Kemptown Place

Kemptown Place sits just a few minutes from the seafront and a wonderful selection of shops and eateries in the Kemptown area of Brighton. As well as gorgeous cafes, independent shops and restaurants, there is a mobile farm shop that arrives on Fridays and parks diagonally opposite the house. At the beach, you will find a children’s playground, adventure golf and the Beach Box Sauna. The Palace Pier has an observation post dedicated to capturing the murmuration of the starlings that roost there and is a brilliant spot for seeing great flocks in the sky just before sunset between November and March. A short walk from the house takes you along the seafront into central Brighton or in the other direction to the marina.

Brighton is brimming with cultural delights as well as hundreds of independent boutiques and big name shops. There are many award winning restaurants serving the regular seaside fish and chips as well as creative vegetarian menus. Brighton and Hove offer plenty of entertainment for all ages, some large scale wonders and some quirky and offbeat. One of the classic attractions is Brighton’s Royal Pavilion. The Royal Pavilion is an exotic palace with iconic domes and minarets as well as  a fascinating history. Built as a seaside pleasure palace for King George IV, this historic house mixes Regency grandeur with the visual style of India and China. There are fantastic collections to explore which have previously come from Buckingham Palace. A trip to Brighton’s Beach is not complete without a stroll along the iconic Brighton Palace Pier. On the beach, children love Brighton Zip, a thrilling ride on the seafront. Visitors can escape to the skies to see Brighton in another light on British Airways i360 attraction. You will glide up gently to one hundred and thirty eight metres in the futuristic glass viewing pod, designed by Marks Barfield Architects, creators of the London Eye, and admire 360-degree views across Brighton, the South Downs and, on the clearest days, all the way to the Isle of Wight. Visitors can also enjoy the Nyetimber Sky Bar, an exhibition on how BA i360 was built and its beachside shop for gifts. Those that enjoy shopping can head to The Lanes for an eclectic mix of shops and restaurants. For some evening entertainment, Brighton Dome is Brighton’s premier venue for music, theatre and family events. Other popular attractions are Sea Life Brighton, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, Booth Museum of Natural History, Preston Manor, Brighton’s Walk of Fame and the Brighton Music Tunnel.

To escape the hustle and bustle, visitors also enjoy Preston Park which is home to the Preston Twins which are believed to be the oldest Elm trees in the country. Hove’s St Ann’s Well Gardens and Stanmer Park are also popular.

Within easy reach, Borde Hill Gardens in Haywards Heath is a wonderful place to visit. In the springtime there are magnificent displays of early flowering magnolias, camellias, rhododendrons and azaleas. Summer brings the glorious fragrance of hundreds of roses and colourful blooms. Autumn transforms the colours of the mature and award winning trees in its Grade II listed landscape. Warren Wood and Stephanie’s Glad come alive with carpets of bluebells and wood anemones. Families enjoy the adventure playground and the numerous family events hosted throughout the year. Borde Hill House is an Elizabethan Tudor mansion built in 1598. It provides a fabulous backdrop for the formal seventeen acre garden which flows in a series of stunning garden rooms.

Wine lovers enjoy exploring the vineyards across the county who produce sparkling wine to rival champagne. Many visitors also head along the coast to Rye, Hastings and the beautiful Camber Sands. Helifly at Shoreham Airport organise helicopter tours over the area and trips to country houses for elegant lunches or afternoon tea.

The South Downs Devil’s Dyke, just five miles north of Brighton, boasts stunning panoramas, a record breaking valley and a curious history. At nearly a mile long, the Dyke valley is the longest, deepest and widest 'dry valley' in the UK.

The medieval town of Rye is today home to a myriad of art, curiosities and cosy pubs and restaurants. Built on timeless tales and smuggled secrets, Rye offers charm and intrigue with nooks and crannies to explore and beautiful distant views across Romney Marsh. You will discover ancient, characterful buildings, cobbled streets and secret passages which attract film crews in search of historical settings for period productions. The Rye Castle Museum was originally a bottling factory and now boasts a unique 18th century fire engine as well as relics from the town’s shipbuilding past. The Rye Harbour Nature Reserve has a wonderful network of criss crossing footpaths on the saltmarsh and shingle ridges with fabulous views across to Camber Sands and the cliffs of Hastings Country Park. It is a twitcher’s paradise with five hides where you can watch the wildlife. You can take boat trips or lessons in windsurfing, dinghy sailing or paddleboarding from Rye Watersports. Camber Sands is a fabulous beach in the village of Camber. It is the only sand dune system in East Sussex, east of the estuary of the River Rother at Rye Bay, and stretches 3 miles to just beyond the Kent border. 

Read more about Sussex

With beautiful countryside, charming coastal haunts and some great cities and culture (with London itself just a short train ride away) Sussex is full of surprises. But with all the history, culture and landscapes of both East and West Sussex to explore, how do you know where to start?

Luckily, our fantastic Sussex travel guide is here to steer you in the right direction whether you’re looking for the top sights, unforgettable activities or just some well-earned R&R – and our cottages in Sussex make the perfect place to stay while you’re making the most of this beautiful county.

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