The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne is a fine hotel. Its conveniently sits on the sea front and has free parking (handy if you come by car).

The staff are very friendly and helpful. They asked how we were, did we travel far etc. when we checked in. The room itself (deluxe room) was fairly large and very clean. The bathroom was nice (although a little small). The room furniture is from the 80's (not necessarily a bad thing). Dont expect large tv's, dvd players or mini bars. The bed was very comfortable.

The biggest plus for me was the Health Club which is a part of the hotel. It is superb. The indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and steam room were first class as were the changing rooms. Even though we went on a hot summer weekend the Health Club was virtually empty and we had the place to ourselves.

We did not eat in the restaurants or try the bar so i dont know how great they are but it all seemed very plush.

Enjoyed our stay and would stay again.

We stayed at the Grand for a weekend break and absolutely loved the place!

It is a huge grand place, well kept and with imposing public rooms

We were upgraded to a big Junior Suite with sweeping seaviews from our bay windows, a big comfortable bed and massive bathroom with lots of dinky Molton Products to play with!

This is not the place for ultra modern fittings nor plasma TVs, but if you're looking for classic elegance then we would highly recommend it

Best of all is the genuine warm welcome and help from the staff

I stayed at the Grand whilst on business in Eastbourne, and chose the hotel because my collegues in Eastbourne said it was the stand out hotel in the area.

I can not agree more. Although it is not the modern boutique style hotel that seems to be the fashion, what it is, is all in the name Grand.

It is huge, with big high ceilings, large bedrooms and traditional decor. The view out to sea when i open my curtains in the morning was sensational.

The breakfast was a huge buffet that would cater for all.

Will be returning on my next trip to Eastbourne.

Oh dear, was I expecting something like this? The staff is the most helpful and attentive people I've ever seen. Its like to live in a perfect world were everybody smiles and welcomes you all the time.Specialy the front desk manager, I think her name was Betty, she was superb.

My boyfriend and me were automatically upgrade to a seaview room, as they explained It was the hotel policy to upgrade when possible. The breakfast is lovely. Plenty of fruits,english&continental b'fast and the Garden restaurant were is served just makes you feel like a princess with the huge chandeliers and the piano. Only fault I can say is that the rooms need update. Tvs and hairdryers are from the 80s. Besides that, is a dream

After a lousy Christmas and a bad health January, this was the perfect way to be lifted out of the gloom. From the moment we arrived we were looked after and made to feel very welcome. The hotel was very busy due to a Mozart weekend but this just added to the buzz. We loved the palm court style 1920s string quartet and the dancing on the Friday and Saturday. We aren't ancient but we aren't young either and this made us feel like we could have fun again. Food terrific, service terrific and the room large, comfortable and quiet.

Stayed her with my mother and daughter whilst pregnant with my twins. My husband was away at a conference and I wanted a relaxing break before the twins were born.

The staff of the hotel could not do enough for me, especially my young daughter who is usually quite fussy about hotels.

The food was a delight, especially the breakfast.

I was a little scared of staying here because i thought it was only for pensioners but i had such a good time. My daughter loved the clean and beautiful beach which was seconds from the hotel.

We had such a good stay that i have booked to stay here again this easter with my husband and the twins!

Superb position on the best part of the sea front. Looks great from the outside.. Imposing.

The main public rooms downstairs are equally fine. But move more inside and it shows that the hotel has been in fact an amalgam of different buildings; the impression given is of long corridors , many odd corners , lots of small steps and everything often a bit dark.

Bedrooms large with high ceilings. And if you are on the front;great views

Staff are welcoming

I know that Eastbourne and the Grand Hotel has a bit of reputation "of do not go unless you are getting your pension" about it. We are definitely not in that category but I have to say, that as a couple, we had a great time there. As soon as we arrived a member of staff took our car away from us and the level of the staff's attention never dropped from that moment - they were excellent. The room was very well maintained and clean. We had lunch relaxing on a large sofa with very nice food and a couple of bottles of wine and the staff could not do enough for us. Dinner was excellent and the wine sommelier choose some lovely wine for us and the food was very well prepared.

In some ways we were surprised to have enjoyed it so much as I was half expecting a bit of a old persons, 1920's, art deco, slightly dilapidated, kind of hotel. How wrong I was! Recommended.
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Our two night stay was brought for us as present from our children. Apart from having great parents, what excellent taste they have! From the moment the concierge greeted us, til the moment the porter put our bags in the car, the staff could not have been more friendly or helpful. The meals were as good as ever one could expect. This was, without exception the best hotel worldwide, we have ever stayed in over the last twenty two years.

If you like the traditional grand hotel, this is a great spot. Right across from the sea walk; comfortable rooms, very nice discreet service. Lovely, old-fashioned experience, in the best possible way.

I have just come back from a weekend in Eastbourne. Me & my girlfriend were not expecting much of an aging hotel in a not so trendy town.

We where definitely pleasantly surprised. The service from arrival is excellent with car parking & porter to your room. All staff where very polite but not overly & seemed genuinely happy. The hotel is clean, well kept huge & impressive. It definitely is “grand”

We didn’t eat in the restaurants & instead had room service which was plentiful & not too over priced. £10 for sandwiches, crisps & fries. Beer £3.75 a bottle. Ok not cheap but for a 5 star hotel, not too bad.

Pool is small but warm & clean, nice Jacuzzi & steam room. Outside pool is heated & big enough for a few lengths. The gym looked to be very well equipped although we didn’t use it.

The only quibble was 2 singles pushed together to make a double bed. We didn’t really mind.

Overall we where very impressed & would go back, this time with a suite & ties to try the restaurants.

My husband and I have just returned from a fabulous weekend break at the Grand Hotel Eastbourne. The greating was wonderful, we didn't have to worry about where to park the car, they did it for us. Our bags were taken to our room, and we were given a bit of a tour on the way to our room, which was a junior suite and every bit as lovely as expected.

The service was definitely with a smile and everyone appeared to be enjoying the job they were doing. Nothing was too much trouble. The attention to detail made it extra special. When booking I had mentioned that it was our anniversary and on returning to our room on the first night there was a card under the door from the management and staff wishing us a happy anniversary!

We ate in both restaurants, the Mirabelle was nice, but not a vast choice (service though was exceptional), and the Garden restaurant was splendid. The beef that we had melted in the mouth and again the service was exceptional. The only downside to our whole weekend was that during our morning in the health club using the fab facilities, we were unable to get a massage or hair appointment as they were fully booked. If you want these services, I recommend to book well in advance. But the gym and the pool were virtually empty!

Overall this was an outstanding weekend. The staff were friendly and helpful and the hotel had every angle covered to make it a very Grand hotel indeed. Highly recommended.

We spend two nights here and ate in the restaurant one night. This is a traditional grand hotel that knows how to do its stuff. Staff are helpful and efficient. Our executive room was large, with handsome windows, and well lit, though the bed could have been bigger. The bathroom was fine and well supplied with toiletries.

The food in the Garden Restaurant was decent and some of it very good. However, used plates, bowls and glasses at breakfast were not as quickly cleared from the rather small tables, nor were supplies of bowls and glasses replenished , as rapidly as they might have been. Also, efficient service meant that the toast and coffee arrived before one had gathered much from the buffet and could be cold by the time that one gets round to them.

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This was our 3rd visit to the Grand and the hotel, the service and the food were as wonderful as ever. The decor and ambience are entirely in keeping with a top quality British seaside hotel. I love the afternoon tea, the oil paintings, the large squashy sofas, the TV sets hidden inside cabinets. The whole atmosphere is one of comfort and luxury but without any stuffiness or pretention.
Staff training must be very high on the hotel's priorities since everyone is charming, smiles in a genuine and warm way and tries very hard to make one's stay as enjoyable as possible. We arrive on foot with rucksacks and go out every day in hiking boots and shorts, but we are greeted just as courteously as the people pulling up in Ferraris.

Breakfasts are of exceptional quality and dinner in The Mirabelle was terrific, and good value. The chambermaids in their frilly outfits and the doormen in their tails are the icing on this wonderful wedding cake of a hotel. Please, don't change anything!

I have stayed at the Grand many times over the past few years and no England Seaside Hotel comes close, I Love it"!

The Hotel went through a really bad patch in the late eighties and I swore I would never go back. Howecer since it's ownership by Elite Hotels, I have beeen back time and time again.

Staff from the moment you arrive are always friendly, polite and accomodating, only once or twice out of numerous visits, have I had cause to be dissapointed by the re-action of a member of staff, the most annoying being when I was told in front of everyone at reception that my credit card had been refused, when in fact it was an error with the receptionist.

The food is great, as are the rooms and the health club.
It is in an amazing setting and I always look forward to arriving at this giant wedding cake of a hotel. It is perfect for all ages and tastes.

The only negatives are that if they have a wedding this dominates proceedings and reduces the enjoy of your stay, they section off areas of the hotel for them, take over the bar etc, ( so check first) The other negative is that although they have 24 hour Room Service, it is very poor. It is very slow and in soome cases they have completely forgotten our order, and you usually have to chase it.

Having said that I would definitely recommend the Grand.

I just returned from a night at the Grand Hotel. We chose this hotel to spend our wedding anniversary, wanting a luxury break that was close to london, and was also child friendly (we have a 16 month old baby).
We booked the Epicurean Escape package. This included: chocolates, flowers and Champagne in our room, one nights stay, dinner in the Mirrebelle Restaurant with a 6 course tasting menu including wine matched with each course, and breakfast.
At £380 total for the two of us, it was not a cheap stay, but was well worth it. After one night I was more relaxed that some week long holidays.

From the time we drove up to the time we left the service was expectional. The little things made the difference, like glass of warm milk delivered to our room at the baby's bedtime (not charged).

We both had a Massage -which was very good and not overpriced.

We were lucky to have a weekend of pure sunshine, but just in case, they heat their Pool. To a wonderful 35deg. This was the first time that our baby enjoyed swimming - normally he hates the cold water - we couldn't get him out!

Dinner was supurb- I have eaten at many exceptional restaurants around the world and this held it own in terms of food, service and atmosphere.
Seven courses of wonderful food (only thing that i would say didn't work was one entree of Foie Gras with smoked salmon and avocado. The flavours did not gel.)
The wines here well matched and generous - the wine waiter knows his stuff.

The biggest thing for us was how baby friendly the hotel and the staff were. I am always concious of keeping our baby well behaved in public spaces, but in this hotel, we felt relaxed enough to let him have a crawl around and this was not a bother to the staff who delighted in stopping and talking to him at every chance.
The Baby Listening service made a huge difference - you call reception once the baby is asleep, then leave the phone off the hook and reception keep an ear out - they come and find you if they hear anything. this is so much nicer than a babysitter as you dont have to rush back to your room at a certain time. Free too.

We are already planning to book for our next anniversary (two nights this time) and cannot reccommend it more for anyone wanting a special treat.

We stayed in a room with a sofa bed, suitable for my 12 year old son, over the Bank Holiday weekend at the end of May. Arrival was excellent, with one of the porters taking the luggage out of the car and another parking the car. Check-in was effortless and we were taken to our room by another member of staff, who also took the luggage. The room was spacious, with a King-size bed (With canopy), an armchair, sofa-bed, chest of drawers, writing table and chair, rather small TV housed in a unit and a reasonably large wardrobe. All was spotlessly clean. The bathroom was rather cramped; the over the bath shower was an old-fashioned large brass drencher, although there was a hand-held shower head attached to the brass bath taps as well.
As mentioned by others, the windows were single glazed. Fortunately we weren't disturbed too much by traffic noise, but I did hear one woman asking in reception for a room swap due to the noise.
The indoor leisure pool is quite small, sauna and steam rooms adequate, but I felt that a hotel of this stature should have had something a lot bigger and better. It was too cold to go into the outdoor pool, but that too wasn't very big.
Breakfast, as mentioned by others, is buffet style. The quality was good, and there were plenty of alternatives for those who don't want cooked breakfasts - cheeses, meats, salmon, pastries, fresh fruits, a variety of rolls and a selection of cereal. Once you are sat down (after queueing for about 5 minutes on the busy mornings) the member of staff will take your tea/coffee and toast order. Service was slooooow. If you are going to have a cooked breakfast, you may have finished it before your tea and toast arrives unless you wait for a while.
Didn't eat in either restaurant as they were both fully booked. Bar prices are hiked high, higher than I would have expected, even in a establishment like this.
The staff throughout were magnificent, nothing was too much trouble.
Overall, a very enjoyable visit but a bit over-priced compared to other similar places I have stayed in

My husband and I stayed at The Grand Hotel in Eastbourne for two days in May. This hotel is aptly named - the experience was indeed "Grand"....from the Sitting Parlors where drinks and tea are served on silver platters, to the dining rooms where meals are served on covered dishes and from silver bowls, to the elegantly furnished rooms. We had a standard deluxe room furnished with antique furniture and marble/granite bath. As stated in other reviews, I suspect the furnishings in the hotel are very much as they were 30 years ago - lovingly cared for to preserve the ambience of a bygone era. The hotel also has a lovely indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and sauna with fully equipped mens and ladies dressing rooms, complete with showers, dressing tables, hair dryers. Our room rate included both dinner and breakfast and we were not disappointed. The breakfast buffet was indeed one of the best we have ever experienced and the dinners were outstanding. Wine selection was also impressive. Note: While a family friendly hotel, proper dress and attire are required in the parlors and dining rooms after 7:00 pm (no jeans, sweats or trainers). The experience was very enjoyable - the only distraction being other guests that did not uphold the high standards of courteous, polite, genteel behavior. We would definately return to this lovely hotel.

I stayed at the Grand with my girlfriend in April 2007. We don't normally stay in expensive hotels, but we booked at the last minute and got a good offer for a 5* hotel. We stayed Friday and Saturday night.

The hotel is very impressive on the seafront and the valet parking on arrival was excellent. The hotel is stunning inside and really has the touch of luxury. We had a very nice meal in the Garden Restaurant on Friday evening, which is essentially a good quality traditional restraurant (silver service etc.) serving classic French food.

Our room was large with a nice bed and had everything you would expect. The location of the hotel is excellent, being a short walk from the centre, right on the coast and a bit of a walk upto the top of Beachy Head if you are feeling energetic!

The only disappointment with our stay was the breakfast in the morning. The cooked buffet was a bit disappointing, but I now realise you can order a fresh cooked breakfast if you prefer-I would recommend this. Also, we arrived for breakfast at just after 10, with the last service being 10.30. However, when we went up again for more, we came back to find our table had been cleared! Not a big deal, but we maybe expected a little bit more for the price.

The hotel did have an older clientelle (my girlfriend and I are in our 20s) but it didn't affect our stay. Very enjoyable time and would stay again - wallet permitting!

If you are expecting mini bars, flat screen TVs, DVD players, power showers and cutting edge decor don't set foot in this place!

The Grand has probably not changed much in the 30 years I have known the place. Although the whole place has been refreshed the furniture is dreadfully old fashioned. The WOW factor is the staff. We came away after a 3 night break just after Christmas and before New Year when the rates a lower and have never been so relaxed. Staff actually smile, they are helpful, courteous and pleasant and call you by your name. We even had a real French Maid in a delightful pink frilly uniform.

The success of the hotel (and it was absolutely packed) is attention to fine detail ensuring your absolute comfort. We arrived after a gruelling 9 hour drive, the porter suggested we have 2 large gin and tonics delivered to the room (there is 24 hour room service). Large cut class tumbers, lots of ice and lemon, nibbles were sent up before we even had our coats off.

If you are a people watcher, come here. I have never, ever seen such a spectrum of people, old boys on their own (who book in for the entire 2 weeks), couples, thirty somethings with children,
bored teenagers with parents, whole families!

In essence this is what you get: fanastically comfortable beds, superb linen, Molton Brown in the bathroom, turn down service with water left on your bedside table. The dining room (there are 2 restaurants) offers 4 course table d'hote with coffee, with a different menu every night. Crystal as standard, silver, bone china, silver service, candles, amazing flower displays.

Drinks in the bar come at night with little eats, olives, nuts and crisps

The porter takes your car keys so you dont have to worry about the car park..

We saw people having afternoon tea....best booked...mountains of homemade cakes, strawberries, champagne, superb.

This place is value for money on a big scale.

The Grand, a Grand old lady, and very much "in-tune" with its location. Location is just what you want, just far enough away from the centre to be peaceful, but easy to walk into the main town. It is a great looking hotel, white, set back from the main road.

The welcome was superb, all luggage taken away, and my car parked up for me in the horel car park. An excellent set of ladies on reception, everything was taken care of very well indeed.

Afternoon tea, as always, an institution. try and get a table by the fireplace, in autumn and winter months it is the place to have your tea. The small pots of jam are of outstanding quality, try the blueberry. The service was impeccable here.

My room, (120) was a "De Luxe" at the back of the hote, that means non sea view. The room was a good size, bigger than I was expecting. TV is small and old. The decor is comfortable, traditional and very much "Eastbourne". The only issue is that the road outside the back of the hotel. It does not have much traffic, but the hotel windows are SINGLE GLAZED, and the frames do not always fit too well. You keep warm by turning up the radiators, but the windows do leak in some noise.

Not a Grand bedroom but comfortable enough.
The bathroom was OK, a bit small, hot water excellent in the evening, but a bit cool in the morning! Not sure that it is a good idea to have carpet in bathrooms!

Dinner: A part of a package, so we had it in the hotel, (remember, a jacket OR a tie, please!)

Barman in the bar is professional, did a good G & T.
Very good service, beef dish was fine if unadventurous, lamb was very good, just as it should be. Vegetables very good. Wine waiter did a good job, although I had to ask for ice in the water jug.

A good selection of 3 cheeses for my dessert, but, too refrigerated, which meant the cheese lost a bit of flavour, and not enough crackers! Shame. My wife's dessert was terrific though. A nice, Grand style dining room. Super.

Breakfast, excellent choices, great fruit, super jam portions again and lots of hot dishes to choose from, 2 types of bacon to choose. Excellent hot coffee, (hotter than the average hotel, well done) Nice experience.

Overall, a nice place to stay, great for Tea, and breakfast.

I have stayed at the Grand twice now, once with a friend and the last time in December with my family. We splashed out and booked a junior suite with a sea view. From start to finish we as a family could not have been treated and served better. The room was spacious and comfrotable. Two t.v's meant that the children (then aged 5 and 9) could watch cartoons whilst we could catch up on the news. Facilities like the children's room and swimming pool meant that there were things for my children to do indoors in the cold winter month of December. The food was wonderful (my eldest managed to eat a four course meal!) and even taking the children into the bar for pre dinner drinks was absolutely not a problem for staff there. We have booked to return this December and I would firmly recommend this hotel to families. Having just read a review from a woman who suggested to the Grand that children under 7 are not admitted to the restaurant I would say that if her suggestion were taken up families like mine would suffer! Perhaps I should also mention that my two offspring are not angels either!

Checked in for 3 nights with 2 kids (1 & 5), attracted by the website focus on providing a good time for kids.

So what was good? Rooms ready on arrival (2 inter-connecting rooms). Clean and spacious. (If a little old-fashioned in terms of decor - but that's the Grand). The Spa great for kids, and the staff in the kid club cheerful and pleasant. High Tea also provided for kids (at £9.50 a head). We used the baby listening service in the evenings to get out of the room. The public areas (especially the Hall) are immaculately kept, and great for tea/drinks/snacks. Probably what sets this hotel apart from others is the level of customer service, which was pretty awesome. Nothing too much trouble: plenty of unforced smiles, plenty of staff on hand (which should be standard for 5* hotels), and a focus on presentation. From Concierge to room-service, all the staff appear well-trained and customer focused.

What could be improved? Not cheap! The entrance to the Spa from the lift appears to be a service corridor, and needs smartening up, as does the overall feel of the Spa which feels a bit dowdy (it is carpeted everywhere the same as the rest of the hotel). We ate in the Garden restaurant for dinner, which is a formal affair. We found the food overpriced for what it was, and the service overly-formal and lacking in much charm. (Didn’t feel any warmth from the waiters at any stage). Also dinner service can take a long time. My tip: if you want to take dinner at the hotel, eat at their Mirabelle restaurant, which is about the same price, but a much more serious kitchen. Also there is no half-way family dining with kids: it’s either a formal restaurant dinner, or a sandwich/cold salad at the bar in the evenings. Nothing in between.

OK, so the clientele can be on the mature side, however, this is off set by the numbers of families around, and if you take kids, you won’t be on your own. Definitely a good place overall for kids, they are well provided for. The major selling point is the service: they do take care of you…. Will go back.

Although I live in Eastbourne, I have stayed at the Grand Hotel on a number of occassions over the past few years. I also eat at 'The Mirabelle' on a regular basis and take afternoon tea a few times a year... so I like to think that I am a bit of an expert on the place!

In August of this year, I booked an overnight stay to celebrate my husband and I's eigth wedding anniversary. As per the previous review on this site, we booked a junior suite. It was roomy and had all the 'trimmings' you would expect (bath robes, molton brown products etc.). Yes, the rooms are a little tierd in terms of decor, but the view of the sea more than makes up for it.

Our room was ready on arrival and, after we had checked in, we spent the afternoon in the health club (swim, sauna, steam room etc) which was very relaxing. For dinner we eat in the mirabelle restuarant (NB: there are two restaurants - I would also eat in the mirabelle if given a choice) which was, as always, fabulous! This restaurant always gets top marks for the food and general level of service (we can't fault it!).

After dinner we retired to the lounge for a night cap. At the weekend there is a small band/singer who sing songs you can dance (i.e. ballroom) or try and move around the dance (like my husband and I do!).

Breakfast was superb - there was so much choice and the quality was excellent.

Overall we had a great stay and felt totally spolit. I would recommend this hotel to anyone.

P.S. You don't have to be old to come to Eastbourne (Mary, aged 33).

Have just returned from a weekend stay with mixed feelings. We went for a special birthday as a party of 9 with ages ranging from 9 to 80. The location is ideal right on the seafront although beware the early morning seagulls and rubbish trucks. The rooms were large and clean. The public areas are magnificent and we were impressed by both the indoor and outdoor pools. The staff could not have been more pleasant or helpful. Our biggest complaint was with the restaurant and the food in general. At dinner we rarely got in and out in less than 2 1/2 hours. Both old and young found it difficult to sit for that long. We tried changing our dining time to speed things up but it made no difference. We ended up describing it as a war of attrition as it was terribly hot in there. This would probably have had less impact if the food had been something special but it was not and certainly not what we were expecting from a 5 star hotel at a price of £35 per head. The vegetarian menu was particularly poor and we ended up asking for plain pasta with tomato etc which the staff were happy to cook for us. The wine list was shocking, with bottles I know are £8 in the shops selling at £40. Breakfast was at least quicker although as other reviewers have said no better than you would expect for a 3 or 4 star hotel. Tea was served in the fabulous lounge but surely for £5 a sandwich you are entitled to more than a scraping of egg mayonnaise! Overall a nice weekend but the catering needs a shake up.