Getaways as a parent can be tricky. Staying in a hotel usually means putting your child to bed, and then sitting less than six feet from them, waiting for them to go to sleep before you dare move… or is that just me?!
We were very excited then, to try out an apartment with Brighton Getaways. We had never stayed in an apartment before, and S had never been to Brighton so we were really looking forward to it.
We stayed in a seaside patio apartment and you can see the Facebook live video we did when we arrived here. The first thing we noticed when we arrived was how close we were to the sea. Here is the view from the front door of the apartment:
We love the sea so it was great to be so close, but as well as being close to the sea we were close to St James’s Street which has tons of shops and cafes, and leads down towards Old Steine, which leads to the pier. I’m good at getting lost, so not having too many directions to remember was perfect!
We arrived fairly late in the day, and the weather was beautiful so we dropped our things off and went straight out. Being so close to the pier, we couldn’t resist investigating… and basically spent the rest of the day on the pier!
On Brighton Pier there are tons of rides for adults and for children. I bought S a wristband for £10 which gave her unlimited use of the rides. We only had a couple of hours, but she definitely made the most of it and had loads of fun. She was really in her element and it was great as a parent to be able to say yes every time she asked to go on something; the rides are £2.50 each, so once you’ve been on four of them, the wristband becomes incredible value for money and the pier becomes a five year old’s favourite place.
And to think I had been worried about how I would entertain S for an evening in Brighton!
When we finally got back to the apartment, it was great to be able to close the door and feel like we were “home” rather than being in a soulless hotel room.
The decoration in the apartment is really stylish and makes good use of the space. It’s actually at basement level and I had been worried it would be dark and dingy but clever use of mirrors in the living room make it seem very open, light and spacious – and they’re great for taking selfies!
That cupboard on the right of the picture has spare blankets and even a spare duvet, which would be useful in the middle of winter (or if there were more people staying).
I feel it’s worth mentioning the kitchen here, because I was impressed. There were supplies for hot drinks, including UHT milk which is useful for those who can’t function without their coffee (mentioning no names!). The cupboards were fully stocked with pans, crockery, mugs and glasses to the point that we could have invited people round for dinner and not run out of anything I think.
This sofa was so comfortable and the green blankets are a lovely touch. I used them to stay cosy as I read my book during the evening.
This is the view from the patio, which was the perfect size for us to get some fresh air (or for me to sit and read my book in the evening). We had been planning to eat breakfast out here in the morning… but when we got up it was raining!
This is the second bedroom, which we didn’t use. S loved the pineapple lamp so we switched it on for a while to admire its… pineappliness! This bedroom has two single beds side by side.
This is the bedroom we shared. That lump in the bed is S, quietly snoring away after a very busy afternoon on the pier. She slept like an absolute log, which is unlike her. I thought the noise from the seagulls would keep her awake (I hadn’t realised how loud they are!) but they didn’t bother her at all. I had been concerned when we arrived to see that there was a pub just up the road – but we weren’t disturbed at all and both slept well.
This bedroom has a single bed either side of the room, and also one of those bunk bed sets with a double bed below (where I slept). There’s also a fold-up bed that would serve for another person – and plenty of space on the floor for it either in this room or in the living room. So you could comfortably have 8 people sleeping in this apartment (assuming two shared the double bed). And they could all have a cup of coffee in the morning without running out of mugs. (trust me; this is a big deal. I stayed in an apartment once in Poland that slept 4 but only had 2 cups. It was like a bizarre form of torture)
Now, this next photo might seem a little odd to you, but I was very impressed:
This is a USB charger in the electric sockets in the kitchen – so even if you’ve left your plug at home, as long as you have a USB cable, you can charge your devices! It might just be because I’m from a relative backwater and live in an ancient house with a ’70s kitchen, but I’ve never seen this sort of plug before!
I have worked in hotel housekeeping more than once, and possibly because of the high standards I had to clean rooms to, I judge hotels and apartments by their cleanliness. I have to say, I could not fault this apartment. It was spotlessly clean and really felt fresh and comfortable. If was really picking, I would say the bathroom smelled a little damp – but that’s just bathrooms isn’t it and it was easily remedied by opening the window in the hall opposite for a while.
We had a fantastic time in Brighton; coming back to an apartment at the end of the day, and waking up in our own space in the morning was fantastic. S was able to eat breakfast at her own pace; I was able to make my weird green juice drink and hot lemon water without random stranger hotel guests wondering what the hell I was up to, and S had space to just sit on the sofa and chill with me.
The booking process was really easy and smooth; I received an email with all the information I needed to find the apartment including the code to get in the door – there is no key which is great if a group of people are staying as you don’t have to worry about who has the keys if you get split up.
We texted when we got off the train, and Steve was waiting for us at the apartment to show us around so we had the opportunity to ask questions if we needed to.
As she got ready for bed after our evening in Brighton, S said to me: we’ve had a great day today haven’t we mummy. She was so right! I’ve had to promise her we’ll go back soon so that she can try out all the rides and games she missed out on this time!
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