Burlington Hotel

It looks grand from the outside but inside it is a bit dated, although many of the rooms have recently been renovated. Despite recent refurbishment, it appears that a lot of the areas of the hotel have been poorly maintained with ripped carpet patched up with duct tape and the type of wallpaper that hasn’t been in vogue since the 1970s. Overall, the standards are not particularly high but it is a good value place to stay with a great location as long as you don’t mind staying somewhere that (like many of its guests) is well past its heyday.

The 159 guest bedrooms all have televisions, a couple of chairs and a small table, tea and coffee making facilities and en suite bathrooms. Some of the rooms also have a work desk although the tellies in the cheaper rooms are fairly old and really should be replaced with more modern flatscreen TVs.

Free Wi-Fi wireless internet access is available throughout the hotel.

The Burlington has a coffee lounge and bar and a large dining area with some seating offering lovely sea views, although this area is often packed when tour groups are booked in. The food that is served here is not particularly good as it seems to cater to an older demographic that has a taste for bland and tasteless food.

The hotel is part of Shearings, which runs coach holidays for the over-55s, and the hotel is very much set up to cater to this market. This goes as far as group activities including bingo, quiz nights and cheesy cabaret entertainment. It is probably not the right hotel for you if you’re travelling independently and don’t fit this age group.

The hotel’s location is one of its best assets. It faces the seafront overlooking Carpet Gardens and it is only a one-minute walk to Eastbourne Pier. Other attractions in Eastbourne that are within walking distance include the Lifeboat Museum and the Eastbourne Heritage Centre (both a nine-minute walk away), the Towner Art Gallery (an 11-minute walk) and the Redoubt Fortress (a 13-minute walk from the hotel). The hotel is only a couple of minutes’ walk to the town centre and the railway station is a 12-minute walk away.

Limited car parking is available at the rear of the hotel for £6 per day, which is a good deal if you’re visiting in the peak season.