Great location, very friendly staff. The views were lovely and the building had beautiful architectural elements.

1. Our rooms were on the 4th floor with no lift. In the past when we have booked with other hotels they’ve sent an email calling our attention to the lack of a lift. I wish the Drakes had done the same. My elderly mother could not climb 4 flights of stairs. They did help by moving her to a room on the 2nd floor, but we would have made other plans had we known. 2. The photos on Booking were deceptive. It looked like we had a room with large windows overlooking the sea, instead we were in small attic rooms with small windows. When you book online you are relying on the photos and I think it is imperative that these be as truthful as possible so that you can make the best decision for your stay.

A warm welcome on arrival, fast check-in and useful information regarding the hotel, facilities and locale provided by the Drakes staff who were all very helpful, courteous and knowledgeable. Our elegant, beautifully furnished and thoughtfully designed room was immaculately clean, contained all the usual amenities as well as several nice touches. The White Company toiletries (gift bag), complimentary slippers, generous selection of quality tea, coffee and biscuits, Sky TV, easy to access and useful hotel information, Drakes rock (sweets), etc. were all appreciated. It's clear that considerable thought has been put into all aspects of guest comfort at Drakes Hotel. Our bed was incredibly comfortable, the superior bed linen and cloud size pillows an absolute delight to sleep on! Perfectly laundered, soft and fluffy towels in the bathroom, quality toiletries in abundance (so rare in hotels these days) and great water pressure from the rain shower. Breakfast was nicely cooked and presented. Coffee or tea, fresh orange juice, toast or croissant and a full English (other breakfast options are available). The Drakes restaurant staff at breakfast, charming and efficient. All the guests present were smiling and happy, a great way to start the day. If you're planning a trip to Brighton, Drakes Hotel is the place to stay.

The location was excellent but it stops there. the room was beautiful in the photos but...

The room we had or any room facing the water, you may have the best view but with a very very noisy street!! Its the main road so expect 24 hour very noisy traffic noise which we did not at all expect. The room was beautiful on the booking website but it was quite old. The bathrooms were clean but no shower screen so water everywhere, I mean everywhere after every shower. Wet floors unless you clean it every time you shower!! Room itself was old with old carpets, chairs in the room should be thrown out because it looked old and dirty to sit on, timber floors were old because the bath is in the middle of bedroom hence water once again on the floors! Parking is in front of hotel for hotel guests BUT you have to pay to park- we couldn't understand that either!

The room was comfortable. The windows can be opened - very nice feature. The bed was comfortable. Most of the staff were wonderful, very helpful. The lobby lounge was excellent. Breakfast was very good.

The bathroom was a bit odd as it is a wet room, so the entire room becomes the shower - tricky to use if you don't want everything wet. The taps on the sink are difficult to turn off and on. They should be replaced. The furnishings are looking tired and need to be refurbished. The room is located on the 3rd floor (in NA, the 4th floor) with no elevator, although it did help me get my exercise! One of the staff members was not pleasant to another couple who were unhappy with the horrible smell in their room. It eventually got resolved but she did not appear to care. Such a shame.

Ambience: Regency townhouse period features with tasteful decor Breakfast: exceptional quality and friendly service. (If you’re as lucky as me you may even get a chance to share the breakfast room with an A-list star…) Fresh biscuits provided in room every day: nice touch! Location: being slightly away from the main hustle-and-bustle of the seafront I didn’t use the hotel bar but it looked great!

Bathroom was a bit squished (although having a bath in the room compensated a bit for this) My room didn’t have the sea view so I was only looking out on rooftops (not as special, but nothing to particularly complain about)

Very nice and friendly staff, we appreciated a lot they carried up and down our heavy suitcases to the third floor. Nice location by the sea close from the Pier (next time I would opt for a sea view room;) When we opted for breakfast at the location it was very nice, and we were served even we came late. Room was very spacious, besides wardrobe nicely equipped. Not far from the train station, and a bus stop right in front of the hotel.

Beds in our room were absolutely uncomfortable, room had very thin walls - we could hear voices, TV sound etc. from the other rooms. (not talking about constant seagulls' shriek - which of course can't be avoided;) A bit cumbersome way to open the windows. I would also appreciate some wardrobe, instead of just few hangers.

The location is perfect, overlooking the sea-front and within easy reach of everything: beach, town, pier and attractions. Our room was at the rear and although not large it was cleverly designed. The bed and pillows were simply superb and fantastic quality, so we had an exceptionally comfortable sleep. There was a good choice at breakfast, all freshly cooked and served in the stylish basement dining room. The ensuite wet room had an ambient light for night use, such a good idea. Wonderful large bath in the room and plenty of toiletries available. We would love to return.

The wet room shower could have been less splattery (we had been warned to move the towels - which we did).

Customer service was excellent. Unfortunately,there was a mix up with our booking which meant the room we had booked as a special treat to ourselves for our Silver Wedding Anniversary had been given to someone else. We were really upset and planned to go home. However, the hotel staff not only gave us a full refund, but also very generously offered us another room free of charge. That is what I call good customer service and meant we came away from Drakes with a positive experience rather than a negative one. Well done those staff!

The disappointment upon learning we had lost the special room we had paid for.

We had a top floor room with a balcony, I’ve stayed before and always stayed with a bath in the room. I love both rooms but I loved the balcony overlooking the pier and beach. We stayed for Brighton Pride and the room was still really quiet. Had the Eggs Benedict breakfast which was lovely it’s nice to have it with a view.

No lift so it’s a lot of stairs to the top but they have a suitcase lift which really helped. It’s a bit of a step to get onto the balcony but still doable. Worth it for the view out there. We stayed in room 19 and I’d definitely love this room again.

Amazing place in Brighton to stay. The perfect location, walking distance to the main strip beach and the Lanes and centre. But far enough to feel the peace and quiet. We stayed in room 18 on the seafront at the very top. It was gorgeous listening to the sea in the morning with the window open. Loved the balcony and free standing bath. The staff were so lovely and helpful from start to finish. A fantastic stay that we loved, even more than The Grand where we stayed the next day. Breakfast was cooked to order and the bircher muesli was dreamy!

The stairs were a bit of a killer, but equally…we knew this when we booked being top floor and no lifts. It was good for exercise! The lack of plug sockets in the room. It could’ve done with one or two more at least.