insideKENT Magazine Issue 87 - June 2019 | Page 124

GETAWAYS
Benchmark hospitality at the
BRIGHTON
HARBOUR HOTEL
FROM AN ABUNDANCE OF CHILDHOOD SEASIDE MEMORIES, FAMILY GATHERINGS, TEENAGE
YEARS MEANDERING THE LANES AND SOME TRULY MEMORABLE EVENINGS OUT – NOT
LEAST THE ONE THAT CEMENTED MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY NOW HUSBAND – BRIGHTON
HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY GO-TO DESTINATION. SO, IT WAS WITH AN AIR OF EXCITEMENT
THAT I RETURNED, ALBEIT ONE TINGED WITH APPREHENSION AS TO WHETHER THIS TRIP
WOULD FULFIL MY EXPECTATIONS. THIS TIME AROUND THOUGH, I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH
TO BE BOOKED INTO A HOTEL THAT HAS HAD EVEN THE LOCALS RAVING. BY SAMANTHA READY
The Brighton Harbour Hotel could still be deemed
a relative newcomer to the Brighton hotel scene
having swung open its refurbished seafront doors a
few years back. Like most destination hotels it
recognises that most will come, check in and go out
– that’s what one does in Brighton, no? But, no, this
hotel succeeds in offering a cool and comfortable
space that neither locals nor visitors want to leave.
Check-in was personal and friendly, and we were
pleasantly surprised by the contemporary interior
of modern artwork that belies its stately exterior –
not least because many moons ago I actually stayed
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in the same building in its previous incarnation as
a centrally located but very basic hostel. Less
refurbished and more reborn, it’s a testament to the
Harbour Hotel group and its painstaking
commitment to reinvention that this building has
realised its potential.
Not content with offering 79 nautical-sleek guest
bedrooms right opposite the beach, ours, along with
34 others, came complete with sea views, a comfy
king-sized bed, plump pillows, contemporary colour
scheme and bathrooms filled with The White
Company goodies. Ooh, and DIY decanters of sherry
and local gin! Win! The Brighton Harbour Hotel
has stepped it up more than a notch.
A basement spa haven of secluded swimming pool
and treatment rooms ripe for escapism; the all-new
Harby’s Bar & Diner – so sought after that we
couldn’t get an early spring evening reservation –
and a cocktail bar that somehow manages to offer
sophistication without attitude and enough mixology
magic, make the whole package less showy and
more lifestyle statement.