Amherst Brighton

With no reception, I was sent an access code, but once inside there was a strong smell of smoke. I could hear every word from the people next door as I went down to my basement room, and they sounded drunk or high. It seemed the smoke was coming from there. Alone, I didn’t feel safe, and with nobody available to speak to, I left to find somewhere else. It was 10pm on a rainy night, which made the whole thing very frustrating. My husband messaged the next day to ask for a refund, but they refused, saying we hadn’t contacted them straight away. There was no one to contact, and we were busy finding alternative accommodation. The place felt like a crack den and the customer service was nonexistent. Brighton has plenty of hotels, and I wouldn’t recommend this one.

I spent one night in room 2, on the ground floor by the stairs, because I was in town for a friend’s party and mostly needed somewhere to sleep. For a short stay, it did the job. It’s close to the coast and town, gives you a private space, and was reasonably priced compared with other hotels that cost twice as much or hostels only £20 cheaper. Check-in was straightforward: the codes from my booking website worked, as long as you remember to press the pound sign at the end. I wouldn’t recommend this room for more than a night or two. It was fairly dirty, the walls were thin, and I could hear neighbours talking and every heavy step upstairs. I’d brought headphones and white noise. The springy bed had two flimsy pillows, and I wouldn’t put two people in that room. The shower floods the bathroom unless you hold it, the WiFi barely works, and the kitchenette isn’t very useful. Parking nearby is tricky. It feels like a three-star hotel, which was fine for me. If you want a step up from a hostel with your own space, it may suit you. If you’re after a nice seaside boutique hotel, look elsewhere. Just know what you’re booking and it’s adequate for the purpose.

It's right by the beach, in a perfect location. I was on the fourth floor, and getting up there was exhausting, but the room itself was lovely. If you book through a third-party app such as booking.com, you need to message them for your door code. Nobody ever answers the phone.

We’d stay again in this self-catered room, and the Wi-Fi is free. The service was good too: a young man offered to bring extra towels, coffee and milk, and offered to clean the room and empty the bins during our stay. The rooms are comfortable and clean, with a bed, sofa, bathroom, fridge, kettle, cutlery, plates, glasses, TV, microwave and sink. We liked being able to buy food locally and heat what we needed. It’s a small Victorian room rental rather than a hotel in the usual sense. The beach, gay bars, shops and wine bars are about 200 metres away, and it was quiet at night. The Gym Group is also around 200 metres away on the seafront, no more than a slow seven-minute walk. At £80 a night with gay pride the following week, we thought it was good value and met our needs. A few minor things could be better: the bath mat needed cleaning, and we could have used a tea towel for drying dishes. The hall, stairs and landing carpet needs replacing, and the hallway door frames need repainting. It looks a bit grubby on arrival, which is a shame when everything else is okay for the price.