UK: BRIGHTON

February 2015

I love Brighton. It’s one of the few places in England where I am happy to keep visiting. I like the sea, the pier, the independent shops in The Lanes and my favourite buffet!

SATURDAY

A friend and I booked train tickets (London Victoria to Brighton) and a hotel for a one-night weekend stay near the seafront. We arrived at about 1.30pm. Check-in wasn’t until 3 pm so we headed straight to the fish & chip shop by the sea, which is a 10-15 minute walk from the station. I know this place from visiting many times before, I wasn’t sure what it’s called as it was being redecorated when we went, but a quick Google search tells me it’s called… Fish & Chips. Very imaginative!!

http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/fish-and-chips-brighton

Neither of us actually had fish and chips, but my battered sausage and chips were typical British deep-fried goodness!

After lunch we headed to the Travelodge on the seafront. I have stayed here before – it’s cheap and cheerful and I think pretty good value for its on-the-beach location. It’s OK for a one or two night stay, but any longer – I would suggest investing somewhere more comfortable.

http://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/356/Brighton-Seafront-hotel

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Hotel_Review-g186273-d1222386-Reviews-Travelodge_Brighton_Seafront_Hotel-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html

After dumping our things, we headed out into town and looked around the shops. It’s quite easy to get around Brighton, as long as you remember where the sea is! A lot of the main streets run parallel to each other, so even if you go into the little streets, you will quite likely emerge on a main (or main-ish) street again to get your bearings.

Street Art

We went to Evolution which is a cool shop with decorations, lanterns, mirrors… fun things to look at. However, I was sad to discover they are closing down! It is a chain, apparently they are all shutting down, so sad. However, the 50% off everything did help to cheer me up 😉

I enjoyed Bell, Book and Candle which is a shop for tarot and things of that sort. The staff are friendly, and they even do tarot readings!

http://www.yelp.co.uk/biz/bell-book-and-candle-brighton

A friend had recommended Riki Tik’s for drinks – we happened to pass it so popped in for a cocktail. The happy hour is fab, two cocktails for £7 – hooray! This is a laid back place with cool reggae-style music. It’s pretty big and I liked the atmosphere. It wasn’t too busy, but that wasn’t shocking for 5 pm I guess.

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186273-d5917589-Reviews-Riki_Tik-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html

In the evening, we went to my favourite buffet in the UK, Day’s. I like this place for the massive variety in savoury dishes and desserts. Admittedly, the service is not awesome, but let’s face it, this place is for the food and not the service! I actually really enjoy the cheesy decor there too – especially the shiny mirrored horse by the entrance.

http://www.daysrestaurant.com/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186273-d1489871-Reviews-Day_s_Oriental_Buffet-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html

After dinner, we went to Be@one cocktail bar. This is part of a chain that I really like, and I’m trying to visit them all! Nice bar and a good friendly crowd.

http://www.beatone.co.uk/cocktail-bar/brighton

SUNDAY

We had a lazy morning and checked out at about 11.30am with the intention of finding brunch. We ended up in JB’s Diner where he had an excellent American breakfast with pancakes, bacon and sausages. I love these cheesy places!!

http://jbsdiner.co.uk/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186273-d2176062-Reviews-JB_s_American_Diner_Brighton-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html

Following this filling meal, we headed towards the pier and decided to go on the Brighton Wheel. It was a lovely sunny morning so we had a great view. The tickets cost £8 each. I enjoyed the ride and commentary by Steve Coogan.

http://www.brightonwheel.com/

We walked along the pier and through the games section before visiting the pebble beach to sit down… for about five minutes because it was really windy and cold. So we headed back towards the station viaThe Lanes and a quick visit to Choccywoccydoodah chocolaterie.

http://www.visitbrighton.com/shopping/the-lanes

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g186273-d214950-Reviews-The_Lanes-Brighton_East_Sussex_England.html

http://www.choccywoccydoodah.com/