On the seafront, in sight of the pier and a few minutes' walk from The Lanes and the Pavilion, this 'wonderful' design hotel with 'very helpful staff' is a conversion of two 19th-century town houses. Owned by Andy Shearer and managed by Richard Hayes, it has 'expensive, lovely bedrooms': the better ones face the sea; others have a 'city view', mainly of the back gardens of other houses. A circular suite has a freestanding bath in front of floor-to-ceiling windows. A second-floor room, up a steep hanging staircase, was 'smallish, well designed, done in cream, shades of brown and natural wood; it had air conditioning, flat-screen TV, DVD-player, Internet access, etc. Excellent lighting; but not much storage space.' Our inspector's 'wardrobe' was a hanging space with electrically operated curtains. There are 'very comfortable beds, good linen; water everywhere in the wet room'. Breakfast has fruit, yogurt, porridge, kippers, etc. There is 24-hour service in the ground-floor lounge bar. Hotel guests should reserve a table for the basement Gingerman restaurant, 'perhaps the best in Sussex', which is separately owned by Ben McKellar. The head chef, Andrew MacKenzie, offers a five-course tasting menu as well as a carte.