Alston House Hotel

The breakfast was a treat, with cereal and other options as well as a full English. We had a clean, tidy and spacious room, No. 11, right at the top of the building. The bed was huge and very comfortable, and the room had everything else we needed. It was a very hot day when we arrived, and after our host went over the usual essentials we made our way upstairs. The shower took a few minutes to warm up on the top floor, then was fine. We could see the pier, and it was about a 10-minute walk to the beach. A really nice stay with lovely people.

It wasn't a modern hotel, but the rooms were clean and comfortable, and it was quiet, which worked perfectly for us with children. Bev was wonderful. My kids thought she was great, and she found us a room at the last minute after the place next door, where we'd been booked, turned out to be absolutely disgusting. We were over the moon with how friendly she was when we arrived. I'll definitely book here next time I'm in Brighton.

The location is handy, close to the beach and about 20 minutes from the center, but there are plenty of better hotels. My mistake was judging it by the pictures. I had a room at the top, up lots of stairs, and the small room had almost no water pressure. The shower was fixed to the wall and barely dripped. There was no kettle, though I did have coffee and tea, which I couldn't really use. There seemed to be three rooms where there should have been one, with just a door between mine and the next room, so we could hear each other crystal clear. I don't recommend it.

We were made to leave in the middle of the night after a terrible stay. The owner, a woman, seemed like a psycho. I've stayed in at least 10-15 hotels every year and never had service this appalling, even though I've travelled to humble third-world countries many times. The hotel already has bad reviews, and I can't understand how it can have a licence to operate under this administration. I would discourage anyone from going.