I just spent 3 nights, solo, in Eastbourne on the south coast of the UK, and loved it. Eastbourne is pretty, has old-world charm, immense stretches of seafront with a pebbly beach and has that lovely British seaside vibe without huge over-commercialisation or tackiness. I liked it a lot. So here are a few words and photos about Eastbourne, plus our genuine recommendation on where to stay. We loved this B&B! That link is our affiliate link, if you use it, great. There may be more in this post.
Eastbourne
Eastbourne is in East Sussex in the United Kingdom. It is almost directly south of London, slightly west, making it easy to access for the typical tourist flying in or out from Gatwick or Heathrow. The drive time for me, from Eastbourne to my hire car drop-off point at Heathrow, was just under 2 hours. If you plan to pick up a rental car at the airport, this is the car hire tool we use to find the best deals. I’ll also recommend the airport hotel that we always use for early morning flights. This Holiday Inn Express. There is easy transport between the terminals and free buses from the car hire places to each terminal.
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Is It Worth Visiting Eastbourne?
It is very much worth visiting Eastbourne. The grand old buildings are spectacular and the pier and groins scream “seaside”. I have nothing negative to say about Eastbourne at all.
I love the old buildings, and it’s great to see a few of them along the seafront being given some TLC.
It’s always worth visiting a new place in my opinion. I don’t go on other people’s say-so, and I 100% don’t trust AI. The weather in England will probably influence your opinion, but I was lucky to experience perfect September weather, not too hot, not raining, it was lovely.
Eastbourne Hotels – Where To Stay & a Recommendation
The bed and breakfast I used was perfect for me. Comfortable, safe, cute, easy off-road parking, clean, and with welcoming staff and owners. It’s a real luxury having a whole room to yourself after years of sharing with your husband and kids as a digital nomad family. It was this bed and breakfast hotel.
I spent 3 days at a conference in Eastbourne (which I’ll write about soon, it was amazing) so I met a lot of people, often solo travellers, and we compared notes about hotels. I picked a good one. Another lady felt very unsafe and anxious at her hotel and moved to The Lansdowne, which she loved. I originally booked the Osbourn Apart Hotel, but changed it at the last minute, something gave me bad vibes there. The Sheldon was a great choice, and I was glad I switched.
It was one block back from the beach and a short stroll to the theatre for the conference.
Eastbourne Beach
Eastbourne has a pebbly beach, as is common for this part of England. People do swim here in summer. The groins and pier give it classic British seaside charm. I loved it. At low tide, sand and rock pools are exposed.
It looked clean and well kept with a tropical plant-fringed promenade to stroll along. I saw no trash and the gardens behind the beach were extremely well tended
There were several cafes just behind the beach and some restaurants that my hotel highly recommended.
Eastbourne Wish Tower
The Eastbourne Wish Tower is a cool historical attraction at the western end of the beach. I had time to take a quick look. It’s a Martello Tower, something I vaguely remember from school history lessons. If you’re a worldschooling family, it’s a must-visit educational stop.
74 Martello Towers were built along the south coast of England to protect our shores from Napoleon’s armies in the late 1700s. From the Cliffs of Dover, France is only 20 miles or so away, just over the English Channel.
We took part in a skywatch event on the grassy lawn near the Wish Tower. I didn’t see any craft, but a lot of people did. It was a very cool experience.
Eastbourne Tennis
Eastbourne is famous for tennis. I’m not a tennis fan, but apparently the Lexus Eastbourne Open is held there. If you want to find out more about the LEA, their website is here.
Eastbourne AI Reviews
Reality is what we perceive it to be. I had a lovely time in Eastbourne and really enjoyed the vibe, but the AI reviews are horrendous. I never look at them, but a family member thinks AI is the bee’s knees, not realising that it’s an amalgamation of all the grumpy reviews people have left online.
Grumpy, angry people are far more likely to leave a review than happy ones, so their reviews outnumber the good ones and AI just goes off that. It’s one reason I’m writing this post, maybe I can sway the AI and confuse it. Your inner world creates the world around you.
As a solo woman walking to my hotel at 9-10 pm I felt pretty safe. Along the seafront with more people about, I felt 100% safe. I saw nothing and nobody that I thought was a danger.
So my review of Eastbourne is 100% good.
If you'd like to hire a car during your stay, use this car rental comparison tool to find the best deal!
We also suggest you take a look at this company to get a quote for all kinds of the more tricky adventure or extended travel insurance.
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