Brighton has an artsy, alternative vibe so it was only appropriate that we stayed in the unique Artist Residence where all 15 rooms are individually designed by artists with styles ranging from urban street art to contemporary illustrations. It’s one of the most unusual and colourful hotels we have stayed in.
The pier is the iconic image of Brighton and offers a classic English seaside experience complete with noisy arcade games, sticks of rock, and funfair rides. The changeable British weather provided a dramatic backdrop for the Grade II listed pier that dates back to 1899.
We have a theory about vegetarian restaurants around the world: there are different levels and a place has to go through the early stages before they get to the good stuff. Vegetarian restaurants start off as health focused, often the realm of hippies with yoga classes advertised on the walls, but unfortunately the food can be bland and uninspiring, really just a compilation of vegetables on a plate, with too much tofu and soya for our liking (although tofu is taken to a new level in Japan).
In the lead up to the Olympics all we heard were complaints in England: about the cost, ticketing frustrations, the draconian sponsorship deals, and organisational fiascos. We really couldn’t be bothered with the whole thing.
Then we watched the opening ceremony. And we were blown away.
Thanks to British Airways we got tickets to the Olympic Park in London this week. Since the opening ceremony we’ve been caught up in Olympic fever and as we were so close we wanted to be part of it.