Afton Hotel

For what I paid, this was good value. I had a one-night stay in a clean, comfortable enough room with a nice view of the sea. It wasn’t luxurious, but it had what I needed for a short visit. I’d recommend it as a budget-friendly place.

We stayed over Christmas on a coach trip, our first time in Eastbourne, and it’s a long way from the Midlands. Staff were pleasant and made an effort to help. The hotel had decorations and lots of Christmas trees, and we got a small present from Santa on Christmas Day. Sandwiches and cake were provided at lunchtime, too. Drinks seemed sensibly priced for a hotel: wine was £18.99, more than at a supermarket but less than usual for a hotel, and I understand beer was around £4 a pint. Our room was a decent size and very warm, with the single radiator on all the time, even though the single-glazed windows faced incredibly windy weather. The larger ground-floor rooms, though, weren’t very warm. The hotel was full, so we were assigned a table on the first night. The other diners were from another area and on a different coach. That first meal was quite bland, a poor start to a special break, but the meals after that were better, so it wasn’t a complete disaster. Entertainment started at 8pm with Bingo, then a singer. I’d have liked something in the daytime too, maybe a quiz. There wasn’t much to do between meals. We went out for a bit, but it was too cold and windy to stay outside long. The lounge didn’t have enough comfortable seats for watching TV, so we watched a few programmes in our room. The only bedroom seating was dining-style chairs, and we’d have been much more comfortable at home. My husband had wanted to spend Christmas in a hotel for years. We tried it, and unless there’s more than a short trip to Hastings on Christmas Eve, we won’t do it again. At least I didn’t have to shop or cook, but I did need more entertainment. The hotel could do with decorating and updating. It was no-frills, though the staff certainly tried hard.

The location is ideal, and the staff are friendly and helpful. My room was a little tired but clean and tidy. Nights and weekends can be a bit noisy, though that’s to be expected. Otherwise, I enjoyed my stay.

Right on the seafront, looking out over the pier, this is a two-star hotel, which seems fair. It’s old and quite dated, and really needs a complete refurbishment. Still, the food was good, service excellent, and all the staff were very friendly.