The Lovely Girlfriend and I spent a couple of nights in Brighton last week. The weather gods (thank you Thor) were kind to us as it was sunny throughout our visit. We’ve been to Brighton before and loved it and the opportunity came around that we could sneak away for a few days, so we took it. Wherever we went, everyone was playing by the current rules and all staff members of every establishment we visited were welcoming and extremely helpful. I felt safe at all times and looked after really well.
We stayed at the Hotel Du vin, down a small road just off the sea front. The sea was literally two minutes from our door and our room had air conditioning, a must in the mini heat wave. The room was clean and we were well looked after by the staff. No lift though which might cause problems for some with mobility issues. I think my favourite meal was at Donatello’s. This is an Italian restaurant that is down to earth, not too pricey and serves up good home-made Italian food. Having been lucky enough to visit Italy quite a bit, it was like being back there in a trattoria. We actually went to Donatello’s sister restaurant Pinocchio the last time we were in Brighton so I was quite hopeful and it did not disappoint.
Your intrepid blogger, resting in The Lanes area of Brighton whilst browsing the quirky shops. Check out my imitable fashion sense, especially my ‘brown’ shorts.
We went up the British Airways i360 which was mega; a grandstand view of Brighton and surrounds. And we went to the pier and played on the grabbers and arcades. It’s good to be a kid sometimes. My Lovely Girlfriend once again showed her prowess with a gun, beating me on several shooter games. A little aside – on our first weekend away we went shooting, inanimate objects only of course. It was fun, but we both found out that she’s a better marksperson than me. A little bit sexy and a little bit frightening, but she’ll be handy in a zombie apocalypse. Anyway, Brighton, is a great city and so very welcoming. I’ve been to cities and immediately felt on edge, but not Brighton. I was intrigued by the old pier (pic below) and why it was still standing, but it was actually left for local wildlife to populate.
My only complaint is that the streets and pathways are a little grubby. They all look like they need a good wash. I really enjoyed our ‘staycation,’ sorry, I really hate that word. I find that the word ‘staycation’ is sometimes felt as less than, because one hasn’t got on a plane and jetted off to some foreign land. It’s fucking not. There are many places in England that I’d love to visit, but have not yet. And the time away, the sense of having left work behind to go and relax is just as valid if we go to the British seaside as it is if we go to the Italian seaside. And I have to say I was loving the mask mandate and reduced numbers. We had space to enjoy ourselves.