The Best Bed and Breakfasts in Brighton, England

This Grade II-listed Georgian home in Kemptown is so close to Brighton Pier you can practically smell the candy floss from your window. Rooms are decked out in heavenly blush and tan tones to better take advantage of the natural light pouring in through the bay windows. Coffee machines, ironing facilities and binoculars also come as standard. Breakfasts include eggs benedict with tomatoes on the vine and blueberry pancakes dashed with maple syrup.

Visitors to Snooze can select from six rooms and two suites so gloriously kitsch they make Austin Powers look conservative – expect plenty of leather, animal print and pin-up portraits. It’s a fitting tribute to its home in Kemptown, Brighton’s LGBTQ centre, where rainbow flags fly from cabaret bars and drag venues. There’s no breakfast, but they’ve arranged a text and delivery boxed breakfast service from nearby cafe Egg & Spoon.

Husband-and-wife owners Sean and Kathryn pride themselves on the details at this whitewashed Kemptown villa 12 minutes’ walk from the pier. The tea trays in each room come loaded with KitKats, biscotti and hot chocolate, while the immaculate bathrooms feature high-end Orla Kiely toiletries. Breakfasts are locally sourced and feature smoked salmon with scrambled eggs, wild mushrooms on toasted brioche and the traditional full English.

Fresh from a 2020 summer facelift, the New Steine brings a little bit of Basque Country to Brighton. Biarritz-born owner Hervé Guyat used to dress the window displays for Valentino’s Sloane Street store and now applies that knowledge to the guest house’s chic, understated rooms. Predictably, the bar carries an excellent selection of French wine and champagne; breakfast croissants come courtesy of local suppliers Real Patisserie. The Royal Pavilion and Palace Pier are both within a 15-minute walk and the surrounding Kemptown area has an impressive range of restaurants and drinking dens.

Owners Barbara and Jon bought this four-floor Georgian town house in 2018 and have since transformed it into a homely traditional B&B. They – and the multilingual staff – are happy to assist with restaurant and bar recommendations in colourful Kemptown, where LGBTQ-friendly cabarets alternate with aromatic Indian eateries. Breakfast is prepared à la carte: choose from a full English, avocado toast or homemade granola. Queen’s Park and the beach are both within a short stroll.

Party people be warned: the Brightonwave has a reputation for relaxation, and aspiring clubbers arrive and are sucked into such comfortable luxury that they may never leave. Room 8, with its super-king bed, whirlpool bath and private patio, is a particularly dangerous prospect, as is the continental breakfast in bed option. If you do manage to extricate yourself from the sheets, Palace Pier is an eight-minute walk away, as are some of Kemptown’s best LGBTQ bars and clubs.

Upending the status quo with decor that’s more boutique than B&B, Paskins throws out the traditional pastels and replaces them with retro collectibles, rainforest wallpaper and art nouveau prints. Its eco credentials, too, are ahead of the curve. They’ve served organic vegetarian cuisine here for the last 20 years; their take on rarebit, with Indian chutney and Chinese spices, is a highlight. And the location is excellent – moments from the sea and a 15-minute walk to Palace Pier and the Brighton Pavilion.

Tucked behind the broad bay windows of a Regency-style facade is a nostalgic B&B with a taste for the traditional. Breakfasts are served in the pub-like front room and feature sausages from the Brighton Sausage Co, Tiptree jams and Teapigs teas. Owners Matt Fletcher and Andy Cole are a font of local knowledge and go the extra mile for guests, leaving Tunnock’s Teacakes in rooms and marking birthdays with chocolates and a card. This being Kemptown, you’re just a stone’s throw from the pier.