The Driftwood.
40 Sackville Road, Bexhill-on-Sea.
The Driftwood boutique hotel and restaurant is like a little haven of happiness just a few yards from the sea front in Bexhill on Sea. Throughout the whole establishment, the design is impeccably coordinated with natural materials of wood and brick, beautifully matching colour schemes and tasteful details such as a retro radio on each bedside.
The hotel occupies a typical Victorian building in a terrace in the centre of Bexhill. The traditional shop front has been given a wonderful dark colour scheme that is a precursor for everything that lies beyond. The restaurant immediately behind the frontage is elegant and unpretentious in a brasserie style. It’s a warm and charming environment in which to enjoy breakfast or dinner. Breakfasts include full English, Egg Royale, Smoked Salmon and alternative options like vegetarian and gluten-free. In the evenings the dinner menu is eclectic with an Asian twist. Typically it may include green Thai curry, Chinese pork dumplings, apple strudel and white chocolate pannacotta. The open kitchen allows diners to watch the chefs at work.
Upstairs the six bedrooms are each different yet maintaining perfectly the distinctive style of The Driftwood. There’s exposed brickwork and wooden panelling in abundance, Stylish light-fittings and details, clever colour combinations and fully-tiled bathrooms with glossy stretcher bond tiles. All the rooms have king size or super king Hypnos beds, plump goose down pillows (if you need non-allergenic, just ask), Lavazza coffee machines, flatscreen televisions, retro-style fridges and free wi-fi. The larger sea view rooms also include a deep-buttoned chesterfield sofa-bed.
Bexhill-on-Sea is a classic English seaside town in the Victorian tradition, just 90 minutes from London, yet it’s name is less well-known than some others. It’s all the better for that, as it attracts visitors who really appreciate the wide open spaces of the beach and sea front and the many green areas that abound throughout the town.
We Say
Perhaps the most perfectly coordinated design we have ever seen.