SEA CHANGE
Buoyed by the great British seaside revival, this contemporary new coastal retreat is set to make waves
If you were to launch a chain of chic seaside hotels in the South East, where would you start? Perhaps Margate, Deal, Hastings... Brighton for a really safe bet. Instead, the inaugural Port Hotel has landed in Eastbourne.
‘It’s a beautiful Victorian town,’ says co-founder Peter Cadwallader of the seaside resort, which once had a decidedly sleepy reputation. Occupying a smart row of black townhouses on the seafront, this 19-room boutique hotel and restaurant has been shaped by London-based interior designer Imraan Ismail with a quiet modernity.
Perhaps the formula is by now a familiar one – cork floors, poured concrete sinks and terrazzo tiles – but it’s minimalism at its most cocooning, evoking calm rather than coolness. That’s partly thanks to a well-judged selection of Scandinavian furniture and lighting, from the Ferm Living ‘Rico’ chairs in the snug lounge area to pieces by Gubi, &Tradition, Muuto and Hay.
If it all seems rather far removed from the quintessential British seaside experience, let Ismail explain his influences. The round brass bedside tables are a nod to the Eastbourne Pier dome, while the pastel colour palette, he says, reflects ‘the soft pinkish hue that bounces off the sea at sunset’. The putty-toned restaurant sources almost all ingredients within 30 miles, and there’s a fluted wood bar (crafted by local artisans, who also had a hand in the bedrooms’ matching headboards) stocked with tipples by Sussex makers such as Rathfinny wine and Ditchling Gin.
The result is a retreat that’s subtly rooted in place – and we do like to be beside the seaside. From £140 per night (porthotel.co.uk).