Sea Spray, Brighton

Brighton's unique Sea Spray hotel is just the ticket for a weekend of very British japery, says Anna Pickard
A room in Brighton's sea spray hotel
A room in Brighton's sea spray hotel

There are times when the British want to go wild. Wild in a tame kind of way, obviously: a British way.

But where might someone go if they want to attain such tame wildness? Where would they head for a seaside break with something slightly different, something slightly bizarre for added "I say!"? Look no further that Brighton's Sea Spray hotel.

Scenically placed on the New Steine - just on the Kemptown side of Brighton - parking may not be convenient, but the beach and bars are just a pebble's throw away. While Sea Spray was founded seven years ago, it has recently doubled in size after the owners bought the house next door, transforming it in their unique style. The refurbishment also allowed them to build a new lounge/bar/reception area, providing a modern, relaxed and warm welcome to the establishment.

Sea Spray now consists of 20 individually themed rooms and suites, all calculated to provide their guests with the impetus for an inspiring weekend. Neutrally painted, they are dotted with thematically suitable ornaments ranging from the extremely authentic to some more reminiscent of Changing Rooms. There's something to suit most tastes: from the popular Oriental and Moroccan rooms to the very specific Warhol, Dali and Elvis rooms. (Look out for the surprise in the closet of that one - and, no, before you ask, it's not the man himself.)

Overseas guests often choose to stay in the Dali room (the Spanish artist being a particular passion of the owner) when they're visiting a Dali exhibition in London, for example, while those staying in one of the Moroccan rooms might ask staff to recommend somewhere fittingly north African to eat. You get the idea.

The suites are generous in size and light, but generally softer themed than the standard rooms - with the exception of the Indulgence Suite, which, with its black flooring and corseted chairs, is somewhere you can imagine spying through the "What the Butler Saw" window on the old pier. And speaking of the old pier, the Hove Actually and Brighton rooms (ask any Brighton resident for an explanation of the former term) provide a nice local touch.

Sea Spray describes itself as a boutique hotel, which is a term bandied about so often it's difficult to know what it means anymore. Suffice to say that wouldn't be a phrase that immediately leapt to my mind in connection with the place.

However, it is a comfortable, tightly run operation with a kick of something special - just the ticket for a weekend of jolly, madcap, very British japery.

· Sea Spray, 25 New Steine, Brighton BN2 1PD; 01273 680332
Single rooms from £40, doubles from £95, suites from £130. New York Penthouse from a [frankly ridiculous] £200 (you could just go round the corner and stay in Drakes for that). A two-night minimum stay at weekends applies.

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