City overview
George IV designated Brighton his licentious play den in the eighteenth century, and that reputation has stuck. The city continues to draw urbanites for day trips and dirty weekends, many of whom have become residents, lured by Brighton’s laidback vibe and sea air. What attracts the Liberal Democrats to the city, where its electoral candidates consistently lose out to Labour, is most likely its extensive hotel and conference facilities.
The conference is a boon for the city, generating a reported £5 million the last time it came to Brighton, in 2003, as well as air time, with excess coverage expected this year owing to the anticipated speech from ousted leader Charles Kennedy. The conference isn’t the city’s only high point: Trendy boutique hoteliers Myhotel will open its first property outside London in Jubilee Street this year; a 20-acre site, dubbed the New England Urban Village, will open this year with swish homes, a Jurys Inn hotel, a college and community centre; and plans are afoot to replace the burnt-out shell of Brighton’s West Pier with a sci-fi 150-metre metal observation mast.
Where they are staying
The Lib Dems are staying at the Hilton Brighton Metropole and The Grand Brighton (pictured, right), a De Vere hotel, two of the city’s largest hotels. As far as one-upmanship goes the delegates at the Hilton can boast of a spa (although both hotels have an indoor pool, sauna, whirl pool and hairdresser); while those staying at the De Vere Grand can console themselves with a shorter walk to the Lanes for shopping and eating out, and with an infamous history - it’s the hotel that got blown up by the IRA in 1984 when they attempted to assassinate Margaret Thatcher during the Torie party conference. Rooms rates via the hotels’ websites start from £101 at the Hilton and £135 at the De Vere.
Where they wish they were staying
Hotels are two a penny in Brighton, but for the Lib Dem who wants to escape the conference crowd, media and the tax commission debate, a hotel away from the city centre is ideal? somewhere quiet and discreet, somewhere like the White House. It’s a ten-bedroom property among the elegant white Regency townhouses of Kemp Town with simple modern d?cor, internet access to allow for the occasional email, and a top class breakfast. Single rooms at the White House start from £45 per night and doubles from £80.
A party political pint
With the exception of Kennedy, the conference delegates would be well advised to skip the hotel bar and head for a local pub, where the chat is a little less tub-thumping. The Dorset on Gardner Street is a boozer popular for its range of beers - more bottled than draft, its hearty French provincial cooking and a chilled atmosphere. Happy Mondays and Primal Scream are on the CD player and suits are notable by their absence.
Another great boozer is Hop Poles on Middle Street, spitting distance from the conference centre, but don a hoodie and a pair of jeans and anyone can blend into the background at this lively pub. There are more beers on tap than at The Dorset, good food and an unusual line in hubcap art. Expect queues on Sundays and most evenings.
Shopping for souvenirs
Perhaps they forgot their Lib Dem-yellow tie, want a souvenir, or no one told them about the fancy dress party? whatever the delegates need, they’ll find it in the Lanes. High-street stores like French Connection and Jigsaw share the streets with boutique stores, such as Salute on Gardner Street for designer clothes or Old Village on Duke Street for smart French fashion.
Apart from clothes, there’s the jewellery quarter around Meeting House Lane, a Mecca for magpies looking for antique and new pieces, while Duke Street manages to support two luxury chocolatiers, Choccywoccydoodah and Montezuma’s. In North Laine (pictured, right) things get a little more quirky, with the Vegetarian Shoes shop, Hemp Shop and Air Born Kites, all on Gardner Street.
Hangouts for WAGs and HABs (husband and boyfriend)
The Lansdowne Place Spa is a short amble from the conference centre but a world away from rabble-rousing speeches and stuffy meeting rooms. The cool basement spa of this recently refurbished stylish hotel offers E’spa treatments and products. There are eight treatment rooms where delegates can get pummelled, strokes and scrubbed. Facials start at £28, makeovers from £35 and waxing from £12, which should help to cheat the unforgiving glare of the flashbulb.
For the lads who eschew fluffy white bathrobes and aromatic candles, there are more manly distractions. Brighton Racecourse is a picturesque seaside course overlooking the South Downs and the English Channel. There’s a meeting on September 19 - slap bang in the middle of the conference, and one just afterwards on September 25. As well as the excitement of a flutter, the course has numerous bars and restaurants to separate racegoers from their cash.
Avoiding the conference buffet?
In keeping with its eclectic residents, shops and attitudes, Brighton’s restaurants cater to all tastes. Pintxo People (pictured, right) on Western Road is a progressive Spanish restaurant that’s modelled on Barcelona’s modern tapas bars. Downstairs is a deli and casual restaurant with shared tables, while upstairs is more sophisticated - candlelit, with patent black surfaces, red leather and white table cloths.
Diners share five or six dishes between two from a creative menu with choices such as scallop and mango brochettes with vanilla (£10) or pickled rabbit gayoza with mustard ice cream and carrots (£8). You have to take a leap into the dark with some of the choises, or led the waiter influence your decision. It’s also great to start with a chilled called of Tio Pepe, the Spanish sherry, then finish with a Blazer, the barman’s superb brandy-based after dinner cocktail that’s pure theatre in its preparation. Expect to pay around £40 per head for a selection of mains with a pudding and half a bottle of wine.
Alternatively, Brighton leads the way in vegetarian dining that could convert even the most ardent meat-eater. Food for Friends in Prince Albert Street has been going for 25 years, and serves wholesome veggie dishes in light and airy surroundings; plus the bill for two courses and a glass of wine won’t top £20.
Nearby on East Street is terre à terre, an imaginative vegetarian restaurant with a touch of Blumenthal about it. Each dish comes with a paragraph of explanation, although descriptions like chestnut parmesan milk foam, pomegranate bead salad gastrique and halloumi gribbles, leave you none the wiser. Even after eating you may not know what it was, but nevertheless the plates are returned to the kitchen clean. Expect to pay around £28 for two courses and a glass of wine.
Sleaze stop
The two delegates who arrive late to the party with oily hair and zoned out expressions may well have been enjoying a couple’s treatment in one of the two twin treatment rooms at the Lansdowne Place Spa. The treatment a deux includes an aromatherapy facial, scalp massage, glass of bubbly and a gift each for £290 per couple (or £430-490 if you stay at the hotel). Another eyebrow-raiser would be the sight of a delegate clutching the lurid pink bag from Mmmm Brighton on Dukes Lane or merchandise from Elir on Gardner Street, two of the city’s sexiest lingerie shops.
Where to be anonymous
For MPs wanting to escape the media glare or relax after the conference, Ashdown Park is just the tonic, plus they’re staying loyal if they choose their former leader’s namesake. Set in 186 acres of forest and parkland, the grand manor house has its own country club and 106 bedrooms. It ticks all the country house hotel boxes: log fires, gourmet cuisine, fine wines, golf, the odd four-poster bed and even croquet, the MPs favourite. The hotel is about 40 minutes from Brighton and 15 minutes from Gatwick Airport.