Avalon Guest Accommodation

Latest News and what's happening ...

Those lesser black backed gulls have now left! It's a quiet time of year for seagulls. Where do they go?

Guardian Unlimited Review:

Don't just take our word for it checkout www.travel.guardian.co.uk/hotels

What do you get in a B&B?

Here's what you get at the Avalon:

• A tray with fresh tea / coffee / biscuits on arrival
• Free wireless broadband in all rooms
• A litre glass jug of filtered water
• Fairtrade tea / coffee / hot chocolate making in all rooms
• DVD players and flat screens in all rooms*
• Eating out / entertainment advice and assistance
• L-Occitaine toiletries
• Newspaper delivered to room (just pay for the paper on your bill)
• Huge range of breakfast choice - special diets catered for
• Kids up to 14 free in family rooms (age 14 - not number of them!)
• Dogs more than welcome and advice where to go walkies
• OS Maps loaned for free for the walkers
• Restaurants or theatres booked
• Use of laundry if staying for more than two days
• Free seagull updates and window visits
• Avalon notepads in rooms

Why pay £450 when you can get all this for under £100?

New Look:

Don't look for the blue canopy, blue door or blue-tipped railings anymore. We now have a dark red canopy and a shiny black door and railings. Just so as you don't walk past ...

The dining room has travelled back in time with ship's lanterns and portraits, picture lamps etc. It's no longer quite so stark and bright at the outset of your day! Her Majesty has also arrived with one of the corgis.

Dogs:

I wasn't sure whether to call us 'dog friendly' or 'pet friendly'. I thought the former better for two reasons: most people with pets only tend to bring dogs, and I'm not sure what else people might bring. I imagined the inner doorbell going at 3am with a worried guest telling me that Rambo is missing and may have switched rooms, Rambo being a fully grown tarantula, or prize python.

Therefore we are a dog friendly Brighton guest house where mainly well behaved dogs are more than welcome. We've had more dogs than I can mention but keep them coming... they're usually so quiet as they are exhausted by all the activity!

Books:

I'm going on the lookout for interesting books for the rooms. In addition to the usual stuff about serial killers etc, I've found 'How to Survive Bird Flu - a Practical Guide'. This includes a fascinating chapter on how to barricade yourself into your house for several months. Do you get the idea? There's a guide to the architecture of British Crematoria. Get to Know Your Mouse. Air Raid Precautions, What's in the Queen's Handbag? Places to Hide in the UK etc.Must keep looking...

Low-energy bulbs:

Most bulbs - but not all - are now the low-energy kind. The lights offer the same degree of illumination but last longer and use a lot less electricity, helping save the planet let alone the electricity bill! If you cannot tolerate the light they give out (a small number of people get headaches) let us know when you book and we'll put standard lighting back in the room for the duration of your stay. Some lights (and we've heard nothing about this yet form the lighting people) can only be 'normal' energy - chandaliers, picture lights etc. Let's have a good chandalier equivalent please.

Update; There's a halogen 28W bulb inside a normal candle bulb which offers over 40W illumination which works really well in chandaliers. Every little helps. Mini spiral 3W bulbs from QVS work really well in picture lights - retaining the warmth of the 15W pigmy bulbs (am I allowed to say that?). Anyway, they work well.

Art:

The 'Boutique' trend for blank walls (doors, bedding, carpets etc.) is almost over, rooms and corridors should start to remind you of home rather than an airport lounge. For stunning landscapes and sunsets see Wendy Puerto's work on her website www.wendy-puerto.co.uk. Not only that she's got a gorgeous Staffie called Oliver.

Discounts and how you don't want Credit Crunch for breakfast:

We can knock a bit off for stays of three nights or longer. Remember, Brighton carries on running every day - not just at weekends. All those restaurants and bars are still open - only you have a bit more space to move around and you get served quicker! And if you don't - vote with your feet! Credit crunch my eye - we are all the 'economy' and must not get talked into a recession. If we have a year's slowdown that's a year of your life you've missed enjoying yourself! And we're serving the same stuff and better for breakfast. Eggs, butter, bananas, milk, sausages and bacon all come from Sussex where possible. Spot the odd one out.

Parking

We have hotel parking vouchers which cost 5.00 per 24 hours of parking restricted time.

For instance, if you arrive on a Saturday at 1.55pm, you scratch of a start time of 2.00pm, and the voucher entitles you to park in the space until 2.00pm on the Monday (Sunday doesn't count because there are currently no parking restrictions on Upper Rock Gardens). That's a massive saving on buying the tickets from the machines on Upper Rock Gardens.

You can park in designated spaces in Zone C (basically Kemptown and Queens Park). However some roads immediately north (3 minutes walk away) have spaces on the street costing 3 for 11 hours as long as you buy your ticket from the machine just before 9.00am. Sadly, paramilitary death-squad style attendants will pounce if you are a little too relaxed about timing ... I have the Penalty Notice Appeal Form to hand for any parking tickets. It is my pleasure to issue these with advice and a Thesaurus for alternatives to jumped up, arrogant, etc.

Collect the parking permit on arrival - even double park while you collect it if you have to if there's no room outside but don't pull up in the bus stop (unless you're a bus) - it's an instant ticket. We'll suggest likely nearby places for parking.

Or come to Brighton by rail, sea and air. More and more people are travelling to Brighton by train and it's 49 minutes from London. (after a few beers it takes about 12 minutes). It's just over an hour from St Pancras or Ashford International Eurostar terminals too for all you lucky Euro Zone people for whom the pound is so cheap!

From the station the number 7 bus - heading for the Marina - drops you right outside and the route was recently shortened so it's only about a 5 minute trip, traffic lights and 250 sets of roadworks permitting. If you're using the buses again on the same day, buy a Saver Ticket in the One Stop Travel Shop to your right as you exit the station. This covers you on all Brighton & Hove buses for a day.

From the coach station at Pool Valley we're roughly 6 minutes 34 seconds walk away. If you're a lone female arriving late we'll happily meet you there and help you back with your luggage or there's a taxi rank nearby.

Brighton's bus service is as good as those you find on the continent. And as for taxis - make sure you are ready if you call one because they are usually here in a couple of minutes.

Rambling on

The nights are drawing in and the first sign of winter are the air (such as nightfall at 3pm) after a summer characterised by the uninterrupted sunny spell which we all enjoyed for three days in May. The Downs take on a sense of preparing for the dark months ahead. Those little country pubs wait with their horse brass interiors and fireplaces the size of your average new-build house. All a short bus ride then a ramble from our here. You can each have a £3.20 days out by buying your saver ticket at the One Stop Travel Shop just 5 minutes walk from here.

We have a favourite walk we'd happily share with you that takes you no further than about 5 kilometres away but you'd swear you are in the deserted hills of some far off country. Then a little while later you are in Rottingdean - a short bus ride back or a delightful stroll along the undercliff for a few cocktails in the Marina while you daydream about owning one of the stunning boats moored there.

We're keeping an eye on restaurant deals too, so we can suggest places to go that won't rack up heavily on the card.

Civil Partnerships

Lots of couples have had pre-Civil Partnership nights at the Avalon and hit the town in a big way. If you are thinking of coming to Brighton for a pre-partnership night or weekend away, needing accommodation for your family and friends if you're having a local ceremony, or looking for a romantic getaway afterwards, give us a call. Our Four Poster, Imperial and King Size rooms are just the ticket for getting you underway on your new life together.

Tripadvisor

All our reviews are genuine and unsolicited. That's why we have poor ones as well as good although we cannot really understand why a few people have to be so nasty.

Any place, however good, will not please everybody. If someone is 'amazed' that they get soft towels, free hot chocolate, shower gel, a map of Brighton or advice on where to eat or drink from the owners of their hotel or guesthouse then they must never have left home before.

What you get at the Avalon is as good as anything comparable and in most instances much better. And if things are not to your liking, tell us - we welcome constructive comments and (reasonable) suggestions and will work harder than anyone to put them right. A recent complaint about a noisy bathroom fan has prompted me to search out silent fans.