Amherst Brighton

Simply Excellent

The Amherst manages to combine designer style of big hotels with the intimacy and individual quirkiness of a guest house. The room was exceedingly comfortable with free extras such as bottled water and internet that are too often sold as extras. The Amherst is well located close to the sea front on a fairly quiet side street. The staff couldn't have been more helpful, even providing a hot breakfast at 6 am for an early flight.

Highly recommended. Beware though, the stairs and lack of lift can be a deterrent to the less able.

Superb Hotel

Having read the great Feedback for this hotel we had high expectations, and they were not unfounded. The cleanliness service and ambience is superb and compatable to 5 star hotels we have used previously. Good Location, although as its Brighton the parking can be a pain, the hotel recommended a underground NCP who charge £9 for 24hours, and although this is a stinker of a carpark there was plenty of spaces and in the scheme of things whats £9.

Breakfast was again beyond fault and it was a nice touch having it brought to the room. We will definately use the hotel again and again....

Great hotel, shame about the parking!!!

After hearing about the Amherst hotel from a friend and reading the reviews from the website we thought the hotel was a perfect choice. On arrival the staff were friendly and greeted us well. We had opted for a junior suit at an extra cost of about £20. For the larger room with the sea views it was definitely worth it. The cleanliness of the room and communal areas was very good and the toiletries (Molton Brown) were an excellent choice. The breakfast was fantastic, you are able to choose what you want for breakfast from a large menu and also you are able to choose what time you have you food. All breakfasts are delivered to your room. The way in which the hotel staff accommodates you is excellent. I'd recommend anyone to stay here. My only disappointment was at the end of my trip I returned to the car park at Brighton's marina to find my new Mazda MX-5 had been vandalised. Although this was no fault to the hotel I have found that they knew similar incidents had happened to cars belonging to their guests in the past, so why would they still be recommending it as a good car park for their guests. My advice is use the smaller car park closer to the hotel (Under the high-rise flats), it may look a little dodgy but it at least an NCP car park and probably a better option.

Amherst amazing!

My girlfriend and I stayed in the Junior Suite in August and it was a delight from start to finish. We were checked in early and from the moment we were shown to our room it was love at first sight. In fact, it was exceedingly difficult to to drag ourselves off the glorious king size bed, which was so comfy, my girlfriend wanted to take it home with her!

There was so many nice touches which make all the difference. The complimentary mineral water (why oh why don't all hotels do this?!), chocolates, peanuts, crisps, Molton Brown in the bathroom, leather sofa, funky lamps, strategically placed mirrors (!), breakfast delivered to your room when you want..

Great location, Brighton Rocks just round the corner (have the Wild Berry and Vodka Cheescake, go on, you deserve it!) and all the other cool bars on St James's St within staggering distance.

Must mention the lovely Patricia and Armand, the owners, so friendly and helpful, but please don't book up all the rooms coz we're coming back soon!

The best hotel I have ever stayed in!

I can honestly say that this is the BEST hotel in Brighton! I have stayed in large and small establishments including The Grand, Belgrade, Royal Albion, The Ship and The Ambassador!

Having been increasingly fed up with the cost of staying in half decent accommodation in Brighton we took a chance with this place given the reviews!

You will be pushed to find anywhere to stay in Brighton with much change from £100 so you expect a little bit of something special for your money!!!!!

We had an appalling stay at the Ambassador which is a few streets being Amherst and I was reluctant to try a small guest house/hotel for this reason!!!! Thank god we took the chance because we will NEVER stay anywhere else!

This is a long review because I have a lot of good things to say and I believe in criticism and credit where it is due!

We booked via the hotel website and had the option of a luxury double for just under a £100 or a junior suite for £120. After seeing the pictures of both which were both lovely we pushed the boat out and went for the junior suite,

The booking was easy and had a personal reply the following morning. I asked about parking and my query was responded to promptly! I also informed the owners my partner and I was Vegetarian and this was NOT a problem! So excellent pre arrival communication!!!!!

We had lots of PROBLEMS PARKING! We went to the Marina's free parking but it said maximum stay was 4 hours!!! We went into town and parked at CHURCHILLS!!!!!!!! DO NOT PARK HERE! £24 FOR 24 HOURS! We booked in and Patricia said to ignore the 4-hour rule about parking at the marina and the council assured her that it was not enforced! However as it was later in the evening and there was more space to park we chose the NCP 5 minutes from Amherst! It is small but we were fine with our Volvo estate and it was £9 for 24 hours! So if you come in the day go to Marina and if brave stay there but otherwise move to this small NCP when it is quieter!

The location of Amherst is about a ten-minute stroll from the centre and this was perfect because you do not have all the noise of the city at night!

On arrival Patricia who remembered who we were by our e-mails and she checked us in and showed us our room greeted us! There are a lot of stairs over four floors I think, but I have knee problems and Managed fine! IT IS WORTH IT!

The room and the whole hotel is SPOTLESS! It is worth viewing our room on there website to appreciate how nice they are! No need to bring toiletries as they are provided. Good quality Molten Brown products! The towels are so soft and smell so nice I would not be surprised if the were laundered by the owners as I have worked in large laundry in student days and try as you might laundry never smelt this good! Just like your Mum's! Also had complimentary snacks and 24 service via the phone. We stayed in room 7 and it was beautiful but when we return I want to stay in room 3, which has a gorgeous balcony! All the rooms were NON-smoking! We are both smokers but being in such a nice hotel we didn't even feel the need to smoke! There is no bar but I would imagine that alcohol is available on room service. All rooms have lots of hotel information. There are two rooms on each floor I think and although fully booked you cannot hear your neighbors at all!!!!

All rooms have flat screen TV and DVD players and this was a treat!

If you are vegetarian and environmentally conscious this is definitely the hotel for you!!!! They prepare the most amazing, legendary breakfasts to your room in the morning with a courtesy call beforehand. PLEASE NOTE ALL FOOD IS FRESHLY PREPARED AND MEAT IS NOTICABLY COOKED SEPARATE FROM VEGETARIAN FOOD! ALSO THE FOOD IS SOUCED LOCALLY WERE AVAILABE AND ORGANICALLY! THE HOTEL ALSO RECYCLES EVERYTHING THEY CAN AND ENCOURAGE THERE GUESTS TO LEAVE OUT ANY RECYLEABLE ITEMS LIKE WINE BOTTLES ETC!

The hotel also thinks of small ways of conserving energy and reducing waste by investing in energy saving light bulbs.

Our bed was amazing and the linen, duvet and pillows divine! You will not find a comfier bed anywhere!!!!!

NOTHING was too much trouble and this hotel was bought in 2004 and they spent a year doing it up in a very sensitive, contemporary, stylish way that makes you feel that you ARE getting your moneys worth! The hotel has been running since March 2005 and I do not think it will be long before this little gem is booked up way in advance!!! One thing is for sure I am certain that they will never compromise their integrity to their customers! They believe in providing the best for there guests and they certainly deliver! I get the impression it is a family business and I can honestly say from check in, room service, and check out everybody seemed only too happy to help!

I have NEVER had a good breakfast in a hotel and I have to say the breakfast here was AMAZING! If you are vegetarian it is important to note that the sausages were definitely good quality quorn rather than cheap substitutes for meat! The choice, presentation and delivery were the perfect start of the day!

I truly admire the owners and the staff who work at this hotel for their dedication and commitment to their customers and the future of there business!

I truly cannot fault this place at all and challenge anybody to find a better place to stay for there money!

I hope this review has been helpful!

Deserves praise

Stayed at the Amherst on a Saturday night and was pleasantly surprised. Having stayed in Brighton several times before (de vere grand / hilton / thistle / various B&Bs), the quality of accommodation has often left a great deal to be desired, whether they classed themselves as 3, 4 or even 5 star. After 2 or 3 hours cross referencing laterooms availability and prices with the hotels themselves, I found the Amherst in the early hours on the Saturday morning I was actually travelling, so I knew I couldn't afford to be choosy, especially with the '2 night only' weekend policy of most B&Bs and hotels in Brighton.

This cost £120 and allowed a single night stay (same price in laterooms as direct with the hotel) but was well worth it. The rooms are small but well presented, clean, comfortable, trendy neutral colours and had a flat screen TV, CD/ DVD player (DVDs available if you really want to stay in) and decent Molton Brown toiletries. Breakfast (full English plus cereal, fruit etc.) was included and served in our room at no extra cost (and worth at least £10 or £15 each in other hotels). Although it is only 2 minutes walk from the seafront, no sea views are available as the windows in this terraced property face East / West.

There were only around 6 or 8 bedrooms I think, so it was very quiet, and certainly unlikely to attract hen or stag clientele. (Although my girlfriend was woken by the noise of the kitchen staff as our room window was open and opened onto the small courtyard below). No air con, but fan provided, though not needed. Compared to the usual larger hotels that cater more for conferences and provide stunning lobbies but shabby rooms and service, this beats them all hands down. It does perhaps class itself as a boutique hotel, which it isn't exactly accurate as there isn't much different or overly luxurious about it. Compared to most other B&Bs and hotels in Brighton maybe, but it's simply an extremely well maintained and presented B&B, with small but nicely serviced and equipped rooms. It may sound pricy too, but that is pretty much the going rate for decent accommodation and cheaper than many of the other hotels. Dinner was booked in advance for us at the 'no name' restaurant around the corner, which was quite decent, and the hotel is only around 10 mins walk from the Lanes shopping area.

I am rarely moved to praise anywhere, but in a place heaving with appalling B&Bs and hotels that charge the earth the Amherst is certainly good value and I will certainly stay there in future. In fact I just paid more when attending a work related conference at the Hilton - which was absolutely dreadful in comparison. Parking anywhere in Brighton is a nightmare, but the free Marina parking isn't as bad an option as I thought it might be. The staff of the hotel (I think it was the owner) actually printed me a map with directions to the marina car park and the nearest NCP. The Marina is a good 20 minute walk though so its best to simply unload your luggage from outside the hotel and after parking, take the small passenger train that runs along the seafront instead. Its close enough to stagger back too after clubbing it along the seafront too and close to the cafes etc near the lanes.

Service: an iron and ironing board arrived within 2 minutes of asking (that's a first), and a late check out was also provided when requested only an hour beforehand (for which they try to charge £20 an hour at the Hilton!!!). Criticisms? None really, save for the lack of a sea view, but I've had that at the Thistle and Hilton, and it really isn't worth it. Also, there was some hanging about at check in time due to only one staff member being available, but nothing to really gripe about. Not sure if I simply had a lucky experience at the Amherst, but I doubt it, as it seems decently run.

Smart and very clean. Location great - will definitely stay there again

Just got back from a great night in Brighton. Stayed at The Amherst and we were delighted with the room and ensuite facilities in this Townhouse guesthouse / B & B. Consider Amherst to be great value for money, very friendly and location is perfect - Across road from sea and 5 mins away from bars and restaurants. Stayed in Room 9 which is at the very top of the building so had a few steps to climb when returned back late from fantstic meal at Terre a Terre (best vegetarian food we have tasted!).

Consider Amherst ideal for this sort of short stay in Brighton, although parking could be a problem and we would consider travelling to Brighton by train next time. One thing for sure though we will definitely be back soon...

Stylish, welcoming and well-run

We stayed at the Amherst for a night in the middle of February. The place is very conveniently and quietly located, yet just a few minutes from the sea front.

The rooms are comfortable and well equipped for this type of townhouse B & B. The price is competitive and the (included)breakfast is excellent - a good range of choices, fantastic fruit salad, egg and bacon freshly cooked.

The style is contemporary but warm. The owners and staff are discreet but attentive - they seem to have got the balance just right.

We would definitely stay here again, next time we would book one of the front, bay-windowed rooms with side sea view.

We also ate out at "Due South" overlooking the beach, the food there was excellent - particularly the fish.

Great hotel, would definitely go back

We really enjoyed our stay at the Amherst hotel. We were in a luxury double room, it wasn't huge but as we were only staying one night it didn't matter, the bed was amazingly comfortable and the bathroom was lovely. The staff were very welcoming, they made sure that we knew how to contact them if we needed anything and were great when it came to advising us where to go out. We spent our evening in St James Street just around the corner from the hotel, we had a lovely meal in a Thai restaurant called Sumadee and went for a couple of cocktails in the Tin Drum. If we go to Brighton again we will definitely stay here again. We booked the hotel through laterooms, it was £80 for bed and breakfast.

Small Guest house close to Brighton pier. Recommended

We booked this very last minute (5pm on the Sat we stayed!) thru Laterooms. Unlike many places we tried, they were ok with us just wanting to stay the Sat night. Paid £80 for a double with ensuite including breakfast - not particularly cheap for a small guesthouse but not bad for Brighton and fair enough really given that this place has recently changed owners and everything looked brand new. The central location was very convenient (5 mins walk from the pier). The room was immaculate with flatscreen TV, CD and DVD player, tasteful furnishings and decor and plenty of complementary snacks. Molton Brown toiletries in the bathroom were also a nice touch.

There was the option of having breakfast in our room at no extra cost and I have to say the breakfast was the best I've had in a long while. We asked to extend our check out to 11.30am and this was fine.

If I had to make any minor critisms - room and ensuite maybe a bit on the small side. Also, the only 2 staff were Eastern European and so struggled to understand us sometimes, so getting help with parking (a real nightmare in Brighton!) and general information about Brighton proved a bit difficult! The main guy looking after us was particularly smiley and welcoming which made up for this though.

Overall, we had a very nice, relaxing stay and I'd recommend the Amherst hotel.