Thursday 31 October 2013

More Walking around Brighton

We leave the front behind and stroll through the retail area


Brighton has over 400 restaurants, cafes and bars.



One of my favourites - a Jamie Oliver


Lots of designer shops
in all a great mixture catering for many different needs and tastes




We made a visit to Kath Kidston


stretching down an alley


into a square


seaside coloured taxis



The chimneys on the centre horizon are part of 
The Royal Pavilion
visiting there in the next post




a complete mixture of the old and the new


The Pavilion Theatre with The Brighton Dome behind










Now this is interesting - the stage door to The Theatre Royal



manoeuvring the props in such a narrow space apart from the trucks negotiating the street


buses everywhere 
Now off to Pret-a-Manger to pick up a take-away lunch which we will eat relaxing in our hotel
before a walk along the front (last post)




Sunday 27 October 2013

An October Walk along the front at Brighton and an approaching Storm

Two weeks have past since our trip to Brighton to see the brilliant musical Love Beyond
So glad it was not this week as a serious storm is heading our way across the Atlantic driven by 200 mph winds in the jet stream
It is scheduled to hit land in the West Country around midnight and sweep across the South of the country and as far North as the Midlands. These storms lose power over the Atlantic but 90 mph winds are forecast inland. It is said that most disruption will be felt for commuters tomorrow as roads are blocked with fallen trees and public transport suspended. 
We have battened down the garden as much as we can


For now back to Brighton beginning with a late afternoon walk along the front after walking around the town for most of the day (another post) with a break for afternoon tea in our hotel which we see on the left of the photo  




Here we see The Grand Hotel that was bombed by the I*R*A* while Margaret Thatcher was leading a party conference


A typical Regency Square


The Promenade is full of hotels






I thought this was fun


Such a contrast - the following photos were taken the following day when the sun was shining as check out was not until noon
Parking fees incidentally in this town are astronomical 
£50 for 48 hours ($80.86)


Looking back having walked along the pier







I know that lots of piers have a fair ground at the end but it was the old fashioned Helter Skelter that caught my eye 




Really enjoyed our hotel, part of The Thistle group
The service was outstanding, the staff friendly and extremely helpful and the beds so comfortable. Apparently the company has a Royal Warranty as they supply the Queens homes.
The food was excellent and the house keeping staff so generous with goodies when I told them I did not need our room servicing for just 2 nights. As busy as we were, I even managed a swim



We did not want to eat in the restaurant as food could be ordered in The Atrium 24 hours a day
Before going to the show we ordered what we thought would be a quick and light meal (soup and sandwich). There was a slight communication mix-up when ordering and we had far more than we could eat. We were immediately given a discount of 50% off everything.
The next evening being Monday we were given 25% off food and drinks  



The view from our breakfast table and I have to say the best buffet I have ever come across with so many choices. About ten different items for full English breakfast, different variations of Continental breakfasts, 6 different juices, about 10 cooked fruits including fresh figs, a large bowl of fresh fruit, numerous breads and croissants and spreads and yoghurt and an array of different teas.
Yes, I would go back
and lastly we booked in March and the tariff we were charged for room and breakfast was quite a bit less than we were quoted on our reservation invoice   



A quick coffee before leaving
We hung around a bit after check-out as we had planned to visit a garden on the way home that did not open until 2.0 pm
We will wander around the town in the next post