‘A really memorable experience without stuffiness or formality,’ write our trusted reviewers of this stylish boutique hotel on Brighton’s Marine Parade. After a warm welcome, they were shown to a ‘light and airy’ sea-facing room on the first floor with three floor-to-ceiling bay windows giving it the feel of an observation deck – a telescope is helpfully provided. Traffic noise from the busy road outside was ‘not too intrusive and we slept soundly’. All rooms are beautifully furnished with handcrafted beds and designer fabrics, some with a bathtub in the bay window, and generously stocked with luxury items, including cafetière with freshly ground coffee, complimentary slippers, waffle dressing gowns and White Company toiletries. In the elegant restaurant, chef Andy Vitez serves ‘truly delicious’ dishes, including the ‘most tender beef’ one 
reader had ever eaten, though ‘only one dish 
(out of five) on the menu changed over our three-night stay’. The true strength of Drakes lies in 
its ‘friendly, enthusiastic and helpful’ staff. ‘Whatever we requested, they delivered.’ (Andy and Sylvia Aitken)