The sun is rising in the sky and thankfully the temperatures are now the right side of positive - so the Ron Hills are stashed once more at the back of the drawers. Judging by the amount of lycra jogging along the sea front the marathon season is surely upon us.

We have a training weekend based here at The Guesthouse East  in Eastbourne this weekend, courtesy of The Running Inn , complementing their monthly courses for enthusiastic runners. I’ve packed the cupboards with porridge in preparation……

We have the Eastbourne half marathon on March 7th and the Hastings half marathon on the 21st March, all leading to the inaugural Brighton Marathon on 18th April. We have bookings for accommodation coming in thick and fast, both for the events and training so if you haven’t yet found a hotel or B&B in Eastbourne yet I suggest you make a reservation asap.

Don’t forget if you stay here on Wednesday nights you get a free pass to the running club, for frollics along the sea front. And it’s Friday today so that can only mean one thing – circuits by Eastbourne bandstand @ 6pm with Military Mike Ovens. I decided to rock up last week in old school Dunlop Green Flash and am proud to say I felt physically sick within the hour. No pain, no gain ‘n all that. Stand next to me during the session and you can’t fail to feel fit and vibrant by comparison.

Call 01323 722774 for more details.

With scenery from chalk grassland to rolling wooded hills, coastal plains and magnificent cliffs such as Beachy Head and the Seven Sisters, the South Downs has just appeared in The Times ‘Top 20 places to cycle’.

And the marketing team at Eastbourne Tourism must be enjoying their Sussex breakfasts this morning with another top recommendation (again in The Times Saturday supplement) with ‘Top spots for rockpooling’ - ’Seven Sisters Country Park’, it highlights, ‘has acres of rockpools beneath white cliffs. Park at Friston Forest, walk half a mile to the sea, then head west along the pebbles’.

Apparently Britain can expect its lowest tides for yonks at the end of this month so if you fancy unearthing some coastal creatures dig out an old pair of trainers and get ready for some slithering over seaweed. Let me know you’re heading down there and I might well cycle down.

Tags: beachy head, cycling in sussex, seven sisters, South Downs, sussex breakfast, the times, top 20 places to cycle, top spots for rockpooling

We’ve just moved to a new school and are now studying a completely new curriculum, so to speak, since we’re fresh to this whole hotelier life in Eastbourne. So to be formally assessed and graded against everything from cleanliness, service and bathroom decoration is enough to set anyone on edge.

And like preparing for that school report you can put yourself on best behaviour, plumping up pillows and paying even more attention to cooking those locally-sourced breakfast sausages, but, boy, is it painful.

 So….a mighty sigh of relief when those gurus from Visit Britain decide we’re worth four-stars and a special silver rating! And a whopping 5-stars for hospitality and breakfast. Blimey.

As it turned out we had no idea it was the assessor until she produced her badge after checking out. Probably just as well. Too much doffing of cap aint pretty.

Tags: Bed and breakfast Eastbourne, bed and breakfast in eastbourne, Eastbourne hotel, enjoy england, five star, four star, hotel eastbourne, visit britain

Apparently UK tourism is set to be one of the few sectors to benefit from the recession, with 70% of people ready to book a holiday in the UK this year.

We’ve all been there – fractious children and frustrated parents stranded in airport lounges, disillusioned with the ‘glamour’ of air travel and, when coupled with a weak pound, it perhaps shouldn’t be surprising to hear that 39% are now considering to spend their main 2010 holiday here in the UK, up 10% on last year.  

The Guesthouse East, the boutique but family friendly hotel in Eastbourne, should be well placed since it is families who are likely to be at the heart of the ’staycation’ boom. It is those with children who are more likely to target self catering accommodation and coastal resorts. Just as well, then, that The Guesthouse East is just 50m from the sea front in Eastbourne and that each suite has a separate kitchen with self-catering facilities and large bedroom, often with an extra futon or sofa bed for children. And when mum doesn’t fancy spending any more time in the kitchen bed and breakfast is always available.

Check availability and book or give us a ring 01323 722774 to find out more.

Tags: accommodation in eastbourne, Bed and breakfast Eastbourne, boutique bed and breakfast, boutique hotels, British holidays, Eastbourne accommodation, Eastbourne bed and breakfast, eastbourne self catering, family friendly hotels, Family holidays, self catering in eastbourne, staycation, The Guesthouse east

Apparently Eastbourne has been touting itself as the New Brighton for yonks but maybe the hype is finally morphing into reality.

It remains a curious blend of old school chintz (certainly east of the pier), historical glamour and aspirational charm – the property development, Gresham House, next to us here at The Guesthouse East on Hartington Place sums it up rather well. Regency splendour with the beautiful Grade II-listed villas converted into urban chic and swanky apartments. The ‘Sold’ boards outside confidently assert that the London-esque prices haven’t deterred all despite the chill economic conditions.

There is a recognition that the town should embrace sentimentality (with 75th birthday celebrations for the Eastbourne bandstand this year) whilst welcoming ‘The Dark Monarch – Magic and Modernity in British Art’ at the impressive (and new) Towner Gallery, which includes work by Damian Hirst.

Even the national press seem to have finally recognised the momentum and tackled the A27, with recent pieces in the weekend travel supp of The Times and Culture 24.

So I suggest you pencil in a date and brace yourself for more than simply Beachy Head. You might just be very pleasantly surpised.

Double suites at the boutique hotel The Guesthouse East start from only £70 per night, self-catering. Bed and breakfast also available. Check availability or ring 01323 722774.

Tags: beachy head, damian hirst, Eastbourne bandstand, Gresham house, the dark monarch, The Guesthouse east, Towner Art Gallery, Towner gallery

If you know you Latin from your Ballroom, your Cha Cha from your Tango, you’ll be keen to hear that two of Strictly Come Dancing’s top stars Anton Du Beke and Erin Boag are putting on a performance at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne this February.

If you missed the sell-out tour last year be quick to book now – and while you’re at it, book some handily-placed accommodation in Eastbourne, such as the suitably chic hotel Guesthouse East on Hartington Place. Double suites are only £70 per night mid-week in February so dust off the DJ and polish the patent leather. Check availability.

Tags: accommodation in eastbourne, anton du beke, boutique hotels, Congress Theatre eastbourne, Eastbourne accommodation, Eastbourne hotel, Eastbourne hotels, eastbourne self catering, erin boag, hotel eastbourne, Hotels in Eastbourne, self catering eastbourne, strictly come dancing

Sub-zero temperatures, a biting north-easterly and watery January sunshine. The piscatorial equivalent of doing the hard yards. But at least we got of the mark with a first sea catch!

Hardly a record-breaker but at least it was a personal best – ok, a first – dab; a peculiar looking flatfish that tastes better than he looks apparently. Not that you’d get more than a mouthful off this little fella.

Tags: eastbourne fishing, eastbourne sea fishing, Fishing in Eastbourne, Langley Point, Sea fishing Eastbourne

….one positive side effect of the recent grim weather is that the registration deadline  for Eastbourne Festival 2010 has been extended to January 29th.

So, if you think you can dance, sing, recite literature or perhaps simply raise a single eyebrow in an impressive fashion I suggest you sign up sharpish. It could be your year!

This year’s event runs from Friday 5th to Saturday 20th February, promising events, workshops, orchestras and an artists’ open houses.

Given the sheer scale of the festival accommodation in Eastbourne will be in demand, especially those near to the Winter Garden.

Ring 01323 722774 for availability at The Guesthouse East, the boutique bed and breakfast. Enjoy luxurious bedrooms, spacious ensuites and seperate kitchens within the suites. Prices from only £70 per night self catering.

Tags: Bed and breakfast Eastbourne, Eastbourne accommodation, Eastbourne Festival, Eastbourne festival 2010, eastbourne guest houses, got to dance, Hotels in Eastbourne, so you think you can dance?, Winter Garden

It seems that celebrity status isn’t reserved purely for guests at this rather chic bed and breakfast in Eastbourne. The Guesthouse East was on the telly (again) recently with filming here as part of Escape Down Under.

It seems we could be on the verge of losing Sally, a pillar of the running club based here, to the NE coast of Oz at some point this year, as tropical temperatures, surf, sand and the prospect of a relaxed lifestyle won her and her family over. Ok, Eastbourne might not have the sand but don’t we tick most of the other boxes??

Tags: Bed and breakfast Eastbourne, bed and breakfast in eastbourne, boutique b&b, Chic bed and breakfast, Eastbourne accommodation, eastbourne B&B, Escape Down Under, the running inn

It’s disorientating munching on Cheerios on a Sunday morning, gazing not upon the lapping waters of the Channel in Eastbourne but the murky skies of London.
It’s always a treat catching up with friends and an impromptu weekend away from our boutique bed and breakfast in Eastbourne, but it’s sad to have to postpone our pregnancy pilates and pampering weekend.
The micorclimate in Eastbourne is as real as ever, protected by Beachy Head and the South Downs – we’ve hardly had any snow on Hartington Place, set just back from the sea – but bad roads and icy pavements elsewhere is no place to risk an outing for a pregnent lady. We really felt for the mums-to-be (some had had the weekends as presents off loved ones, others were coming with partners primed for several hours of prodding and pampering courtesy of our esteemed masseur). The good news is that we’ve set an additional weekend – 29th/30th January.
So, if you fancy an introduction to pregnancy pilates and a weekend of pampering to feel at your best in the run up to the birth give us a call 01323 722774 for more details.

Tags: boutique bed and breakfast, eastbourne B&B, Eastbourne bed & breakfast, Exercise during pregnancy, pampering weekends, pregnancy and exercise, Pregnancy pilates, weekend breaks