Hotels in Eastbourne
There is no doubt that Eastbourne in Sussex has all the ingredients for a fabulous and truly English Holiday on the South Coast. People love coming here to stay in an Eastbourne Hotel, guesthouse or B&B and many people love living here! You can enjoy a stay in Eastbourne Hotels during the summer months and indeed any time of year. Even the cooler months are full of possibilities as Eastbourne's coastal position with good climate means mild winters with dry, sunny days where you can enjoy plenty of outdoor activities and walks along the beach in any season. Eastbourne town also enjoys good parking facilities at reasonable rates and you can usually find a space close to where you need to shop for a £1 or so.
Eastbourne's Fabulous Weather
Compared to the less fortunate northern counties, Eastbourne’s weather is famously dry and sunny and a degree or so warmer than the rest. One particular reason for this is because Eastbourne is happily situated in the dry valley to the East of the South Downs, behind which rain clouds are often seen building towards Brighton and Hailsham, but rarely actually deposit rain on the fortunate valley below.
The climate has been appreciated for aeons by many different types of people from ancient historial times to today.
Of course Eastbourne’s famous Pier is a tourist hotspot, being well served with shops and food outlets, a nightclub at the end, plus games hall and an unrivalled view of the sea front. It is a popular venue for visitors and locals only five minutes walk from the town centre and station. Subsequent generations have continued building family homes, schools and a wealth of local facilities, which you can find along Eastbourne’s tree-lined avenues. Of course there have been many improvements over the years to Eastbourne.
View by the Pier and the colourful Carpet Gardens which are a great delight from spring onwards
The architecture of Eastbourne is largely Victorian and was designed as a pleasant place 'for gentlefolk' when the town grew rapidly with the coming of the railroad from London. However, to begin with the town worthies were so concerned about 'unsuitable' people turning up from London that they refused the sale of day tickets!). Eastbourne welcomes all visitors these days and aside from the gorgeous and easily accessible beaches you're never far from an ice cream shop, a good restaurant or a lovely park to relax in. Enjoy a live concert at the Bandstand, bake on the beach while the kids build a sandcastle, pop along to the end of the Pier for some fish and chips (watch out for the seagulls - who are also partial to chips!). Pick your Eastbourne Hotel at a budget that suits you, there are plenty to choose from!On a hot, sunny day, you can sit on the beach, wander along the sea front with an ice cream and soak up the sun.
Ride around Eastbourne and the countryside on the open top bus, or hop on and off along the Prom on the Dotto Train
Beachy Head
The views from the cliff tops at Beachy Head whatever the weather are famously exhilarating and fresh sea breezes never fail to get the clean air into jaded City lungs. The Pier has been a favourite walk for dating lovers and families for over a century as has the famous Carpet Gardens and the Promenade where you can walk or hop on and off the Dotto Train all the way to Holywell in the West and the Marina in the East. On breezy days you can enjoy watching the Fly Sussex enthusiasts on their paragliders taking advantage of the updraft around the South Downs. Eastbourne beaches are subject to erosion and from time to time have to be protected by depositing pebbles taken from shingle banks elsewhere. However there is plenty of sand at low tide, and rocks for children and adults to explore - get your fishing net and get shrimping!
A walk along to Beachy Head to view the Lighthouse and also up to the Belle Tout is always a popular choice as is the ever popular Birling Gap stairway (‘that bit you've seen on the News where the houses are gradually being lost to the sea’). You can park up your car and use the stairway to get quickly on the beach where you can wander out at low tide and enjoy the breathtaking view of the famous Seven Sisters in all their glory at sunset. Drive back to Eastbourne via the East Dean road for a glittering view at night from the top of the South Downs road where you can see the lights of the Pier and seafront along the coastline all the way eastwards to Bexhill and Hastings and beyond even to Dungeness on a clear night. To the west, it's sometimes possible to see all the way to Selsey Bill.
Choose an Eastbourne Hotel a short walk away from your favourite show at one of the many Theatres. Wander back to it afterwards via some of the best public houses and restaurants in Eastbourne. Come and enjoy Eastbourne nightlife, with nightclubs, entertainment complexes, cinemas, and the hundreds of restaurants, cafes and pubs - there is a place to suit everyone.
Arts
For those who appreciate the Arts and culture, Eastbourne has its own Art Gallery (The Towner) offering many changing shows per year and there’s even an 'Art Hotel' in Eastbourne – the first of its kind in the country. There are several theatres, the largest being the Congress - where shows from London are regularly part of the repertoire. The smaller more intimate Devonshire Park and the Hippodrome are more traditional theatres and host tea dances, music hall jokes, balls and pantomime.
The best Eastbourne Hotel for You
Hotels of all kinds adorn the seafront and small Bed & Breakfast accommodation in Eastbourne is also to be found on practically every nearby street. From the giant 'wedding cake grandeur' of the Grand Hotel complete with flags and Concierge to the smallest B&B in Eastbourne dishing up your local sausages for breakfast, there is truly a home from home for everyone and anyone here.
Shopping in Eastbourne
The shopping centre near the station is a hive of activity with many famous name brands having outlets there, with cheap parking at £1 per hour. Further East of the town towards Pevensey the Marina shopping and eating complex to rival many foreign resorts built during the last 20 years. Sit on a sunny terrace and sip your beer, or eat a meal al fresco at one of the many and varied restaurants there whilst enjoying the view of boats bobbing in the harbour. It's a pleasant place to relax on the terraces, eating Thai, Pizza, Indian, or traditional fish and chips and English pub fare with a drink in hand, watching the world go by.
The Crumbles is another source of bargain goods as well as designer labels
Corporate Entertaining in Eastbourne
Eastbourne is a very favoured choice of Conference venue with Eastbourne Hotels providing ample space for delegates and a great many opportunities for a fun day out. Knockhatch ski centre and outdoor pursuits offers go-carting and paintball to name but a few.
A Pleasant Retirement in Eastbourne
It's no surprise that, after visiting Eastbourne for days out all their lives and with memories of happy holidays in Eastbourne Hotels, many people choose to retire to Eastbourne for the warm climate, relaxed style and pleasant walks, entertainment and views around the local area. In fact, this area has it all in terms of countryside, river valleys, lakes for fishing and boating, dramatic views from hills and vantage points, woods and wildlife.
Eastbourne Parks
Most of the local Eastbourne parks are well supplied with children’s equipment and many and varied walks and places to rest and have a picnic. At the Archery Park there are even outdoor exercise machines if you feel like having a free workout! Shinewater Park (below left) has a circular walk around the lake, with many water birds and picnic spots. Hampden Park is much more mature, with specimen trees hundreds of years old, includes an ice cream parlour and restaurant. Here you can park right in the middle of the park itself and enjoy fabulous shady walks in the woods. A number of the parks have skateboard ramps so your teenagers can show off their skills. The newest one is in Manor Gardens next to Gildredge Park, but the largest large skateboard park (more recommended for older enthusiasts) is on the sea front near the Sovereign Centre. There is another one in Shinewater Park.
Local pubs both ancient and modern provide a traditional English atmosphere to sip a glass of wine or beer, and enjoy a conversation or live music, watch the football or play traditional pub activities such as Darts, Snooker or Bar Billiards.
Eastbourne Golf
There are a number of well established Golf courses in Eastbourne all with incredible views of the countryside around. There are no less than five golf courses in Eastbourne. Here is the view from The Royal ...
There are also many Tennis and Bowls facilities or clubs in the local parks that welcome members or holiday visitors. Have a go for free at some of them if you've not tried it before!
Places of Interest Around Eastbourne
Pevensey Castle towards Hastings is the first stronghold of William the Conqueror and the ruins also bear witness to Roman hands who originally built the wall around it.
Herstmonceux Castle and Science Centre is a favourite venue of school age children with its exciting opportunities for hands on science activities in the playground with the giant sized scientifically based equipment. With well planted gardens with plenty of mysterious corners to discover, it's a fun filled educational opportunity as well as a great place to spend the day.
The Miniature Steam Railway at Lottbridge Drove
Rocky's Adventure Playground
The Sovereign Centre swimming and gym complex
The Wish Tower and Gardens.
Brief History of Eastbourne
There is evidence of occupation in Eastbourne since the Stone Age. Ancient mariners must have cut the ‘Sugarloaf’ (a strange conical point cut into the chalk cliff) above Holywell Spring to the West of the sea front at some point in the past, to indicate that here was fresh water. In Roman times there was evidently an important Roman Palace for the Count of the Saxon Shore, the remains of which are now hidden by the Carpet Gardens and the Queens and Burlington Hotels on the seafront. Pevensey Castle was originally built by the Romans but has been invaded since by Saxons and taken over by William the Conqueror as his first stronghold in the country. This was a fortress and a harbour before the sea level went down and the marshes were reclaimed and the ruins are a picturesque reminder of our ancient heritage. In Iron Age times there must have been someone of importance living in the Shinewater area - there is evidence of a causeway and platform and much Archeological evidence of a busy community. Of course, the sea view is ever present, glorious at any time of day. Here it is in the calm of an evening sun:
Before the town was built, the children of George III would spend their holidays here in the now demolished Round House, which was situated by the present Pier. Eastbourne has a reputation for genteel sophistication largely brought about by the architectural boom in the 1900s inspired by the Duke of Devonshire William Cavendish who wished to create a resort ‘designed by gentleman for gentlemen’. From existing farmland around the Bourne Stream (or ‘Burne’), which rises in Motcombe Gardens (between St Mary’s Church one of the earliest buildings in Old Town and the area behind Upperton Road) and runs underground to the sea, (‘East of The Bourne’) he caused Henry Currey to design a street plan with stylish mews houses around quiet and pleasant gardens and green spaces, with wide streets and an abundance of theatres and meeting halls, to rival the Regency splendour of Brighton and London and inspired by the best of European architecture and this gives the Victorian buildings a lightness and character all of their own.
Do not forget that the Town plays host to Airbourne in August, which is a magnet for visitors all around the South. Hotels in Eastbourne get very booked up at this time of year so it pays to check and book early. A fabulous Firework display is now on 'Super Saturday' that weekend. Make sure you get there early if you want a good spot on the beach by the Pier!
For the perfect end to a perfect day in Eastbourne
As the sunlight fades, in the evening have a drink at the Beachy Head pub then take a drive back towards Eastbourne and stop to enjoy the sun setting slowly over the rolling South Downs towards Birling Gap.
