Brighton has no shortage of great hotels for every budget, so the hardest part is picking which one is right for you.
I live in Brighton, but if I were spending the weekend here, I’d want to wake up facing the sea, preferably in a cute boutique hotel with plenty of personality.
These are the seven boutique hotels in Brighton I love to recommend, from eccentric old favourites to newer seaside stays.
1 Artist Residence
Best for: creative surroundings and sea views
Double rooms from: around £130/night
I recommend this Brighton hotel overlooking the West Pier the most. Like its other hotels in London, Cornwall, Oxfordshire and Bristol, it’s playful and fun.
It feels like you’re staying at your stylish artist friend or eccentric relative’s house – there’s a lounge filled with comfy chairs and sofas, a chilled-out dining room decorated with art, where you can work on a computer, meet friends for a drink (they have a bar) or just relax.
The rooms feel like bohemian apartments, with vintage furniture, eclectic rugs, and cool art. They also have a separate apartment downstairs if you want to stay with friends.
We stayed here on a wedding anniversary night and loved the playful ambience, and the fact we could get a cocktail before and after dinner at Bincho Yakitori, one of my favourite places to eat in Brighton.
Book your stay at Artist Residence Brighton here.
2 No. 124 by GuestHouse
Best for: a stylish splurge near Hove
Double rooms from: around £175/night
No. 124 by Guesthouse is the perfect boutique seafront hotel in Brighton, set in three beautiful Regency townhouses facing the sea. It’s luxurious, but doesn’t take itself too seriously, which feels very Brighton.
I love its polished bohemian vibe and the little Guesthouse touches: lots of colour, pattern, rattan, vintage-style furniture, playful little nods to Brighton, record players in the bedrooms and help-yourself pantries for drinks and snacks.
The location is also excellent: smack in the middle of the seafront near Hove Lawns, close to lots of great Hove neighbourhood restaurants, pubs and boutiques, and far enough away from the city-centre bustle for dipping in and out.
Some rooms have balconies and sea views, there’s a lovely lounge for cocktails, a dreamy spa downstairs and the Pearly Cow restaurant for a proper dinner.
Book your stay at No 124 by Guesthouse here.
3 The Oriental
Best for: a good-value seaside studio stay
Double rooms from: around £100/night
The Oriental on Oriental Place used to be a traditional little hotel, but it’s recently been turned into a collection of self-contained suites inside the same beautiful Regency townhouse near the West Pier.
It’s close to the seafront for blustery walks, and the Hove end of Western Road for indy shopping, cafes and restaurants (like The Little Fish Market, one of my favourite romantic Brighton restaurants).
There are just nine studios, each with an ensuite bathroom, Smart TV, tea and coffee facilities and a mini fridge stocked with complimentary drinks and snacks. It’s a simpler set-up than the old hotel and one of the more affordable places on this list.
The building has a brilliant Brighton backstory too. In the 1980s, it was home to the Brighton Belle nightclub, where Norman Cook – aka Fatboy Slim – DJed, before becoming the Beacon Royal Hotel, an important LGBTQ+ venue in the 1990s.
Book your stay at The Oriental.
4 Hotel Pelirocco
Best for: kitschy rock ‘n’ roll vibes
Double rooms from: around £95/night
This kitschy hotel is the antidote to all those tasteful beige boutique hotels. It sits on Regency Square, a few steps from the sea, and has 19 themed bedrooms.
You can sleep in a David Bowie room, Dolly Parton’s country cabin, a Diana Dors-inspired pin-up parlour or a Motown room with its own record player. There’s even a knitted room.
A couple face the sea, including Tropical Paradise, which comes with a hammock, while Koibito Love has a balcony looking across Regency Square towards the water.
Downstairs is a late-night cocktail bar and karaoke parlour which also hosts gigs, events and a monthly comedy night. A proper cooked breakfast is included (if you book direct). Think Eggs Florentine, Full English and even black pudding, with fruit, cereal and toast options, too.
Book your stay at Hotel Pelirocco here.
5 Drakes
Best for: lavish romantic décor and sea views
Double rooms from: around £110/night
This is a great option for a splurgy weekend in Brighton. It’s set in two Regency townhouses right on Marine Parade, overlooking Brighton Pier.
Contemporary rooms feel plush and some of the best have freestanding baths facing huge floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can splash around while enjoying the twinkly lights of the pier.
It’s at the Kemptown end of the centre, so you can walk to the pier, the Pavilion and the Lanes, but you’re also handy for Sea Lanes, the Beach Box Sauna Spa and all the bars and restaurants around St James’s Street.
There’s a clubby cocktail bar downstairs, and an award-winning restaurant called Dilsk (I’ve not been yet, but I’ve heard great things).
Book your stay at Drakes here.
6 Regency Square Suites
Best for: luxe interiors, families and groups
Double rooms from: around £185/night
This is the newest addition to this list and, strictly speaking, it isn’t a hotel. It’s a collection of 10 self-contained apartments inside a beautifully restored Regency townhouse overlooking Regency Square.
The interiors are calm and grown-up rather than flashy: oak, walnut, stone, wool rugs, lovely bathrooms. They feature bits made by Brighton and Sussex artists and makers. They even stock my books, Secret Brighton and Secret Sussex – a lovely surprise to spot them when I visited!
Suites feel more like smart apartments than hotel rooms. Each has its own kitchen and living space, making them perfect for family or group trips. There’s no restaurant on site, but you can order breakfast and snack boxes from Antipasto by the Sea.
Half the rooms face south towards the sea. I love Suite Three with a big bay window looking across the square towards the i360 and West Pier.
Book your stay at Regency Square Suites here.
7 Blanch House
Best for: noughties boutique hotel nostalgia
Double rooms from: around £100/night
Brighton’s original boutique hotel is alive and well tucked down a quiet Kemptown side street just off the seafront. It’s tiny – only 12 rooms – and feels much more personal than staying somewhere big.
Each room has a different look and name. There’s Moroccan, Alice, Poppy, Harlequin and Snowstorm, so choosing your room is part of the fun.
I like the location too. You’re seconds from the sea, close to Kemptown’s cafés, pubs, cocktail bars and restaurants, but on a residential street away from the busiest part of the centre.
There’s also a little residents’ cocktail and Champagne bar downstairs, serving classic and signature cocktails, specialist spirits and Champagne from Perrier-Jouët and Pommery – two of the rooms are even named after them.
Book your stay at Blanch House here.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this post, would you consider buying me a coffee?
