Eastbourne, on the south east coast, is about two hours by train or car from London and, aside from the beach and fine walks to the famous Beachy Head, it has an excellent contemporary art gallery and the only five star hotel on the British coast. The Grand Hotel is ideal for a decadent seaside mini-break. A glorious Victorian hotel built in 1874, The Grand, nicknamed “the white palace,” is a short walk from the attractive 19th-century pier in one direction and the Sussex Downs in the other.
The Grand has 152 rooms and suites including the Debussy Suite where Claude Debussy composed his famous symphony “La Mer” in 1905. This spacious suite has a large bedroom and lounge, a bathroom with whirlpool bath and walk in shower plus substantial balconies with stunning sea views. Debussy’s symphony was started in 1903 in France and completed in 1905 at The Grand while Debussy was in exile from Paris after leaving his wife and the ensuing scandal, for the singer Emma Bardac, who later became his second wife.
In fact, The Grand has a long association with music and musicians and even had its own orchestra. The Grand Hotel Orchestra broadcasted live on BBC from the Great Hall every Sunday night from 1924 to 1939 on the programme “Grand Hotel.” Today, guests can enjoy regular classical recitals and jazz gigs in the great hall and lounge and a string quartet performs one Sunday a month during Afternoon Tea.
Aside from indoor swimming pool, there’s a lovely outdoor swimming pool, a spa with a steam room and sauna and beauty rooms offering a range of treatments.
The Grand has two fine dining restaurants, the Garden restaurant serving classic British food and Mirabelle which has long been a destination restaurant and is even more popular now due to its new head chef, Stephanie Malvoisin, who started last fall. Stephanie learned her trade at the Goring Hotel in London and in hotel restaurants in France, Canada and the Caribbean.
The Grand is part of a small group called Elite hotels who have thee others including Tylney Hall in Hampshire, Ashdown Park Hotel near Forest Row and Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire. The Grand Eastbourne is also a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World.
The Grand Hotel, King Edwards Parade, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN21 4EQ Tel: (0)1323- 412345
For a satisfying, simple meal, Anema e Core is an excellent choice. This cozy, family-run Italian restaurant serves authentic and delicious dishes from the Amalfi coast, including classic Neapolitan pizza, plus a pleasing selection of pasta and seafood. Giuseppe Bongiovanni and his wife Nunzia run the restaurant, along with their daughter Lia and her fiance Antonio. Chef Giuseppe and nutritionist Nunzia both grew up in families in the restaurant business and Giuseppe worked in restaurants in Rome before opening one near the Amalfi coast. Four years ago the family moved to Eastbourne and opened Anema e Core. The restaurant’s friendly service and great food have ensured its ongoing popularity.
We decided to test a much loved Italian dish, classic tagliatelle alla bolognese and I’m happy to report that the dish, with sauce slow cooked for eight hours, exceeded our expectations. The sea bass fillet served in a cherry tomato, garlic and olive sauce, was also excellent.
Anema e Core, 8 Bolton Rd, Bn21 3Jx Eastbourne Tel: (0)1323-723023
Contemporary art gallery, Towner Art Gallery, should be an essential part of any visit to Eastbourne. The gallery was established in 1920 in a Georgian manor house in Eastbourne Old Town, with a bequest of money and 22 paintings by Alderman John Chisholm Towner. The gallery’s permanent collection expanded to around 4,500 works making it necessary to move to a larger space in 2009. The new gallery was designed by award-winning Rick Mather Architects whose other projects include the Ashmoleon Museum in Oxford, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
The Towner Gallery is best known for modern British art and the collection includes many important 20th-century British artists such as: Henry Moore, Paul Nash, Victor Pasmore and Eric Ravilious. The collection also includes work from contemporary artists like Olafur Eliasson, Wolfgang Tillmans, Anya Gallaccio, Julian Opie, Tacita Dean and Grayson Perry. Currently on show is We stared at the Moon from the centre of the Sun, an exhibition curated by artist Haroon Mirza, with works from the Arts Council Collection, Towner’s Collection and installations by Mirza and his studio hrm199. Upstairs is Natural Selection, commissioned by Towner and three other British art organisations, including Art Angel. This brilliant bird-themed exhibition by father and son, Peter and Andy Holden includes a fascinating array of objects, video, sculpture and drawings. Ornithologist Peter Holden collaborated with his artist son Andy to create an ornithological journey: from the building of nests to the collecting of eggs. Giant man-made “birds’ nests” are presented along with a video documentary about notorious wild bird’s egg thief Richard Pearson. In the gallery next door, hundreds of the stolen wild eggs have been painstakingly replicated by hand by craftsman Peter Rowland.
The Grade II listed Eastbourne Pier is a fine example of Victorian wooden pier. The pier is 1,000ft long and 52ft wide on a substructure of iron screw piles, designed by Eugenius Birch (known for his design of seaside piers throughout the country) and completed in 1872. The pier includes gift shops, a glass blowing centre, a Victorian-themed tea room and a music venue. The current owner is planning to construct more shops but I hope that doesn’t happen as it would be a shame to spoil the appearance of this attractive pier. Nearby is another Grade II listed construction, the Eastbourne Bandstand and Colonnade built in 1935 in a Neo-Grec style.
Beachy Head, the UK’s highest chalk sea cliff at 530 feet high, is at the western end of Eastbourne seafront in the South Downs National Park and Seven Sisters Country Park. If you climb to the top you’ll be rewarded with dramatic views of the English Channel and of a picturesque red and white-stripped lighthouse.
