by Annie Vischer
I have always loved the seaside. Always. As a little girl, Filey was my family’s beach of choice. We’d stay in an apartment in the big, cream, Regency buildings that overlooked pretty and beautifully tended gardens, and spend every day fossil hunting in the sand, swimming in the North sea and warming back up with salty fish and chips or a baked bean laden jacket potato on the cobbled landing. Revisiting it is a blissful nostalgic indulgence.
In fact any trip to the seaside will fill me full of girlish excitement, so when the chance came to stay at The Grand Brighton Hotel & Spa I could barely contain my enthusiasm. Me and my companion arrived after a busy day of work on the Friday evening ready to flop. I went ahead whilst my companion parked up, and upon opening the door to the room it was all I could do to stop myself flinging myself onto the bed in sheer delight. Well that’s a lie. I did fling myself onto the bed in sheer delight. The décor was beautiful. I’m a closet Laura Ashley girl so the pale lilac theme had me at hello. As did the three full-length French windows that lined the main wall and opened up onto a lengthy balcony and sea views.
At dinner time we skipped our way down to the GB1 restaurant. The manager lead us to our table that looked out onto the sea, and introduced us to our waiter for the evening Charles, who advised us on every aspect of our meal choices. Charles actually deserves a very special mention, our evening would not have been what it was without his menu expertise and entertaining quips.
We toasted the evening with a bottle of prosecco, nibbling on popcorn and fresher than fresh bread until our starters arrived. I had raw scallops with asparagus ribbons in a lime marinade, which Charles had recommended, whilst my companion went for the smoked salmon with salmon tartare and brown bread ice cream. Both hit the spot perfectly, without leaving us too full for our mains.
Charles had recommended that I opt for the catch of the day, which was saffron poached hake accompanied by courgette, cauliflower puree and king prawn. My companion couldn’t resist the surf and turf, which warranted wide eyes and lots of photo-taking. We rested a little before dessert, sipping on cocktails that the cocktail waiter had arrived to advise us upon. I went for a lemon grass and coriander martini. I’m not quite sure whether that constitutes a palette cleanser but I wouldn’t have been without it.
Dessert had to be ordered. We felt that Charles would not approved had we not done so. I couldn’t resist the ice cream selection, and ordered a scoop of rose sorbet, a scoop of elderflower sorbet with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream, whilst my companion went for the cheeseboard. A selection of cheeses arrived on a tray ready to be debated, discussed and finally chosen.
After the final course, the warmth of the shower and the plumpness of the pillows really were calling, and I was out like a light as soon as my head hit the pillow.
We returned to GB1 for a glorious breakfast buffet the next day before hitting the spa. I was booked in for a deep tissue massage and couldn’t wait. I’m a bit of a gym bunny, and that, coupled with a desk job had given me a few niggles in my muscles that I was eager to be rid of. Plus it’s always rather glorious to relax and be fussed over. The massage itself was wonderful. I had been warned that a deep tissue massage may do away with the calming and soothing aspect of a massage but this was not the case at The Brighton Grande.
After an hour’s worth of the masseuse’s handiwork I was blissfully zombie like. Afterwards I was led to the relaxation room. This is a large room adorned with luxurious sofas, a bed, a swinging cocoon chair and exquisite arm chairs. If the décor wasn’t so regency and pretty in its style, it might look somewhere an Oriental king of bygone days would recline with his harem. I could have quite happily stayed there reading magazines and sipping on elderflower presse all day, visiting the steam room as the time ticked by.
If you are visiting Brighton then a visit to The Grand is a must. The setting is beautiful, the staff delightful, and I have heard the afternoon tea is the essential genteel accompaniment to a day by the sea. At least that’s the excuse I’ll use to head back there on my next Brighton visit!