These are unusual times, and the state of affairs can change quickly. Please check the latest travel guidance before making your journey. Our writers visited these hotels pre-pandemic.
With its newly spruced-up beach scene where vegan cafés and cute horsebox saunas mix with indie galleries, yoga pavilions and cool cocktail bars, you could easily use up the weekend simply dawdling the length and breadth of Brighton’s buzzy seafront. So it’s fitting that you may opt for a hotel with sea views to round-off the experience, especially if the room comes with a balcony made for gazing at the evening activity or enjoying a glass of something as you watch the waves. For spacious interiors, Art Deco furnishings, floor-to-ceiling windows, free-standing bathtubs and balconies, here’s our pick of the best hotels near Brighton beach with a sea view, in locations near Brighton pier, West pier, Kemptown and Regency Square.
The Grand Brighton
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Enjoying uninterrupted ocean views, this Victorian-Italianate hotel on the Brighton seafront is located between Brighton pier and the ruined west pier. Plush and luxurious, The Grand’s highlights include tasteful Art Deco-inspired bedrooms and an exquisite spa. Spacious rooms feature Farrow & Ball colour notes, Twenties-style furniture, sumptuous bedding and nautical touches rendered through silver starfish lamps and Brighton-themed photography. Just under a third are sea-facing – worthwhile for the view alone – and balconies now have outdoor furniture.
From
£
101
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
• The best hotels in Brighton
Drakes Hotel
Brighton, East Sussex, England
This fabulous hotel spans two late Georgian townhouses and has a great location almost opposite the pier and Brighton Wheel. This hotel oozes style and while remaining sympathetic to its Georgian footprint, there are attractive Poirot touches to the rooms: elegantly curved ocean-liner styled walls and rippled stucco, blond-wood panelling and fabulous on-trend bed throws. Superior and feature rooms have freestanding baths facing floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can splash in the tub while enjoying the twinkly lights of the pier; the best is the Circular King Size Seafacing Room.
From
£
125
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Artist Residence Brighton
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Easily one of Brighton’s most stylish hotels, this 25-bedroom establishment has quirkily individual rooms, a hip cocktail bar and a highly regarded restaurant. The look is cool private club meets East Village boho – with reclaimed furniture, exposed brickwork, densely pigmented colour schemes and a fabulous collection of paintings and prints by contemporary artists. There are 13 artist-designed rooms and even the smallest oozes character. Number 14, with its exposed brickwork and comfy bed is a quiet double; for sea views, tiny number 6 features a striking mural by Blek le Rat.
From
£
134
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
• The best b&bs in Brighton
The Old Ship Hotel
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Dating back to 1559, this is Brighton’s first recorded inn – and what a fascinating history it claims. In the 18th century, the hotel’s daily “Flying Machine” transported guests to London; the Prince Regent held a ball here, Paganini played in the Assembly Rooms and Charles Dickens gave readings during his stay. Out off the 154 generously-sized rooms, 40 have sea views, and the refurbished ones carry a fresh seasidey appeal. Painted in pale pastels and featuring modish wallpaper, they offer huge beds, prettily patterned easy chairs, bamboo wardrobes and chests of drawers.
From
£
59
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Hotel Una
Brighton, East Sussex, England
This chic and contemporary townhouse hotel spans two elegant Regency properties just north of the skeletal West Pier. There’s oodles of on-trend style in the lovely high-ceilinged bedrooms; each room is named after a river, and the owner has devoted time to making them highly individual. Expect tasteful contemporary artwork, one-off craft-designed furniture, lots of solid wood detailing including stripped floorboards, and heavenly crisp white beds. One of the hotel’s most popular rooms, Danube, is contemporarily furnished with a freestanding roll-top bath and views onto Regency Square, and the sea beyond. Superior sea view doubles are particularly lovely.
From
£
215
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
A Room With A View
Brighton, East Sussex, England
A small but luxurious Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse hideaway with a friendly heart, set next to the Palace Pier and looking out to sea. Expect a refined dove-grey and pale-blue colour scheme alongside honeyed oak detailing. Décor includes attractive marine touches played out in both pictures and models of sailing boats. The radio playing quietly in the lounge adds to the homely feel. Each of the nine rooms has at least a partial sea view and all are slightly different. Try and bag the roof terrace room at the top of the house which has a balcony from which you can watch the wind whip up the waves and folk strolling along the pier.
From
£
155
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Jurys Inn Brighton Waterfront
Brighton, East Sussex, England
Diagonally opposite Brighton pier and backing onto the Town Hall and The Lanes, the hotel’s location is pretty much spot on. Inside Jurys Inn Brighton Waterfront is refreshingly contemporary, featuring a buzzy atrium and 210 rooms, a good proportion of which have magnificent views onto Brighton pier. The Promenade restaurant also has panoramic sea views and serves affordable bistro-style food. Rooms are generously sized and the beds very comfortable; a fifth are sea-facing, and, unusual for Brighton, the triple glazing manages to eliminate traffic noise.
From
£
76
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Brighton Harbour Hotel
Brighton, East Sussex, England
If the lure is the sea, then the Harbour Hotel is pretty much ideal. The 79-bedroom property has opted for an attractive contemporary seasidey décor. Inside, playful marine images complement colour schemes of soft blues, pinks, pale orange and dove grey – and the overall look is carried through into its spacious restaurant and cocktail bar. The fresh yet restful décor in the rooms includes porthole mirrors, elegant Fifties-style furniture, plush upholstered headboards and sumptuous beds. The majority of rooms have lovely views but opt for a Seaview Corner Suite for 180 degree panoramic sea vistas. There is also a spa with a number of swimming pools, a sauna and steam room.
From
£
90
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
The Oriental
Brighton, East Sussex, England
This stylish bolthole, set in a tall creamy Regency townhouse formerly the site of the Brighton Belle nightclub, is a stroll up from the seafront Peace statue and ideally situated for easy access to the city’s main attractions. A rich plum scheme now runs throughout, along with a rash of modern art by local artists and cool and kitschy vintage pieces popping up in the rooms and the downstairs bar – as well as the bedrooms. Guests are invited to enjoy complimentary tea, coffee, soft drinks and home-baked cake in the bar on arrival and throughout their stay, a nice touch. Cheap hotels on the Brighton seafront are few and far between but this property is a great option for good value.
From
£
68
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Contributions by Rachel Cranshaw & Tracey Davies