Last Updated on September 30, 2016 by Fiona Maclean
Mid-Week Break in Eastbourne:

















For extreme sports addicts, there are croquet and putting greens.
But if making a splash is more or style then the pool beckons.
After a swim and a drink by the pool it was time for dinner and we were able to stroll down to the Mirabelle, in The Grand Hotel, which is the place to go for fine-dining in Eastbourne.
Choosing the set dinner at £44 per head dinner at The Mirabelle is a delightful way to spend an evening. Any vagaries in the cooking is made up for by old-fashioned service though I wish they would bring back the pianist!
I particularly enjoyed my main dish of Wild sea bass with potted shrimp and black truffle (£12.50 supplement) and the honey and apple notes of our bottle of Maçon-Lugny, Les Genièvres, Louis Latour 2013 from the mature wine list.
To finish off our evening with a bang we headed down to the 1812 Firework Concert with the Lewes, Glynde and Beddingham Brass held at the Eastbourne bandstand, the ‘busiest bandstand in the UK’. With several hundred people in the audience, there was a lovely atmosphere as the band thundered through a selection of popular favourites ending with the firework cannon blasts of Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture.
Eastbourne has a very particular type of English charm, restrained and elegant on the surface but underneath there are lots of fun and interesting things to do. It’s well worth a visit. For more information look at the Visit Eastbourne website where there are lots of special offers including 3 nights for the price of two at The Hydro Hotel and reduced price entry to Michelham Priory.
What a lovely day! I’ll actually be housesitting near Eastbourne this summer so this is perfect timing to read. I’ll definitely pay a visit to Michelham Priory. Great post, thanks for sharing 🙂
Eastbourne looks quiet lovely! I would love to visit the monastery. I’m not sure why, but the fact that it has an interactive Victorian kitchen has really piqued my interest! I think it would be so cool to see!
I love learning about these out of the way places. England is full of old medieval architecture. Love it!
Reading this at 5 a.m. and all I could think of is how nice would it be if I can have that date crumble now, haha! But anyways, like you said, Eastbourne has the reputation of being a retirement town so I’d never really considered going there. The closest I have been is to Brighton, which I really love! Reading this however made me realise that maybe I should have taken a detour and explored a bit of Eastbourne!
Umm… Wild sea bass with potted shrimp and black truffle?? I would put truffle on anything. I’d put it in my coffee if it didn’t cost so much money! That dish looks heavenly, definitely on my list when visiting Eastbourne.
The Priory looks great and the hotel pool is charming. I remember that there’s a very good chocolate shop in Eastbourne somewhere!
LOL glad you remember the important things in life Suze;)
Looks like a cool region! I love all of the history and the more modern Towner art gallery sounds great too. The bike path would be fun to explore, as well, and it’s always great to end a night with fireworks!
It’s a part of the country that has a reputation for retirement living – there’s actually a LOT more going on in Eastbourne
You make Eastbourne sound far more charming than I would have thought. Thanks for the information.
I really like Eastbourne! Haven’t explored a lot of these places but they sound idyllic for a uk getaway, love the sound of the art gallery – the Tate has always been a favourite of mine!
The history in Eastbourne sounds amazing! There’s far more to it than just the ladies tennis…! Also any hotel that has croquet has me happy!
That looks wonderful – have never really spent time exploring around Eastbourne but I will now.