Our weekend break to Brighton

You may have read about our recent visit to Choccywoccydoodah and Côte Restaurant in Brighton (if you haven’t, you better 😉 ), but it wasn’t just great food that Brighton had to offer us; the seaside town has so much more.  We spent a few days in Brighton back in May for a work conference, and it was a first for both of us.  While we may not have got the weather we were hoping for, there was certainly enough to do in Brighton to keep us occupied.

Our Brighton Hotel

The hotel we stayed in was booked through work and was the Jurys Inn Hotel on Stroudley Road, Brighton.  It was a two minute walk from the train station and a perfect location for us.  It had all the standard facilities you would expect from a hotel, and while it would not have been as fancy as a luxury or boutique hotel, it had everything we needed and was great value.  The breakfast hit the spot each morning and there was a large bar area to relax in at evening time.  Overall we were very impressed with the hotel and would certainly consider it again for future trips.  It had everything we required, and was only a 10-15 minute walk to the centre of town and Brighton Pier.

Royal Pavilion Palace and Gardens

The Royal Pavilion in Brighton is one of the most popular attractions in the town and is located in the centre of the town.  The Pavilion is surrounded by stunning gardens which are free to walk around.  We took a tour of the Pavilion which cost us £11 each.  This may seem a little steep for a tour, but you got a headset to take with you to explain the history of the Palace and the stories of each room.  The decór has strong oriental influences which are simply breathtaking.  The rooms are so impressive and there is plenty of artwork to be seen for those of you who are fans of art history.  There was also an impressive staircase in the Palace, which at first looks like it is made from bamboo but with closer attention you can see that it is actually mahogany that has been skilfully painted.  The only downside of the tour in the Royal Pavilion is that you are unable to take photos while inside.  You could also enjoy afternoon tea in the Palace, but as we had already visited Choccywoccydoodah, we unfortunately had to give this a miss.

Fun at Brighton Pier

A visit to Brighton Pier is a must for anyone visiting the town of Brighton.  Unfortunately we didn’t get great weather when we got to the Pier, and it restricted the amount of time we could spend out and about around the Pier.  The poor weather also meant we couldn’t take a walk along the beach, but it did allow us to spend some time at the indoor amusements.  We spent a few hours in the area around Brighton Pier and can certainly see how it would appeal to young families.  The forecourt of the Pier has many small toy and souvenir stalls, as well as food stalls and popular fish and chip shops – there’s nothing quite like fish and chips at the seaside!  We spent quite a bit of time in the amusements at the Pier, rolling back the years and behaving like a pair of kids at the fun fair. We even managed to leave with a number of prizes after winning over 1,000 prize tickets!  The Pier has some amazing views of the Brighton coastline, and the only down point was the weather, something we have well become used to in the UK and Ireland.

Brighton’s famous lanes

Brighton is well known for it’s many lanes, and there really are some hidden treasures down these lanes.  These lanes are home to many popular bars, cafes and boutique shops.  The weather once again restricted the time we could spend checking out the many streets and lanes of Brighton, but the town centre has many popular high street shops, and has lots to keep you occupied during the day.  There are also some trendy and popular bars along these streets, which we had to stop in at for a wee break every now and then 🙂

Eating out in Brighton

We”ve already talked about our experiences of dining at Côte and Choccywoccydoodah in Brighton, but we also enjoyed stopping in at some small coffee shops during the day to relax and enjoy a coffee and sweet treat.  One such place was Cocoa Patiesserie, a small but popular French pastry shop on Queens Road run by Julien Plumart. The display of macaroon’s in the window were too tempting to walk past, so we had to go in and sample some.  They were absolutely amazing and the selection of flavour and pastries on display was incredible.  Julien also has a boutique shop in Duke Street called Boutique Et Salon De Thé.

Have you ever visited Brighton?

Have you ever visited the city of Brighton and Hove?  We’d love to hear what you thought of it. Share your Brighton stories with us below or by connecting with us on Facebook and Twitter.

You can find out more about things to do and places to see in Brighton by visiting visitbrighton.com.