Review: The Grand Hotel Brighton
by Elena Greco
May 2017
When I decided to attend a writer’s workshop in Brighton, England, I wanted to stay at The Grand Brighton Hotel. I’m a fan of interesting architecture and Victorian furnishings, and the hotel is right on the sea—my favorite place to be. But by the time I got around to making my reservation, they didn’t have a complete week available, so I had to stay elsewhere. Instead, I opted to have Afternoon Tea on the terrace after I arrived. I gathered from the advertising that the terrace was either open or looked out on the ocean. Neither was the case. It was in the front of the hotel, but there were regular windows looking out on the sea, which were shuttered! I so wanted those shutters gone so that I could have a clear view of the ocean. However, the room was lovely, with bright, cheerful greens and a modern décor. As for the afternoon tea, the food was just so-so, even tasteless. The salmon sandwiches, also bland, lacked the taste of salmon. The tea, however—Napoleon in my case—was superb. Regardless of the food, and even without the sea view, the experience was lovely, especially *after* I finished afternoon tea. The hotel itself was gorgeous; I do want to stay there if I visit Brighton again. And most of all, Maria, one of the employees of the hotel, made my experience just perfect. She was friendly and gracious, and when she saw that I was taking photos of the beautiful lobby, she asked if I would like for her to take my picture there! Such a kind gesture. The picture she took of me standing by the piano (I am a musician) is one of my favorites of the entire trip. Because of Maria, I will always have a fond memory of The Grand Brighton. Maria, if you ever come to New York City, please look me up so that I can return the favor. And Grand Brighton, you have a wonderful employee there. So let’s see: food average, tea terrific, terrace view obstructed (get rid of those shutters and open the windows!), gorgeous hotel on the beach and wonderful employee named Maria!See Elena’s bios for more information about the author.