The Grand

It's dance night at The Grand in Eastbourne, and some silver-haired couples are still getting their kicks on Route 66. Jiving to a live band, they roll back the years at this vintage five-star hotel, which has entertained visitors to the well-kept seaside town since 1878.

My wife Karen, who has fond childhood memories of The Grand in the days when Lady Cohen of Tesco summered there, thinks, if anything, it has improved. Elite Hotels, which renovated it in the late 1990s, restored some of the original features that would have greeted Debussy a century ago when he arrived with his Jewish mistress.

A complimentary decanter of sherry was one of the touches to assure us we were in good hands. Our room was a model of English elegance; great floral swags in the bedroom, globe lights in the bathroom, with a plentiful assortment of Molton Brown and a decent shaving mirror. A cheering view took in the East Sussex coast, lying beyond the green where Morris dancers frolicked on the first day.

There are often string quartet teas in the Great Hall and jazz barbecues by the outdoor pool.