Belle Tout Lighthouse — Hotel in Eastbourne

We had a wonderful two day stay at ‘Belle Tout’ Lighthouse. |This is a truly unique experience staying in a spectacular location. ||Ian was the most genuinely warm, friendly and informative host we could have wished to meet. His culinary skills at breakfast time were beyond expectation and his ‘welcome’ drinks at 5pm a lovely touch offering us a chance to get to know other guests and ask questions on the area and about the history of this incredible Lighthouse. ||Each bedroom offered its own charm and was totally unique, offering guests different views. Our cosy room was decked out beautifully with many nice touches. ||The Lighthouse offers an airy kitchen/diner to sit where a delicious breakfast is served. |This is on a par with any Michelin recognised establishment. ||The Lounge is bright and a lovely place to meet for late afternoon drinks. In addition there are community fridges provided for guests to bring their own drinks and snacks. ||The crowning glory is the top Lantern room where you can sit and watch the most beautiful sunset from and outside there is a wrap around balcony to view it from too. Not for the feint hearted as there are steep steps up, which are natural to a Light house of course! ||The local area offers stunning scenic walks over the Seven Sisters cliff tops and towards Beachy head. It’s not surprisingly popular with tourists, as is such| an iconic beauty spot. ||* Due to the very hot weather the main road leading down to ‘Belle Tout’ Lighthouse was being treated as a racing track by both motorbikes and cars throughout our stay. Unfortunately it continued until midnight on one evening and restarted again at 7am! The manager is doing everything within his capability to put a stop to it, but at the end of the day it is down to the council and police to sort. We do hope they can get this...

Oh my, where do I start...?! We stayed at Belle Tout following a friend's recommendation. It was one of the nicest places I've stayed, and for so many reasons. When we arrived we were met by Ian who showed us around, including the lantern room at the top with 360 views. He then invited us to join him and other guests for complementary drinks later. We stayed in the Captain's Cabin, which we chose because of the view of the sea and Beachy Head Lighthouse. The room was immaculate. It had a nice sized shower which worked really well and lovely soft towels. The bed was really comfortable and there was a good selection of teas, individual filter coffee sachets and hot chocolate in the room. On each floor there is a fridge which you can use to put your own drinks in. We met Ian and some other guests later, enjoying a glass of wine and some great conversation, prior to getting a taxi into Eastbourne for dinner. We did the same the following evening, meeting some new guests. In the morning we had an excellent breakfast - the freshest fruit salad, plus the usual options (only so much better thanks to Ian's catering background), and some specials . My husband had his amazing omelette roulade - see the photo. We enjoyed learning about the history of the lighthouse while we were there, and the passion of all those involved in making it what it is today. They even had some of the old hydraulic jacks from 1999 when the lighthouse was moved 56 feet inland to keep it safe from coastal erosion. We will definitely be going back (and fancy the quirky Keepers Loft...

Even if you are not a lighthouse fan, staying here will give you the best memories and photos you could possibly get anywhere in the world.|You may think that’s an exaggeration until you get there and look out of your window. I will put some photos on this review to give you an idea, but they can’t do it justice - only being there will you realise the beauty.|A chap called Ian is the manager, ably assisted by Julie, Gemma, and Louise. Together they are an amazing team that keeps the whole operation running with such a friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The rooms are all superb, varying in size and spotlessly clean. I tried the captain’s cabin for two nights and the exciting keeper’s loft for a night to get the authentic lighthouse keeper experience, climbing up a ladder to get into bed!|You can go up the original steps to the lantern room which is a spacious lounge right at the top which offers an amazing 360 degree view of the South Downs, the coast and out to sea. If the Queen mother (Mary) can do it anyone can. One last thing: Ian is a chef so try his breakfasts - most of the time a “special” is available - his omelette roulade is the best breakfast I’ve ever had at any hotel.|I would give them 10 stars if I could. |I hope this review is not too “gushy” - it is from the heart - if you look out of their lovely lounge at the sunset you will most likely experience the emotion I did. I will never forget the experience and will be...