Conde Nast Traveller

December 2008

What is it? A small but sophisticated B&B in a white painted, 19th Century terraced house on a quiet street off the Kemptown seafront. It’s close enough to walk to Brighton and just far enough from the stag and hen-do crowds to get some peace. VisitBritain has awarded it five stars.Behind the scenes. Enthusiastic owner manager Russell Braterman and Claas Wulff bought the property in March, after rejecting Cape Town and settling on Brighton as a location for their first business venture together. The formerly down at heal B&B has been totally transformed. The cleverest changes are unseen. Plumbing that makes for high pressure, instantly hot showers and soundproofing that masks the noise of other guests, blissfully. The open door policy means you can come and go as you please, but press a buzzer and one of the pair will appear instantly, ready to help. (“We live in the dungeon downstairs” jokes Braterman.)

Eat. Breakfast is served until 11 am at weekend in a blue high ceilinged dining room furnished with leatherette banquettes and cashmere-covered chairs. I had eggs Florentine (there are also eggs Benedict, pancakes, patisserie and a full English), accompanied by the smoothie of the day (banana plum and pear with a strawberry garnish on this occasion). There is now restaurant so you will have to go out for dinner, but the in-room guide has helpful recommendations. We liked Food for Friends, a stylish vegetarian in the Lanes without a hint of knit your-own musli attitude, where we had stuffed Portobello mushrooms with pesto sauce and sweet potato gratin with roasted red pepper coulis.

Sleep. All nine bedrooms, from the very compact “Snug Double” to the spacious “Fabulous Four-Poster” have dreamy mattresses (Hypnos or Vi-Spring) and a simple shades-of grey colour scheme accented with splashes of turquoise and silver accessories (lamp stands, wine cooler, pen trays). While not exactly groundbreaking, the look is expensively elegant. Shutters and sailing themed photography add a subtle seaside feel.

Who goes there? Down-from-London media types, suburban couples and the occasional business person making the most of the mid week rates.

What is there to do?

Indulge voyeuristic inclinations with the binoculars provided (the neighbours opposite were surprisingly compelling) or book a spa treatment in your room. Buzzing, gay friendly cosmopolitan Kemp Town is on your doorstep as is the beach, which turns into a naturist area if you keep heading west (we trusted the in-room guide on that one). The antique shops and art galleries of the Lanes and the restaurants of the centre of Brighton are about a 20-minute walk away. For the nocturnal a list of nightclub recommendations is also provided.

We like. The novelty of sleeping in the largest four-poster bed in Brighton and the friendly, unpretentious atmosphere.

We don’t like. Only one of the rooms has a bath tub. Elsewhere wetrooms are perfectly formed but small. And while squawking seagulls are a locational hazard to be expected, earplugs are recommended if you want a lie-in.

Price: Doubles from £85, including brerakfast.