Brighton Pier

Advantages: Free entry
Disadvantages: Gets very crowded

...Seaside piers seem to be a very British tradition and there are many different examples to be found in England and Wales, although oddly none exist north of the border in Scotland. Brighton's pier is one of the most famous of them all. Officially known as The Brighton Marine Palace Pier or the Palace Pier for short it officially opened in the May of 1899. By this date the Victorians and their predecessors had already built many other piers, including two earlier ones at Brighton. Brighton's first pier was constructed in 1823. This was known as The Royal Suspension Chain Pier and still existed in 1891 when construction of the Palace Pier began. At this time the Chain Pier was considered to be unsafe and was in a state of disrepair so one of the conditions attached to the construction of the new pier was that this old one was demolished...

micksheff 09.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Brighton Pier

Buzzing Brighton

Advantages: Central Location
Disadvantages: Better Hotels About

...Recently syaing in the Royal Albion hotel on business i found the hotel to be relatively okay. Arriving at the hotel, there is one problem that hits you, no parking, the nearest NCP is ten minutes walk away and cost £30 for three days and when you are lugging overnight gear and everything it is a bit of a trek. The hotel itself is very old fashioned however very clean too. The room was pleasant, however very dull as their was not much light as there was a small window in the downstairs area. The room had an upstairs section which was very bright, with living area and a larger television. Bathroom was nice, spa bath made it easy to relax whilst in the room, maids cleaned everyday and was relatively satisfactory. The bar area was spacious and easy to get served. Large windows overlooked the pier, but they did look like they...

blondgem 30.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton

The Booth Museum, Brighton

Advantages: Free admission, lots to see
Disadvantages: None for me

...The Booth Museum is located on Brighton's suburban back streets well away from the town centre but having said that it is on Dyke Road (the A2010) which is one of the major routes through the town and so it is relatively easy to find. The museum is named after the Victorian natural historian Edward Thomas Booth who spent much of his life in Brighton. Primarily it houses his personal collection of stuffed birds but there are also animals, insects, fossils and skeletons. These collections were amassed during his lifetime and contain over half a million different specimens. He lived between 1840 and 1890. Like most Victorian naturalists of the time he was an avid collector. It seems odd nowadays to think that someone that was considered to be such a lover of these creatures should hunt them down and shoot them. However we need to...

micksheff 11.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Booth Museum of Natural History (Brighton)

The Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton

Advantages: great location, cheap, nice rooms, excellent food
Disadvantages: no parking, quite dated

...Introduction to the hotel: The Royal Albion Hotel was built in 1826 and is situated in a fantastic location opposite Brighton pier. It is a three star hotel and has 186 guest rooms offering views of Brighton beach or the town centre. My experience of the hotel: I spent one night in the hotel in January of this year and for a three star hotel I was quite impressed. I and my girlfriend booked a double room for £55 and it was a spacious room with a four poster bed, couch, satellite television, fridge, tea and coffee making facilities and a lovely modern bathroom with a Jacuzzi bath. When we checked in the hotel staff asked us if we would like to upgrade to a room with a Jacuzzi batch for £10, we said no, but were a bit intrigued to find one anyways - they had obviously given our room away and were trying to get the extra £10 out...

beanie8844 09.03.2008 (11.03.2008) · Read review
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Review of Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton

Great base in Brighton

Advantages: Location, price
Disadvantages: Parking, needs updating

...We've just got back from a couple of nights stay at The Royal Albion in Brighton. We love going down to Brighton and had a long weekend off work together so thought we'd have a look to see if we could get a cheap couple of nights. We went on Travelsupermarket.com which showed us this hotel through lastminute.com at £86 for two nights (Sun & Mon) including breakfast and a free bottle of wine, and knowing it's location we booked straight away. My boyfriend had stayed here a few years ago so we knew we weren't going to be getting luxury, but as long as it's clean I'm happy. The hotel has 186 bedrooms from single rooms to family rooms, and mini-suites for business guests. It has smoking and non-smoking rooms and disabled friendly ones too. It is a regency style building and could look very grand but it needs a bit of a touch up...

starjen 13.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Royal Albion Hotel, Brighton

Does Brighton Rock?

Advantages: luminated writing, interesting viewpoint
Disadvantages: Drags a bit

..., and certainly, as far as Pinkie's minions went, there was little to differentiate between them. What impressed me was the sense of caos Greene managed to paint for his readers when needed. It is easy to imagine yourself amongst the hustle and bustle of Brighton Pier and it was easy to imagine how a sense of panic could lead to tragedy, as it did on more than one occurance. Equally, the emmence feeling of loneliness, perhaps the only character trait Pinkie shared with Rose, or the fear fellow gang members and eventual victims of Pinkie felt. Describing the feelings behind the act with such understanding and sensitivity is what makes Graham Greene and iconic writer. Conclusion ************* Greene's talent to pull the reader into the lives of his characters, to force them to commit to them, sympathise and identify with them is what makes him...

ally2kc 22.10.2007 · Read review
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Review of Brighton Rock - Graham Greene

Brighton Rock

Advantages: Impressive building, good food and attentive staff
Disadvantages: Small bathroom, slightly dated decor in bedroom

...This weekend found me in Brighton at the Courtland?s Hotel, for a last minute weekend ?desperate? revision school with the Open University. The hotel is classified as three stars by the AA and RAC and it also has an RAC dining award. As I was at a revision school, the choice of hotel was not mine, and when I saw the leaflet which was sent with my class joining instructions, I did think that the hotel was perhaps not one I would normally pick. Although it certainly had elegance and grandeur, the bedrooms on the leaflet looked a little dated in terms of style. I was also advised I was booked into a single room and I could not check in until 430pm. Location ----------- The hotel is located on Grand Avenue, Hove, and is a five minute walk from the sea front, and an ample selection of shops and restaurants at Hove. The property is...

helencbradshaw 22.03.2004 · Read review
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Review of Courtlands, Brighton

Prinny's Pleasure Dome! Brighton's Best!

Advantages: Historical interest, vibrant eccentric decor, magnificent furnishings and furniture
Disadvantages: always leaves you wnting more

...the key to an understanding of the Pavilion. The original farmhouse was extended and transformed over a period of 35 years and enjoyed several reincarnations but it was the celebrated architect, John Nash, who between 1815 and 1823 translated Prinny?s whims into the building we see today so beautifully restored. Before I lived in Brighton and attended as a visitor, I looked on the place as a completely inappropriate blot on the landscape but somewhat in tune with the rather brash and gaudy image the town had at that time. But, as the years have passed, I have grown to love it. In its perfect symmetry with its array Indian-inspired domes. cubes, minarets and spires and delicate stonework, carved with such intricacy that in parts it resembles lacework, it?s a picturesque, exotic but accessible gem in the heart of a busy metropolis If you...

suesie 22.06.2007 (24.06.2007) · Read review
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Review of The Royal Pavilion, Brighton

A solid Brighton Hotel

Advantages: Great views if you have a seafront room
Disadvantages: Bathroom a little lacking

...This was a good hotel to stay at if in Brighton but make sure you get a good deal because I don't think it's worth it at full price. It is not as glam as The Grand nor Metropole a few hundred yards up the street but does boast equally wonderful sea views. We were in room 201 and got a great deal staying the Sunday night only. The room had beautiful large bay windows overlooking the sea and remains of the destroyed pier. It was glorious to wake up to. The room itself was of a decent size although the bed was a little on the narrow side for the two of us. A few things to note on the downside: our room did have a big stain on the carpet and the bathrooms leave a little to be desired. They are very basic and the shower only reached a warm temperature while at full heat but never got hot. I think had we paid full price (which I...

Nixu1980 17.10.2009 · Read review
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Review of Kings Hotel, Brighton & Hove

Right-On Hotel in Brighton.

Advantages: Excellent 4 star hotel banging on the door of 5 star status
Disadvantages: Not really worth mentioning.

...For those not in the know, Brighton is a bustling, ?happening? seaside town on the South Coast of England. It?s actually fairly famous for two things. Firstly, it?s generally considered to be the gay capital of England and if you?re heterosexual and, for whatever reason, unable to adopt a ?Live and Let Live? attitude, you might as well give it a very wide berth. Just remember that you?re a guest in their town. Its second claim to fame ? and this is somewhat more old-fashioned ? is as a destination for couples to enjoy a ?dirty weekend?. Not messing around in muck, you understand, but enjoying illicit extra-marital relations in seedy seaside hotels. Which, very nearly, is where this review kicks off, and also where it doesn?t! I?m unable to comment on the joys of same-sex relationships. I didn?t spend the weekend there. My own...

andymcf 29.05.2003 (30.05.2003) · Read review
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Review of Hilton Brighton Metropole, Brighton