Not great. Went to the lawns. Bad service. Waited 10 mins n blazing sun before drinks order taken. Could have asked us if we wanted a glass of water.
Then had to wait for menus.
Then had to wait for cocktail menus.
Then had to waiyfor drinks to come, took ages. Tbf can't fault the martini, mind u it was 17.50
Food very underseasoned. I suppose catering for a particular clientele, but I doubt they would order seafood pizza anyway so season it!
Then had to wait for pepper salt mayo etc.
I queried the small knife and fork. Like a desert fork etc. Apparently they are the luncheon ones. Makes sense on a picnic, not eating a pizza. No I didn't want to wait for them to be changed.
Finished food asked for bill. Then waitress Congratulated us on our anniversary, and was surprised we weren't ordering desert. Obviously they were gonna do the swirly chocolate plate / sparkler/ freebie congratulations thing. That would have been nice, but not for me.
Overall too little too late. I came intending to spend a lot more.
Even leaving was a ball ache cos the card machine / WiFi doesn't stretch to the garden.
Feels like someone had a great idea, but there's no commitment to really making it work. Maybe they don't want to?

Booked a room for 2 during early August (COVID Social distancing rules in place)
Room availability delayed 30 mins upon arrival
Checkout is only 11:00, extended to 11:30
No Air conditioning: so we had plug in AC unit in the room
Rooms are very majestic, but lacking modern features ( eg mixer tap, AC, Temperature adjustments in the shower)
Pool area had lots of restrictions, but that was due to COVID
Staff are very professional and presentable.
Overall, a great hotel but not worth the £250 p/night price

Beautiful place, nice room and a great restaurant. But maybe avoid the bar and lounge, they're good at ignoring customers and to get a drink requires a lot of patience. Very poor service!!

This is a bit of class. Service was excellent and the food was exquisite. Hotel speaks for itself. Certainly recommend to anybody considering staying or eating there.

Beautiful and classic old hotel, absolutely vast, with two pools and very attentive staff. Also being really careful with health controls over who comes in and out and who is allowed to visit etc.

Very large hotel with lot of character and history. Big rooms. Nice breakfast but no buffet due to Covid 19. Friendly staff.

Beautiful old building, immaculate service, basically they make you feel like a millionaire every time you visit. Afternoon tea here is one of those things everyone should do at least once

Afternoon tea was delicious plenty of food staff very friendly helpful

Brilliant location, old world charm, great service and friendly staff.

Very nice hotel , friendly staff

Very slow restaurant service

Greatocation on the Esplanade

This is a lovely old hotel with lots of history and famous guests. The rooms are spacious with high ceilings. Probably it is a good idea to get a room with a sea view. The breakfasts were served at the table, no buffets. The dinners are a bit pricey but the quality was top notch. Both the indoor and outdoor pools were open but you have to book a slot in advance and turn up swim ready rather than use the changing rooms. The steam room was out of action. A few other Covid-19 procedures were in place but nothing too restrictive.

Like so many people we have had all our holidays abroad cancelled so far this year aswell as two trips to the Grand. So we were very happy to finally arrive on 15th July for 4 nights. We were in room 136 which was just lovely and has a nice big bathroom. I love that they have Molton Brown toiletries and hope they never stop this. Our last stay was the August Bank Holiday last year where we had been upgraded to a very large room with sea view, all lovely.Tea, Coffee (nespresso) and biscuits replenished both in the morning and at turn down.
We were a little disappointed that the outdoor pool was not open given that restrictions had been lifted the weekend before but they were working hard to reopen and did so on the Saturday. It was nice in a way because despite all our trip there we had never ventured over to the beach so this time we spent a great full morning there, having one complete section to ourselves, it was even warm enough to swim in the sea.
When the pool did open it was just perfect. The guys working there are great and had a very organised system in place to ensure social distancing. They had a limit on the numbers allowed in at any one time but must say that despite the glorious weather, they never got anywhere near the limit whilst we were there at the pool which was most of Saturday and Sunday till lunchtime.
Breakfast was delicious as usual. No buffet but you can order whatever you like. I actually prefer this and it does stop you eating too much. The only thing I would improve would be to have nicer granary toast for the avocado on toast, everything else was perfect.
There wasn't the usual entertainment in the lounge on the weekend evenings, of course indoor entertainment not allowed yet. I was a little disappointed that there was no jazz on Saturday afternoon outdoors like there usually is in the summer. I was under the impression this is ok.
We had a very nice afternoon tea with champagne one afternoon.Sandwiches were delicious but you are not offered any extras like you are in lots of places. We had ours as late as possible so we could substitute for dinner and we were a little peckish later on but if you were having in addition to dinner then it is more than enough. We also had their roast beef sandwiches one day for lunch which we love and this time came with a small cup of mushroom soup, salad and crisps.Not cheap but very tasty.
We had such a lovely time and all the new measures really didn't impact us but at the same time we felt very safe. We are back for another weekend on 31st July and as our Majorca holiday has been cancelled, we have booked to return for four nights in the middle of August too.

This is a beautiful, charming, old world hotel.
There is a lot to like about this place. The room was clean, spacious and airy.
The lounge and bar service was excellent. The afternoon teas superb. The food in general outside the main restaurant was what you’d expect from a hotel of this standard.
Unfortunately, the restaurant both in terms of service and standard of food is way, way off the mark.
Breakfast service is awful. Forgetful, unattentive and slow. Breakfast items rarely came as ordered.
Dinner service was hit and miss. The food was poor. The dishes came under a cloche. Staff came over for the big reveal. What was underneath was more bog standard three star catering food. Meat was always overcooked. Presentation was non existent. Fish garnish was a variety of new potato and greenery.
The main issue is, the price point is five star, so naturally the expectation is five star. Main courses start at £28. Most are nearer £35. This is One Michelin Star pricing.
Had I paid £16 for that steak and chips, I’d not rush back...but £40? For this, it needs to be a faultless plate of food. If the cost price for that Sirloin was over £3.50, I’d be amazed.
It seems serious work needs to be done here to return it to the levels both expected and charged for.
I understand that these are tricky times for hotels but this place isn’t cheap.
If the dining room problems were ironed out, this would truly be a special place.
I hope this is rectified as these sort of hotels are a dying breed and it’d be a shame to see this place go the way of so many others.

The hotel was operating well in the circumstances. The room was clean and bed incredibly comfortable but I would say overpriced. Staff were friendly and helpful. However the food in the restaurant at dinner was average at best. I had to send my meal back as fish was raw and bloody when I cut into it. Vegetables were undercooked (maybe better than overcooked) but there was no flourish to dishes. Literally a piece of fish, a pile of broccoli and some boiled new potatoes. Not what you'd expect from a 5 star hotel and the expensive cost of the stay!

Even thought we are in strange times the hotel had a wonderful air of normality. All precautions were in place but not intrusive. To lounge around the outside pool and swim in the warm water was true luxury. The meal in the restaurant was pure heaven with friendly and attentive staff. Well done The Grand!!

The hotel staff are friendly, however the rooms are very disappointing with zero comforts one would expect from a 5 star hotel.

Comments of room and hotel include;
No ceiling light.
5 lamps, only 3 of which with a lampshade
No mini bar.
Breakfast slip provided but no pen to complete the form with.
Tiny bed which is very uncomfortable.
No back to tv cabinet.
Generally rubbish room for the price (£215!!!!!!!)

Restaurant
Overpriced rubbish
Steaks were cooked from frozen and looked as though they were cooked on a George Foreman grill, chewy and anaemic!
Steamed pudding was dry and old and hard on the bottom as if it were microwaved

All in all a shocking, horrific, inedible experience and certainly not worth paying the prices that are commanded. It’s a tired old hotel with nothing that justifies the extortionate price that
Is charged for rooms as-well as food and beverage.

Do not stay here! Unless you are over the age of 70 and appreciate dated decor and horrible food

From the moment I drove up I was made to feel special... even though this was a last minute booking and I was looking a bit scruffy. Every member of staff treated us with unobtrusive and inspired consideration. We'll be back!

The hotel is tip top and the staff polite, helpful and attentive but the limited and unchanging dinner menu was disappointing. We also thought a 5 star ought to have air conditioning although this did not become an issue during our stay.

We have missed our regular sojourns to The Grand during lockdown. We went today for our first meal out anywhere and indoors too - nervously I might admit in this Covid19 world, unsure if we would feel comfortable or safe.
All of the team are clearly doing their very best to blend their trademark friendly yet en point service with the need to protect against the virus.

We felt treated with respect when we were unsure whether to stay with our booking in The Garden Restaurant or to eat outside.

In the end we ate in the restaurant.

It was a great pleasure to be back. All of the team were on top form with friendly and yet on the ball welcoming service. It was clear that care has been taken in precautions against Covid19.
Food beautifully presented and served with care and courtesy.
Still the sense of a nice treat and very enjoyable.

Thank you everyone.

This is our second stay at the hotel and would recommend its location as a stand-out datapoint, but the quality of the service and friendliness of all management and personnel make for a wonderful experience. This time we brought our dog, who was also made welcome. She is a Great Dane who wants to be sure all dog owners are aware of a canine's positive review; food was included in the room - how good id that?

Got engaged here stayed the night with my partner now fiancée 😁couldn't of faulted anything staff were amazing as was the food and the bed is soooooooo comfy 👌👌👌👌 highly recommended defiantly an experience I won't forget

Friendly and helpful. We would have liked a larger bathroom. The view was a little disappointing overlooking the street as obviously we would have liked a sea view. We did not like being told on booking that we would have to pay a minimum of £25 for parking the car in front of the hotel. This was later deleted but caused us some irritation.

Elegance coupled with excellent service and food. Staff well trained and polite.
Beds so comfortable with amazing pillows.
Just the place to charge our batteries and not far to travel - we only live an hour away.