We arrived at The Grand and were immediately impressed by the doorman who enquired "Are you booking in sir?" On receipt of our affirmative reply he soon found us a car parking space and offered to take our bags. The entrance foyer to this hotel is really impressive and so was check-in. We were asked to confirm it was our anniversary and the young lady handed us a card beautifully handwritten. What a lovely surprise. We were shown to our room and after unpacking went down to the basement pool which was really nice and the swimming towels were the biggest I have ever had at a hotel, and having forgotten a coin for the locker the young man in charge promptly handed us 2 £1 coins.
We had booked dinner in the Garden restaurant ( see separate review) and afterwards headed for the function room where a 4 piece band a female singer were entertaining us all. After several dances we made for the bar for a nightcap. Now this is a 5 star hotel and therefore not cheap, a glass of white wine was over £10. However we were celebrating and did not allow the expense to interfere too much. Our room on the third floor was very comfortable and traditionally furnished. The bathroom was really nice and the towels thick and fluffy. Breakfast was a feast and really enjoyable. All in all we had a wonderful time at this magnificent hotel and we shall return , no doubt about that.

This is a charming seaside hotel which offers a comfortable and pleasant stay for its guests. The 5 star status is somewhat frayed and as will be evident in this review, it is in reality a very good 4 star hotel.

The room is well equipped and the Nespresso coffee machine and Molton Brown toiletries are a nice touch; however the decor of the rooms are very dated and old fashioned. The dusty, old and tacky silk flowers in the fireplace do not really assist either.

The whole hotel, including the room, is exceptionally clean. The room does not have a minibar and there is an ice bucket and glass charge which seems quite extraordinary for a 5 star hotel. The television in the room was tiny, and the beds are double beds as opposed to kingsize beds. The rooms get very hot in absence of any cooling facilities but the windows thankfully open! The turndown service is very efficient but some bedtime chocolates would have been a nice addition!

The service overall is good and staff are generally friendly; however, the hotel appears to try too hard to maintain their 5 star status and consequently presents a flawed image. This was particularly evident in the Garden restaurant. A discriminatory dress policy is preferred for a gentlemen. You are seated in the beautiful dining room and served on stunning fine china and crystal. Unfortunately you are then required to partake from an overpriced £40.00 three course menu with limited options, or a hefty supplement charge should you wish to depart from it. The drinks are limited by the glass and also overpriced. The food is pleasant but old fashioned. The daily roast was nicely served at the table from a carvery trolley; however, the meat was left on it throughout the evening and subsequently overcooked. It was also left on the restaurant floor circulating an unpleasant odour. We ordered side dishes which didn't arrive with our Dinner and when we enquired as to their whereabouts just before we had finished our meal, there was no apology. Tables are left uncleared when other guests depart leaving a messy appearance. What was clear from our experience here was that the hotel are unnecessarily creating a fussy environment, which they can not maintain with the service provision offered, especially as they have a formal dining option at the hotel.

Breakfast, also served in the Garden restaurant was very pleasant and of a good quality. The staff were friendly and efficient and there was a good choice.

The spa was clean and had a nice jacuzzi and steam room, along with all the other essential facilities; however, it was impossible, as guests, to make a reservation for treatments as these were all fully booked. It is disappointing that they do not have more slots available for residents of the hotel.

Overall we had a pleasant stay at the Grand; however, we were a little underwhelmed from the expectation that was created before our arrival. The offer of two nights for one provided very good value for money, although we may have a been a little disappointed were we paying full price.

We went as a group of 10 girls on a 40th birthday celebration weekend. The hotel itself is beautiful. Stunning lobby and good welcoming staff. The bar was good along with morning breakfast. We went out for dinner so have not experienced that at the hotel yet. The rooms were ok I guess, the ones we had at the back (you have to ignore the view) were average, the ones downstairs and the upgrades were amazing. The place was clean which is always good. The complimentary coffee in the rooms were ok but a bit on the bitter/strong side but good if you like that I guess. The Spa however, was a different story. They had made a mess of the booking time slots and what we were booked in for. They failed to correct this quickly so it took a good 30min to sort out. I personally had a manicure which was ok, (not as good as Bodyatone in Lingfield) but 2 days later the polish has bubbled up and looks awful so I've had to take it all off. The facials and massages the others had were ok but overall the spa seems below par. However, having said that we will go back, upgrade the rooms and ignore the spa.

Sunday Lunch at The Grand.
As the maitre d prepared to take us to our table an earlier guest lavishly praised the meal.
The room was a delight with a pianist playing discreetly. The service was of the highest standard throughout. Polite, helpful and friendly. The starters were divine. The roast beef, carved at your table, was roasted to your taste. My red medium beef was delicious.
The desserts were angelic. A complete taste extravaganza .
The wine list is excellent .
The ambience is that of early 20th century.
We visit the Grand as frequently as possible. The place that all others in Eastbourne try to emulate.
You must visit.

Lovely hotel - olde worlde place.
Group of 12 for lunch but seated 7 & 5 !! Very awkward and one of the party sitting with the children. 12 isn't a large group for a 5 Star hotel.
Service on the slow side as didn't order food until some time after wine was ordered and served.
Quality of food very good. Would have liked another fish dish - rather than battered with chips - for a Sunday lunchtime.
Very nice experience just wish we could all have enjoyed it together.

Problems with shower fitting - had to be replaced.
Coffee maker faulty - had to be replaced.
Breakfast buffet of poor standard. As a consequence didn't eat in restaurants.
Swimming pool a disappointment.

Enjoyable time but disappointed with the room. Furniture didn't match; floorboards loose and uneven. Carpet stretched and rucked up. Windows difficult to open. Bathroom and fittings dated. Poor water pressure. Shower head needs descaling.

Had a wonderful break at this great hotel ,the room was great and the staff second to none .We were lucky enough to dine in the Restaurant which is as good as any in Europe .I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this excellent hotel

We enjoyed our one night stay immensely and will be returning in June. However, we will be looking for a refurbished room next time as the one we had this time was all a bit tired. Whilst it was clean and in good order, apart from the windows, the bed was very soft, the TV was tiny and the bathroom was small. We had dinner in The Garden Room, which was good, though it was as well that we weren't in a hurry anywhere as nothing was rushed! The breakfast buffet was OK, but nothing special and we noticed that a lot of people had to wait for a table. Overall, we enjoyed the ambience of the hotel and the staff were excellent throughout but the bedroom was a disappointment.

FANTASTIC STAY AND SERVICE

Prior to visiting the Grand we were very impressed how promptly and satisfactorily they dealt with our special requests. The service from all staff guaranteed a relaxed and pleasant stay. The food is first class, with a wonderful wine list. I really enjoyed my continental breakfast whilst my husband went for a special request (happily provided)..
The dining room has a dress code which I am pleased about with a very special atmoisphere created by the pianist. If you think these things would attract only older clients No it was a treat to see so many younger diners.
The only downside is we did not stay longer.:We look forward to our next visit.

Visited The Grand for afternoon tea and it was fantastic! Staff that greeted us were exceptionally welcoming, we were sat at a beautiful open fire however I became too hot and asked to move and the staff were very accomodating. I explained that I was pregnant and the waitress noted down any foods I couldn't have and checked everything with the chef. I obviously couldn't have the champagne either so I was shown the 'mocktail' menu and had the most divine non-alcoholic 'Hawaiian Kiss' which was so delectable I think I would have it instead of champagne again anyway! The selection of teas was vast and the English breakfast tea I had and lapsang tea my husband had were wonderful. The sandwiches, pastries and scones were all delicious and plenty for two people. The setting was beautiful..a very relaxing afternoon! Thank you to all the staff, you are a credit to the hotel!

My partner and I stayed at the Grand just for Valentine's night, and it was very special. We arrived in time for a snack lunch and the staff at reception and the concierge, who parked our car for us, were all very helpful, and our room was excellent. It was beautifully decorated, clean and spacious, and we had a lovely view of the sea. The highlight of our stay was the special Valentines Day meal in the Mirabelle restaurant in the evening, and it was superb. The food was delicious, and the service was first class. We both agreed we could live like that for quite a while! Breakfast next morning was good too, again, excellent service and lovely surroundings. We had a very memorable stay at The Grand. Hope to be able to afford to return there one day!

This was another very pleasant stay in February at the Grand. Our room though smallish had everything we needed and though the radiator did n't feel warm we felt adequately heated. We love the faded grandeur, the wonderful staff and the excellent breakfasts at this hotel. There are many places to eat in Brighton which we wanted to try so can't comment on evening meals at the Grand but we came home refreshed and invigorated from our stay

Typically grand old fashioned sea front hotel.... Very elegant , rooms are a little dated and they do charge £5 if you want champagne glasses in the room which have never been charged for ever ( we said no,) but overall a nice overnight stay didn't eat there found a fab Italian within walking distance

It would be difficult to fault the quality of service and the helpfulness of the staff. The fabric of the hotel is in good order and recalls a by-gone age. Bedrooms are very comfortable and the public rooms tastefully presented.
Seldom, however, have I observed such ponderous (but polite), inefficient service in the dining room of any major hotel. The food is of a reasonable standard but seems to suffer from the lengthy period between order and delivery. It took from 20.30 to approximately 22.00 to receive a main course by which time any appetite had gone.
Specially ordered items at breakfast were satisfactory but the cooked buffet was a melange of long overcooked items. Toast was unspeakable - made from mass-produced sliced bread. Breakfast was sub-standard, on the whole; bit of a shambles really. The restaurant/dining room/breakfast area needs total review. A continental hotelier would be appalled.

Our second stay at the Grand. We stayed again in their Master Suite, a 2 bed suite with a huge living room which was very comfortable for our family of five.

Only downside was the radiators which clearly hadn't been serviced and were erratic - the hotel very promptly sent up engineers and storage heaters, so we didn't mind.

Spa was great, lovely pool and steam room.

Cocktail bar was excellent - dry martini always a good test

Friends came over from America for a family wedding. I was shocked to see how dated their bedroom was..very 80s / 90s. We all had afternoon tea there. 3 of our teas arrived about 15 minutes after the other 7 guests, apparently forgotten. The 3 that arrived late contained dried up sandwiches that clearly had been uncovered for some time. We sat in the lounge which was dated and had peeling wallpaper. Overall not very Grand!

Just a relaxing break in a famous hotel. Very pleased with stay. Only comment would be an extra handrail is needed on entrance to indoor pool as my wife is disabled and can only use one side after a stroke.We would recommend to others

we stayed here for the Friday and Saturday night of our friends' wedding.We were met at the car by a concierge who took our luggage to the room. We had a private dining room on the Friday night and were made to feel very special. The hordes of children with us were set up in one of the rooms with a games console and were allowed to order Dominoes Pizza! not something i thought the "stuffy" Grand would condone, but they were completely fine with it.
The bride's daughter was attending her Prom on the Friday night and my wife volunteered to retrieve her. Leaving the hotel at 11.30 pm in the car on a filthy night she returned at 12.30 to find that her prized parking space had gone while she was out. With the rain pouring down and it blowing at storm force my wife drove under the portico so that her protege could decamp to the hotel without soaking her gown. She then tried in vain to find a space in the car park. To her surprise after a minute or two of fruitless searching , a figure with a brolly appeared at the driver's window ...the concierge " shall I park it for you Mrs Brown, take the brolly and I will bring the keys.Your party is in the bar." First Class. That is what you are paying for! You can forgive the fact that some of the decor is a little faded and even the not too shy tariff when in receipt of exemplary service. NB the wedding was spectacular and a good time was had by all young and old alike.

A friend and l decided to book two rooms and have a little break. After a very warm welcome we were show to our rooms and had been upgraded to a suite each. This was beautiful.
We had dinner bed and breakfast both nights and the food was delicious. The staff were very attentive and helpful
This hotel is well worth a visit and we look forward to returning
Thank you for a lovely break.

The hotel itself lived up to expectations but the one night stay, which was to celebrate my sister's birthday, was blighted by the fact that the Eastbourne Law Society was holding a dinner there that night - and that was obviously far more important than the resident guests. To start off, at tea-time, while the staff were buzzing around preparing for the evening event, we waited a quarter of an hour to then be told that they did not have the tea cakes we ordered and then another quarter of an hour for the substitute scones to arrive - and all the while the staff were rearranging the furniture around us!
Then came dinner! The main restaurant was closed to accommodate the Law Society and we were hived off to a side room, which in itself was quite nice but the service was not. It started off alright but then rapidly deteriorated as the staff gradually disappeared, presumably to look after the lawyers! The crunch came when, having finished our main course, we waited three quarters of an hour for our plates to be removed! At this point we had had enough and we left, sacrificing the last course, for which of course we had paid. I might add that, back to normal next morning, breakfast was superb, with marvellous service. Oh that the night before had been the same!

If you want to know where to get a really first class Grilled Kipper breakfast, this is the joint!!
The hotel is at its busiest during high summer and at Christmas when it is frequently fully booked which means off season there are some marvelous deals to be had.

A vacuous hotel, that obviously did have charm in its day. Now more like an old tired old age home. No atmosphere, no buzz, no horrible piped music. Just a sad empty space living in the past. I personally felt depressed here. It was clean and the staff were nice, but they looked bored.

We joined our friend who book the ball room for her 40th birthday party and most guests stayed in the hotel.
I always love such grand building and interior design.
The staff are all professional and warm welcoming.
The room is classy, but have everything that I like (Milton Brown range which I like)
Bed and pillows are comfortable.
I particularly like their breakfast. I have not had such well cook full English breakfast for a while.
Bacons normally are not my choice as too greasy for me, but the way they cooked were perfect, and deep fry toasted which was lovely and mushroom was juicy not soggy, scramble eggs also cooked perfectly!
The breakfast seating area not crowed, there are enough space between tables which make you feel very comfortable.
I will definitely recommend and love to return.