I thought there might be a few people pottering along the Eastbourne promenade today, basking in the lazy mix of afternoon sun and holiday haze, but I could barely make my way through the stream of rollerbladers, cyclists and ice cream-lickers on my pre-marathon jog.

The sea is definitely warming up (I caught my first bass of the season this week – and they’re about as fond of chilly water as I am) and a few brave souls were spashing around in the shallows. Most of the action, however, was a little further out – with windsurfers and sailboats aplenty in front of Spray Water Water Centre, just east of the pier. You can hire everything from them, with or without tuition, so no excuse not to get out there and have a bash if you’re feeling energetic.

More kit and action is available near the Wish Tower – in the shape of kayaks for hire.

I came across a nice crowd who constitute Eastbourne Kayak and Surf - they’re open at weekends throughout May and then daily till the end of September, with kayaks for hire for only a tenner an hour so perhaps I won’t be the only kayaking there this summer.

I hope I see you out there at some point – don’t forget to say hello to me when you come across a sunburnt ginger, floundering around somewhere in front of the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne.

Tags: Eastbourne, Eastbourne pier, grand hotel in eastbourne, kayaking in eastbourne, sailing in eastbourne, spray centre water centre, windsurfing in eastbourne, wish tower

It’s your holiday in Eastbourne so we try to make sure you get whatever works for you and that extends to breakfast.

Bed and breakfast. Breakfast in bed. Full English through to healthy buffet. Indeed  even breakfast by you (we have self-catering kitchens after all). And now, after extensive research (involving cake-eating, sausage-munching and coffee slurping on an industrial scale) I can happily recommend Central Eating, a cracking cafe based just around the corner from us on Terminus Road, for when you fancy a wander.

Jason, the owner and general front-of-house, must have suffered a similar mid-life crisis to me given that he too jumped ship from corporate life to set up home and a business on our lovely East Sussex coast.

We even managed a night out for their official grand opening last weekend, attended by the MP for Eastbourne Stephen Lloyd. Fine (and varied) sausages and mash all round, so they offer far more than breakfasts, delicious homemade cakes and a top-of-the range Gaggia they call Gloria.

Mention us (or grab one of their cards off us) and you’ll qualify for a 10% discount. I suggest some Billionnaire Shortbread to get you started (although the wife would argue for the chocolate brownies).

Tags: b and b, b&b, bed & breakfast, bed and breakfast, bed and breakfast in eastbourne, Eastbourne, full english, self catering

Had a zoo-tastic afternoon with our own little monkey yesterday, exploring the newly-expanded Drusillas Park at Alfriston.  Just a 25 minute drive from here in Eastbourne, this unusual and exciting theme park is packed with enough animals and activities to keep any budding explorer busy for hours.

There’s too much to tell all, but a few highlights for our boy included clambering through a tunnel to peek through a pop-up window in the meerkat enclosure, trying to stand on one leg like the flamingos, driving a safari jeep, whizzing down giant slides in the awesome adventure park and… of course… Thomas the Tank Engine.

For us parents, the highlight was probably the delicious hot donuts that we sneakily ate from the Thomas the Tank Engine station cafe – and how our son slept for 13 hours last night as a result of his busy day!

Tags: Adventure park, Drusillas, Educational fun, Family friendly, Farm, Indoor play, Park, Things to do in Eastbourne, Zoo

The daffodils are out, the sun is doing it’s utmost to make an appearance and the much appreciated time-change now means the evenings are no longer a write-off post 7pm. Yes, Spring is officially with us, thank goodness.

For many of the lycra-embracing running community this will signal the final push on the marathon trail; training in full swing – the London race almost upon us, Brighton Marathon also prominent on many Southerners agendas and, for me, the inaugural Richmond marathon in May.

As a 26-mile virgin it’s been an interesting month – The Guesthouse East has proved to be the accommodation of choice for many who recently ran the Eastbourne half marathon and also the Endurance Life Coastal Series, so I now better appreciate the upside of finishing having witnessed their returns from the race – the gratifying glow of completing a run of such significance. As opposed to simply teetering on the edge on continual exhaustion – the training schedule a terrifying torture map laid before you. How many miles to be completed this coming Sunday??!

I know that many (runners and) readers of this blog are based around London so it might be worth trying to fit in a training day in April with The Running Inn based at the Evolve Wellness Centre in South Ken. It’d be the perfect fine tuning with an approach that looks to get you running stress free and body aware. There is a team of experts on hand including an ex-international athlete, a sports nutritionist, personal trainer and with yoga specifically targeted at runners.

Failing that, stay here on a Wednesday night and join the running club for a speed session along the prom, to compare progress, grumble about any aches and blow the cobwebs away in preparation for the summer and season ahead.

Tags: beachy head, Beachy Head marathon, brighton marathon, Eastbourne accommodation, eastbourne half marathon, endurance life coastal series, richmond marathon

I appreciate that it wasn’t exactly comparable to the £61k goody bags picked up by recent Oscar nominees, but the scone I received courtesy of the cafe at Tennis in the Park in Eastbourne tasted all the more divine given it was a freebie – all in recognition of our recent placement as Number 1 in the Independent’s Top 50 bed and breakfasts.

I was even offered congratulations by a complete stranger on the street. Blimey.

Our local paper, the Eastbourne Herald, has picked up on it to help spread the word and I also had to give an interview to Sovereign Radio. So if you need cheering up I suggest you have a laugh at my expense by putting on the headphones and click here tomorrow morning when it’s due on air during the regular bulletins.

Tags: award winning bed and breakfast, award winning bed and breakfasts, Bed and breakfast Eastbourne, Eastbourne bed and breakfast, Eastbourne bed and breakfasts, Independent top 50 B&Bs, top bed and breakfast, top bed and breakfasts

The sun’s feeling particularly warm this morning, the air the sweetest of the year and we’re skipping around the kitchen preparing breakfasts with beaming smiles – we’ve just been voted Number 1 in this morning’s Independent‘s Top 50 B&Bs!

Better dash – the sausages need turning….

Tags: b&b eastbourne, Bed and breakfast Eastbourne, bed and breakfast in eastbourne, boutique bed and breakfast, Eastbourne bed & breakfast, Independent top 50 B&Bs, luxurious guesthouses

Great guest-list here over the last few days, surely confirming our position as Eastbourne’s most accommodating bed and breakfast -  including a farmer, his dog and several sheep. All in the same room.

My toddler son is often very fond of our guests, particularly when they love dancing as much as him. Thankfully, the cast of Shaun’s Big Show, running recently at the nearby Devonshire Park Theatre were both generous and enthusiastic, offering us tickets for a performance and impromptu dance lessons in our kitchen.

The childless amongst you might not have stumbled upon Shaun the Sheep, but few parents will be unaware of the slapstick animation, straight from the Nick Parke/Ardman flock and, more importantly, his ability to capture kids’ attention whilst offering an irreverent angle to keep the oldies entertained.

Happily the TV show and its characters have translated well to the stage – sufficiently well to engage my little man for an hour and a half with a plot based around dancing sheep, which is frankly astonishing. Thank you very much indeed.

The theatrical roll-call has been gathering momentum – several of the Hairspray crowd were here over recent weeks and whilst Mickey Dolenz, returning as one of the leads, wasn’t staying here he was out on the town with the cast. Davy Jones, fellow Monkee, was also around apparently for one particularly heavy session in Eastbourne which ended with karaokee in a local pub. How much would you have paid to have seen it – Davy Jones, up with a mic, singing Daydream Believer. Nice touch!

Tags: Bed and breakfast Eastbourne, eastbourne B&B, Eastbourne bed and breakfast, shaun the sheep, shaun's big show

New Government and and a new tack on tourism.

How do you choose your hotel, bed and breakfast or indeed any short-break accommodation – Check their website? Look for feedback? Ask a friend?

The Government, it seems, is potentially disbanding the official star-rating system that many (surely most of us?) use as a simple reference point when setting out on a search. We instinctively trust its objectivity, whilst recognising the limitations of categorising  properties into just five bands. At its simplest, we don’t expect a carpeted bathroom if we book a four-star hotel nor march to reception if we have to share a bunk-room in a one-star hostel. It hardly sorts the wheat from the chaff, but at least it narrows the field.

Consumer voice alone is set to become all-powerful, with the like of TripAdvisor and other consumer review websites apparently offering more accurate information than the stars allocated by VisitBritain.

As a businessman I applaud reduced bureaucracy and as a hotelier recognise the value of positive, speedy feedback and openly display the TripAdvisor reviews received for The Guesthouse East on my homepage. I also appreciate the potential flaws; the malicious responses, underhand reviews from competitors and downright subjectivity. I would never base a decision that can fundamentally affect the success of a holiday on a consumer review alone.

Maybe I should sit back and wait for the Tourism Strategy from the Department for Media, Culture and Sports to be announced. Or maybe I should prime my mother for a glowing report on my accommodation…..

Let me know what you think.

Tags: accommodation, bed and breakfast in eastbourne, hotels, star hotel, tripadvisor hotels

I think I’m reasonably fit. My pasty chicken legs go vaguely whizzy when on two wheels and have been known to break into an occasional canter when confronted with hilly green bits, but even I had to gulp when considering the sporting opportunities hitting Eastbourne this year.

The 2011 Beachy Head marathon takes place on October 22 and will provide arguably the most scenic 26-miler of the year and certainly the most gruelling.

We’re always full of runners and their families for the marathon weekend, drawn to our Eastbourne self catering and B&B accommodation by our sporting heritage and carbo-loading breakfasts, but even aware of the inevitable comeraderie over porridge in the dining room and the reviving hands of the masseur we offer our guests here, I just can’t quite find the dedication to fill in the application form.

I regularly run some of the course, with the finale a death-defying vertical mudslide onto the Eastbourne side of Beachy Head. I was amazed at the finish of last year’s event to see how everyone bombs down in a fit of enthusiasm over exhaustion. Whilst I simply look to tentatively traverse across in survival mode. The last time I tried anything resembling a  stright line down I hit a wet patch, over-compensated and went head-first into a roll, retrieving my composure with a commando roll straight back onto 2 feet and away again in a joyous vision of fluidity, to a gentle round of appause from the cafe at the base of the hill.

If challenging yourself amongst spectactular scenery is what makes you tick you might also want to consider Endurancelife. Their Coastal Trail Series showcases some of the most exhilarating sections of the UK coastline with the toughest trail running series on offer. The eighth leg, Sussex, takes place around Beachy Head and Birling gap on March 26 this year, with 10k, half- and full marathons available, but irrespective of length expect an undulating route, with expansive views and an unforgetable experience.

If two wheels are more your bag why not take a look at the Eastbourne Cyclosportive, taking place on May 22, with entry now open for three routes.

The Cyclosportive is part of the Eastbourne Cycling Festival, a weekend of cycling events based on the seafront. It won’t be all lycra and inappropriate shorts – family rides will also be available as well as the time trials and road racing.

So, some pretty hardcore action on offer. Stay at The Guesthouse East and get prepared – on a Wednesday night enjoy the regular running club night with The Running Inn (as well as this red-faced ginger author) or perhaps a Friday night Circuits session with (Iron) Mike Ovens – let’s not hear any excuses about not being ready for it…..

Tags: Beachy Head marathon, coastal trail series, Eastbourne accommodation, eastbourne b and b, Eastbourne bed & breakfast, eastbourne cycling festival, eastbourne cyclosportive, endurance life, endurancelife, self catering eastbourne, seven sisters marathon

It seems like yonks since the filming took place for Brighton Rock (here in Eastbourne last Winter) but momentum behind the forthcoming release is building nicely, with an article in the Telegraph magazine recently.

The new adaptation of Graham Greene’s 1938 novel features a heavyweight cast including Helen Mirren as Ida, the tearoom proprietress, John Hurt, the late Pete Postlethwaite, Andrea Riseborough and Sam Riley, best known for his portayal of Ian Curtis in Contol, the 2007 biopic about the band Joy Division.

Tim Fox Evans, our friend and photographer, took some wonderful shots of the filming from one of our suites here at The Guesthouse East and on the Eastbourne seafront, which I’ve held back until the promotional work has started.

This interpretation is directed by Rowen Joffe who went back to the original novel and has been able to ‘put back some of the darker and more perverse violence and sensuality that the book is shot through with’, according to the Telegraph interview. Can’t wait….

Eastbourne was home for much of the shooting – the retained period features and old school pier were the perfect backdrop (with Brighton simply too busy and modernised).

I can’t wait for the release and the chance to see this director’s perspective of both the novel and setting.

Tags: andrea riseborough, Brighton Rock, Eastbourne, Helen Mirren, john hurt, Pete postlethwaite, rowen joffe, Sam Riley