refurbished as flats end up with weird-shaped rooms described by estate agents as being ‘carved out’ of the original building. The carved-out bit of the hotel I stayed in was full of wire-reinforced glass panels, odd pyramidal spaces where fire walls didn’t quite meet the banisters, and the whole ensemble made me want to squint a bit. My carved-out bedroom was fractionally too small, and the bed a little squidgy, but as others have mentioned, meticulously clean and warm. I had an uninterrupted view not, sadly, of the English Channel, but the flats next door with TV flicker.

I have a real soft spot for this kind of hotel, a genre that will surely have disappeared in a decade. So take advantage of this comfy time warp with its lovely genteel staff and equally lovely genteel clientele. With a small amount of thought, perhaps some nicer weather to warm the chefs’ imaginations, and a minor upwards nudge in the price, the restaurant could more evoke the grand seaside hotel in its heyday rather than Lyons corner houses. A propos of the latter, Lyons commissioned great contemporary artists to design posters that would cover the walls when paint was in short supply during and after the war – and I was pleased to spot a handful of modern limited edition prints of lithographs by Eric Ravilious in the Hydro restaurant that wonderfully evoked the pastoral spirit of the Downs in the late 1930s. Let’s have a little more of the warp factor.

Lovley food great staff the only thing which let it down was one of the staff in the restarant had very long black hair which was not tied back and was all over the food the hotel is great very English in a lovely place over looking beach head

I stayed here for one night whilst on a business trip. My room was upgraded from a single to a double and had spectacular sea views. The room was clean, tidy and spacious. The service was always prompt and they went over and above to assist me. There was free access to wifi in my room and around the hotel. A great place to stay, very close to the beach and station. I would highly recommend it!

I lunched here as part of a large group (13) - two tables of 6/7. We chose the set lunch menu and everybody had their own choice. The food was 'OK' but the staff didn't seem to want us there. Had to be asked more than once for certain items. The courses were very quickly cleared away as individuals finished; not, as should be in my opinion, when all at the table had finished each course. And the whole atmosphere was a bit 'cold'.
This hotel has a good rep in the town but.... the menu was reasonable value to money but.......

Sorry for late review. We came here again for Christmas Party 5th Dec. again food, staff and venue were great. Food was Hot, staff friendly and DJ very current but mixed it up too. The only downside was our room 😞 a bit dated could do with a freshen up. The Hotel has a very traditional feel for Christmas all we needed was snow. Well done everyone for a great stay/party.

y husband and I plus five friends spent a New Year break at the Hydro Hotel in Eastbourne. We are frequent visitors to this great hotel, but our friends had not been there before. The meals were, as usual, excellent with plenty of choice, served on piping hot plates, even the soup. The entertainment was of a very high quality, especially New Year's Eve. The band were very lively, not too loud so we could talk, and by the end of the evening the dance floor was full. The staff were very attentive and friendly, and made us feel very welcome. Our friends enjoyed themselves so much they want to go back next year.

Having enjoyed frequent lunches in the Conservatory,and liking the ambience of the hotel a friend and I booked the 3 night package for the New Year. The delicious meals, friendly staff and attention to detail made this a delightful never to be forgotten experience. Thank you to everyone.

Having enjoyed many happy times in this lovely hotel we decided that The Hydro would be the perfect location to have dinner with friends whom we had not seen for several months. We thought that we would make more of the occasion by booking dinner on the evening when a Swing Evening and Disco event was taking place. We did enjoy a lovely evening but it came as quite a surprise to us when on entering the restaurant we were shown to a table for eight. It had not occurred to us that we would be sharing a table as this certainly wasn't mentioned at the time of booking. It did change our evening somewhat as we could not but be aware that we could not talk quite as freely as we would have done, obviously the others sharing our table were not interested in our family news! The evening was still a good one but in future we would check the seating arrangements before making any booking.

This was my first visit to the hotel .On Thursday I went to a Christmas lunch with entertainment . It was easy to park the car .The hotel has a car park but it is also easy to find parking in nearby roads. The Hotel atmosphere was great. Very friendly and relaxed. The lunch was lovely with good size portions. The staff were absolutely fantastic . There were eight of us. Service spot on. The entertainment very, very enjoyable. It was advertised as the Swing Thing . Lots of classic old time songs sung by a young singer. We would without doubt return . Early booking probably advised !

Came here for our works Christmas meal. Hotel is modern and decor lovely, warm friendly welcome from staff on arrival and shown to our seats in the conservatory (slightly cold for some of our team)
Christmas meal was 3 courses for £30 with coffee to finish (great value for money)
Only had one niggle the soup was not very hot (serval of us agreed) and the pork was a little tough to cut.
Over all we had a lovely evening dancing and celebrating our Christmas.
We did look into staying here and discovered the hotel has free Wifi, tea and coffee facilities in the rooms plus a few extra's!
Hotel is clean and spacious with amazing views of the sea on the costal road.
Will probably book another party here at some point.

lovely meal spoilt only by the waiter in a party of 30 first of all put plates on table only to be taken away as wrong table then rushed trying to take plates away before we had finished leant across a lady to serve another lady awful awful coffee asked if we could have cream with our coffee told only when u get home ???????? sorry wont return

This Hotel has been modernised in the last few years and it looks splendid! Nothing tired about this Hotel and the staff are delightful. The lunch was delicious and great value for money. We are returning next year.

We have been going to the Hydro since 1976, that surely speaks for itself !
We have been 3 times this year, usually for 4 nights starting on Sunday afternoon which is slightly cheaper. There was a special offer this time.....5 nights for only £10 more than for 4 nights.
The staff are so friendly and helpful.We particularly look forward to eating in the Crystal Restaurant. There is a huge choice at breakfast and an impressive dinner menu.
All rooms are very comfortable, most have been fully refurbished. At a small daily cost you an book a room with a sea view or side sea view. There is a spa and a hairdresser. Lunches and afternoon teas are served in the conservatory overlooking the croquet lawn!
We enjoy the walks into town or along the sea front. The hills may deter older visitors.

As we were attending a friend's birthday party at the Hydro we decided to stay for two nights and were very pleased.
We had Dinner in on the 1st night which was excellent, Breakfasts were first class and service second to none.
A most enjoyable stay.

We go almost every year to this hotel and it never fails in any way. From the delicious food to the clean and spacious rooms to the friendliness of the staff. We had a lovely seaview room this year and although the weather was overcast the view was still amazing.

We usually are at this charming hotel once a year for an Agm and function. We have always extended it by one day extra .
We are never disappointed.
Apart from our splendid and well serviced two night functions ,our last night is of the same high quality.
The chef it seems does not rest on his laurels, the food continues to tempt us and menus even more inventive.
Our menu on function night was amazing and efficiently served.
Our room was delightful sea view best we ever had and as always housekeeping of a very high standard, discreet and quickly done.
Such a friendly ,caring hotel ,we look forward to returning.

So I am a bit of a self confessed hotel snob.
I always ask for quiet room away from lifts and stairs.
So this hotel is a little way out of town.
Yes the clientele seemed to be more mature.
On the plus side it meant the hotel was pretty peaceful in the evening.
I walked into the town centre. It was over a mile but along the sea front it was quite refreshing.
The staff were pleasant and helpful,
Breakfast was good.
If you want nightlife and discos this is not for you.
Would i stay here again? Yes - it was lovely. ( and for me to say that it must be ok ! )

Since I last stand at the Hydro it has undergone many positive changes, the rooms have been well refurbished, with all the added small touches,like tea and coffee making facilities, good selection of toiletries, free WiFi, and comfortable bed. All the staff were very professional and friendly. The food was also very good particularly the steak and kidney pudding which was to die for.Well done Hydro it shows with a bit of effort English hotels can keep up with the foreign competition.

Rooms are fine, a little worn but nice and clean. And with a view to die for. Staff was very friendly and the wedding we attended was indeed well planned and there was a nice atmosphere all around the place. Will definitely stay there again

Our previous experience of the Hydro was limited to a birthday function many years ago and a lunch with friends more recently. We formed the impression that the Hydro was a spacious, elegant and comfortable hotel,,perhaps, with an 'old fashioned' quality appeal and I certainly don't mean that in any derogatory sense.
This time we spent a short break there and were in no way disappointed. It was as we remembered it , comfortably elegant, spacious and run by efficient and committed staff.
We had an upgraded room with a partial sea view which was fine. The room was attractive with an immaculate bathroom ..
The large dining room has a comfortable splendour. The menu was first class and we were served delicious meals by very attentive staff.
Although,unusually for Eastbourne, the weather was atrocious we were glad to be accommodated in such congenial surroundings. We hope to return soon !

We have just returned from a Masonic Ladies weekend. It was our first time at the Hydro hotel and we can't praise them enough. The events co-coordinators we very helpful throughout and very patient even when we had to keep changing numbers and unexpected cancellations. In the end we had nearly 70 guests and received loads of compliments about our choice of venue and the quality of the food and the service. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and we found them all to be very friendly. I had a fantastic room with a sea view.
Well done to everyone one at the hotel and you are certainly a firm favourite for a repeat visit next year.

We had a lovely stay at hydro with our dogs due to the hotel being very dog friendly. Highluy recommend the Sunday lunch..booking essential.. Rooms clean and spacious and room service also good..
Excellent location only minutes from seafront with plenty of parking.
Have re booked for another stay

We stayed here last night, 25/10/14, for a friends evening reception. We had a lovely room on the third floor with a "side sea view" which we thought we would have to crane our necks to see but actually had a full panoramic view. The room was lovely with an immaculate bathroom although I did struggle to turn the bath taps on because they are so close to the wall. We had a late lunch in the Conservatory which was delicious and not overly priced. All in all we had a lovely stay although a smile and pleasantries from one of the two girls on reception would have been nice, she couldn't even be bothered to tell us how to get to our room. On check out this morning we intentionally avoided her and had a much better experience.