Artist Residence Hotel: Absolutely Mama swaps London and motherhood for a weekend in Brighton

Words  Helen Baron

The Hotel

Artist’s Residence mixes a relaxed stay with easily the best decor among Brighton’s hotel offerings. Spanning two guesthouses in typical Regency style, you’re put in mind of a cool private members club. Ascend the rickety (but romantic) old stairs to find 23 rooms that are all furnished slightly differently, and all to a high standard – we’re treated to a top floor suite with roll top bath (cool tiles included), comfy leather Chesterfield chair and Doris Day tinkling away in the background. Boutique at its best.

The Food

Billed as a ‘restaurant with rooms’, the hotel’s main offering is The Set, with ever-changing seasonal menus from chefs Dan Kenny and Semone Bonner. There’s also The Set of Scales – a more casual diner serving up the catch of the day and fish sliders with beer. Breakfast is top-notch, with all the trimmings you’d expect – avocado toast with poached eggs and a decent flat white made with small batch coffee.

The Bar

The cocktail bar is a delightfully inebriated nod to tropical holidays –  a rum-soaked shack assembled from salvaged wood from Brighton Pier. Residents and tourists alike flock here for the pun-tastic concoctions that are as entertaining as they are heady. Plus there’s a killer view of the sea.

The Area

You can’t beat Artist’s Residence for its central location – near The Lanes and The Royal Pavilion, it’s perfect for whatever brings you to Brighton, whether that’s a night out with the girls/lads or simply a little salt sea air. Brighton remains the South’s most boisterous and brilliant of getaway destinations – London by the sea.

THE DAMAGE

Rooms start at £170 per night; check for weekday offers.

33 Regency Square, BN1 2GG; artistresidencebrighton.co.uk