Leonardo Royal Hotel Brighton Waterfront

The reception and dining area look beautiful, and the hotel is in a perfect location. In the room, though, the second bed hadn’t been made up because there wasn’t really a second bed, just an uncomfortable sofa bed. We’d paid extra for an Executive Room and weren’t happy with that. There was dust on the bedroom ceiling and a cobweb in the bathroom. The room did have a nice supply of water, tea, coffee, sugar, milk, espresso pods and biscuits. The car park under the hotel is council-owned and costs £40.50 for 24 hours. It was covered in urine and smelled unbearable, a real health hazard. The lift from there to the hotel wasn’t working, so my son, who uses crutches, had to hop up three flights of stairs. The hotel may be four stars, but I’d put the rooms at three. For a third of the price, I’d stay 20 minutes away somewhere with free parking and a proper four-star room.

We were upgraded to a sea view room for our anniversary, which made our lovely stay even more special. The rooms were clean, the beds comfortable, and we enjoyed the spa facilities and pool. It was nice to pop down for a swim. We’ll definitely come back to this hotel.

Juan at the breakfast buffet was always our waiter in the mornings, and he was friendly, attentive and polite every time. He went out of his way to make sure we felt looked after. The buffet had lots of choice, and everything was fresh and nicely presented. The whole hotel felt relaxed but still classy and well run. It was clean and modern, and the location was great for our Brighton trip. Everyone we met was welcoming. We had a lovely stay at Leonardo Royal Hotel Brighton and would happily stay again.

The parking turned out fine despite my earlier concerns. The Lanes Car Park beside the hotel was clean and manageable even with an estate car. Hotel reception can be reached by lift from levels 2 and 4 only, and the public lift was out of order. Level 1 has step-free access to the street. To enter the car park on foot from the street, you need to scan your parking ticket, so keep it handy. Parking is expensive, but the hotel discount brought my 24-hour charge down to £29 from £49. They let me check out and come back later to pay, which meant we could stay longer. You pay at reception and get a voucher, then scan both the ticket and voucher at the car park machine. As for the hotel, the room was large with a firm but comfortable bed. Tea, coffee, water and biscuits were complimentary, and breakfast had a good buffet selection.