Artist Residence Brighton

With its outré tastes in art, Charlotte and Justin Salisbury’s seafront hotel and social hub perfectly encapsulates Brighton’s bohemian spirit. The template for a small collection of hotels was set here in 2008 when Justin invited street artists to stay at his parents’ B&B in exchange for bedaubing and bedecking it. The cheapest bedrooms are snug, with maybe one of those runny-mascara murals by Charles Uzzell-Edwards (aka ‘Pure Evil’), or a sea-facing balcony and works by local artist Joe Webb, plus a Roberts radio and rainfall shower. Some rooms have a bare brick wall, an in-room copper bath, a modern four-poster, bunks, a view of the skeletal remains of the West Pier – rather like an art installation in itself. New this year is a fourth-floor apartment in the house next door, a great base for a family stay. The restaurant has closed, but coffee and cocktails are served all day in the ground-floor bar and café spaces, along with neon admonishments (‘Stop pretending’), as well as breakfast and weekend brunch. Besides, this is Brighton, with any number of places to eat.