A Suffolk Gal in Brighton

Hello! My name’s Lauren Barnes and I work as a Property Recruiter for Suffolk Secrets, the sister brand of Best of Brighton. Last week I had the pleasure of spending a couple of days in the centre of Brighton; having never visited the city before I was expectant for quirky culture married with fantastic architecture and boy, I was not disappointed!

So here’s a quick low-down of what’s hot – from someone experiencing it for the first time, I hope you enjoy!

Must-do locations

Brighton Palace Pier 

The ultimate icon right?! Think arcades, tiny souvenir shops and good-old-fashioned amusements – a great photo op; particularly for Instagram!

British Airways i360 

Now as one who’s not *overly* keen on heights I’d recommend the i360 in a heartbeat. Lasting roughly 30 minutes, it’s a great way to see the city from a different angle.

Royal Pavilion 

Such a beautiful spot! Although we didn’t tour inside, the building is certainly quite astonishing and well worth an explore. Seen pictured here is @paulythepainterhove capturing it on canvas.

Photomatic

We’d heard about this place from the Lily Pebbles blog and it didn’t disappoint. A great spot for a photo memento – we even had our photo enlarged to A4 to frame.

Where to eat/drink

IL Bistro 

Perfect for a date night; great food, great atmosphere and close to the beach.

The Flour Pot Bakery

A great spot for coffee and a pastry – we went to one in the heart of the North Laines.

Gelato Gusto 

A great spot for ice cream – we particularly recommend the Gelato Cookie Sandwich!

Coffeetzar

Great milkshakes and the cake/sandwich selection looked divine!!

The Croque Shop 

The best sausage rolls. Perfect for a wet day pick-me-up. The pork, marmite and cheese was a particular favourite!

Seven Stars 

We stopped here for an evening tipple – quirky interiors and a great spot for a stop-off refreshment.

Trading Post

Cool coffee shop vibes here; great drink selection too – very busy on the table front though!

Sawadee

Authentic Thai food in an adorable little restaurant – the staff couldn’t be more accommodating.

Where to shop

If you love vintage/retro then Brighton should be your go-to destination. Me and my husband were in our element! Here were some of our favourite shopping spots:

Snoopers

Mind-boggling – there is so much to see! A second-hand/vintage lovers paradise. We spent an hour here and could have stayed longer.

Beyond Retro

Amazing for vintage clothing – helpful staff too.

Never Worn Once 

Recommended to us by friends, a great spot to pick up vintage clothing at good prices – we found it very hard to resist buying anything!

North Laine Bazaar 

So many amazing interior pieces here; looking for something unique for your home? Look no further!

Diplock’s Yard

A fab place for off-the-wall reclaimed furniture, we loved it.

So as you can see, there really is so much to explore in Brighton. We only scraped the surface and cannot wait to revisit to explore even more of the unique gems!