I’m talking of Benni, Bjorn, Agnethe and Anni-Frid rather than the Martin Luther variety. Oh yes – Abba are back at the Eastbourne bandstand this friday, May 7th!

It’s the tribute band sadly, but there will still be fireworks among the blond wigs and glittery boots.

Given the recent cold snap I’ve had to sniff out ideas to keep my clan (and guests) happy here at The Guesthouse East B&B in Eastbourne. Thankfully, there’s a new free exhibition at the Towner whenever you need some shelter from the elements – A Walk in the Park: Images of the South Downs. The Observatory Science Centre is also worth a visit for hands-on fun – check out the Zany Zone of Experiments.

We’re already pretty packed from June onwards so I suggest you make a May visit here if you fancy sampling our delights. We have some special offers on this month so take a quick look.

Tags: abba, Eastbourne accommodation, eastbourne B&B, South Downs

If you need further encouragement to head south and hit the downs, which finish, rather conveniently for the Guesthouse East, just down the road at Beachy Head and Eastbourne – The Sunday Times travel section had a centre spread this weekend highlighting that Britain’s newest national park has majestic monuments, stirring scenery and terriffic pubs (you’ll need to quench your thirst after a satisfying walk).

Book yourself a suite here (preferably with a bath to relieve those weary limbs) and reward yourself a stay at this award-winning boutique accommodation – self catering and B&B available.

Tags: beachy head, Bed and breakfast Eastbourne, Eastbourne, Eastbourne bed & breakfast, seven sisters, South Downs National Park

An hour and a half in a darkened room with politicians at an election debate or to be confronted by a cantering toddler and an opened tin of bitumen in the confines of a kitchen? What a choice.

It’s rare to find politics on the Guesthouse East blog but even rarer (thank goodness) to endure ineptitude and inexperience on an epic scale, with candidates for the parliamentary Eastbourne seat fending questions from a business audience.

The Labour man failed to turn up, the BNP dandy, complete with cravat, was 20 minutes late (apparently held up at a local police station for a case relating to treason – “It’s a good ‘un” – was his official explanation), with the UKIP chap genuinely questioning whether small businesses suffered when seeking procurement contracts due to ‘big business back-handers’. You really couldn’t make this up.

On a more positive note, our kitchen floor has arguably the finest water-proofing in town thanks to the solid layer of bitumen now in place, courtesy of the toddler and the remnants he found in a tin in the back garden.

Thank goodness for the trip to the French market on the promenade this morning (lovely crepe, thankyouverymuch), and the Magnificent Motors display along the lawns.

One of the consequences of the inappropriately placed kayak (taking up half the lobby) at The Guesthouse East is that guests are keen to taste the adventures and who am I to discourage.

A swim wasn’t technically on the agenda, but after Miles’ predictably enthusiastic work with the paddle, he’d barely got 20 yards out before he capsized. Much to the delight of the gathered spectators.

Still, he got the hang of things before hypothermia set in.

With temperatures rising and the sun set to shine all week, this might not be the last outing.

Ring Carl on 01323 722774 to book a suite for the bank holiday this coming weekend – although I can’t promise Miles will be here (he is single if any ladies fancy some one-to-one kayak coaching….).

If this were Brighton you’d assume it was at 2am with said swimmers warmly wrapped in beer blanket. Being Eastbourne, it must surely be a sign that summer has genuinely arrived – children splashing about on the seafront. Frankly, given that the sea has still only crept up to 8 degrees C, I’ll still relying on the drysuit for kayak shenanigans. But the sun’s out and that bleak North-Easterly should be a pleasant Southerly by the weekend.

Nice piece on Beachy Head in the London Metro recently. I start getting the DTs if I don’t get a daily fix of fresh air and coastal views from that stunning area – it makes for an amazing run/bike/walk and whilst the more insane runners charge there from here at The Guesthouse East, many guests will simply take the car to the top. Just don’t expect any concession to safety – no barriers, just vertical drops to the rocks below. There really is no going back….

If the complete lack of ’stakeholders’ in the business here weren’t sufficient justification for the shift from corporate life or perhaps having the beach at one end of the road and Beachy Head at the other, then it’s gestures like this handmade card from one of our younger guests that make all the difference. Thank you Mia – hope we see you and your parents and little Arun again very soon.

With the energy, enthusiasm and, sadly, the balance of a three year old, I set off on my inaugural launch in the new banana-yellow kayak off Eastbourne beach.

What the pic doesn’t show is the biting northerly gale and beach surf. Nor me falling in. Thankfully.

I haven’t even got close to trying the anchor nor my fishing gear so the nearest the family has come to cod is Harry Ramden’s at the end of our road.Watch this space….

It’s probably just as well I’ve been cranking up the fitness training (although even I got a little downbeat recently, caught in a storm up on Beachy Head, lost in the clouds and horizontal rain) – given the events lined up from now through to summer.

Both the Eastbourne Festival and Underwater, the new exhibition at the Towner, kick off this weekend, as does the Bandstand (really, who can actually resist the tribute bands??). And the old fishtail and loafers might be dragged out of the closet for next weekend’s Lambretta South Downs Run.  

I’m a bit miffed, having to miss tonights performance from Mark Beaumont as The man who cycled the world at the Congress Theatre. Still, Wednesday means Running Night with The Running Inn, and given that everyone meets here at The Guesthouse East, I can’t even sneakily miss a week.  Can I suggest safety in numbers? Join us from Hartington Place and I can hide behide you to avoid the galeforce winds tonight as we scamper up the seafront. I need to save my legs for the summer ahead.

Ok, maybe slightly over-egging it but the sun is shining and the Eastbourne holiday season looks to be off and running. Feeling some warmth on the back certainly helps recharge the batteries which is just as well.

We’ve gone from a packed weekend here at The Guesthouse East with our latest pregnancy and pilates retreat (great feedback from the mums-to-be, who left glowing and refreshed) and straight into a cosmopolitan business gig, with the guesthouse completely taken over with Chinese, Singaporean and Indian colleagues over for a week-long meeting.

We’re only 6 months into this hotelier life here in Eastbourne but Lessons #347 and #348 have just been taken on board – consider the environment your guests have just arrived from (i.e. crank up the heating to the max for our Asian visitors) and tailor your breakfasts accordingly (don’t over-face the Full English breakfasts – our Chinese friends here tucked in with relish but felt obliged to clear their plates which mean they couldn’t move for an hour!).

Lesson #349? Try to look vaguely fresh even at 7am – the Chinese here are keen to photograph everything – including me, clad in apron, lovingly attending the sausages…..

The sun is rising in the sky and thankfully the temperatures are now the right side of positive - so the Ron Hills are stashed once more at the back of the drawers. Judging by the amount of lycra jogging along the sea front the marathon season is surely upon us.

We have a training weekend based here at The Guesthouse East  in Eastbourne this weekend, courtesy of The Running Inn , complementing their monthly courses for enthusiastic runners. I’ve packed the cupboards with porridge in preparation……

We have the Eastbourne half marathon on March 7th and the Hastings half marathon on the 21st March, all leading to the inaugural Brighton Marathon on 18th April. We have bookings for accommodation coming in thick and fast, both for the events and training so if you haven’t yet found a hotel or B&B in Eastbourne yet I suggest you make a reservation asap.

Don’t forget if you stay here on Wednesday nights you get a free pass to the running club, for frollics along the sea front. And it’s Friday today so that can only mean one thing – circuits by Eastbourne bandstand @ 6pm with Military Mike Ovens. I decided to rock up last week in old school Dunlop Green Flash and am proud to say I felt physically sick within the hour. No pain, no gain ‘n all that. Stand next to me during the session and you can’t fail to feel fit and vibrant by comparison.

Call 01323 722774 for more details.