A night at The Gallivant, Camber Sands

Carrying on from yesterday's post on our recent trip to Rye & Camber Sands, I wanted to write about our stay at The Gallivant, but being such a gorgeous hotel I felt that The Gallivant deserved a blog post of it's own. 

We'd had a hectic few weeks at work and with our house move on the horizon I had the irresistable urge to just escape the stress of everything for a couple of days and be somewhere tranquil. When looking at last-minute, one-night seaside getaways, I immediately fell in love with The Gallivant, a boutique Mr & Mrs Smith hotel on the East Sussex coast. It was exactly what I was looking for - somewhere beside the seaside but not with the hustle and bustle of a town, rural but not in the middle of absolutely nowhere and classy but not ridiculously overpriced. I'd seen a few photos on Instagram {all hail social media} and had heard nothing but good things. To my delight I managed to get us a last minute double 'cosy' room for the night, on the hottest day of the year! And so it was official: we were off to the seaside!

The Gallivant was inspired by the sorts of coastal motels you might find in California. And that's exactly the ambiance you get when you step inside. The whole place has a real 'beachy' feel to it whilst being stylish and fresh. It has been done up so tastefully to suit it's immediate surroundings; after all, the Gallivant is situated just over the road from Camber Sands itself. It makes for the most idyllic spot if you're looking to enjoy some beach walks as well as some incredible food.

Driftwood beams and fresh Spring tulips in galvanised tubs and troughs, so beautiful!

Inside, the walls are painted in neutral, coastal colours with furniture made of more driftwood and coastal inspired art on the walls. It was like stepping into tranquility. Upon arrival, we were greeted with freshly baked cakes, teas and coffees to enjoy in the restaurant/lounge area. As it was such a lovely day it would have been a crime not to sit outside so we sat and enjoyed tea in the sunshine. Quintessentially English or what?! 

We were then shown to our beautiful garden-facing room. Again, it had an understated elegance and felt so relaxing, painted in neutral greys with shabby-chic style furniture made of reclaimed driftwood. Oh, and the comfiest bed in the world with goose-down pillows and duvet. You really can't beat hotel beds! 

 There are several rooms to choose from at The Gallivant, some of which have their own front doors for direct access to outdoor spaces if you want to bring your dog with you {how lovely is that?!}. 

But any hotel which provides fluffy white robes in the bedrooms is a winner in my eyes. I wont deny that I didn't put this on and dance around like an idiot...

I loved all the finishing touches to the decor, including this retro telephone {which to my surprise actually worked} and the gorgeous room service menu...

And if that's not enough they have an "honesty larder" - basically a large wardrobe at one end of the corridor, full of crisps, chocolates, popcorn, drinks etc so if you're in bed feeling peckish you can grab some chocolate or some cookies! 

After a day of wandering around Rye and breathing in that fresh seaside air on Camber Sands we needed nothing more than a shower and some food! The Gallivant is renowned in the area for it's food, it's more of a 'restaurant with rooms' than a hotel and has a delicious menu which changes daily with seasonal ingredients. They have a 'ten mile menu' in which all ingredients are sourced within a ten mile radius meaning that everything on the menu is fresh, local and mostly organic. It's always comforting to know where your food has come from! We booked a table for half past eight so had lots of time to shower, watch some tv in our bathrobes and enjoy a drink in the bar area before being seated to dinner.

The Gallivant is so cosy at night time, with lanterns and candles lit everywhere. I loved the sheepskin rugs on the backs of the chairs and the large twig display in the centre of the room.

I also loved the toilets with a retro bathing suit on display!

Our dinner was delicious, definitely one of the best dinners we'd had in a while. For starters I had a fresh mackerel salad with beetroot {shown below} and Rob had the rabbit terrine which he said was divine.

For mains I had the Dover sole {I couldn't not order the catch of the day, being by the sea!} and Rob had the pork belly. All accompanied with some fresh bread and some vino... YUM.

I slept like a baby in the comfiest bed ever and woke up feeling as fresh as a daisy! There's something totally refreshing about waking up to the sound of seagulls out the window, it really feels like you've escaped doesn't it?! 

Breakfast at The Gallivant didn't disappoint either - we were seated in the restaurant once again, this time with a choice of cereals, fresh pastries, gluten free banana bread, fruit compote, fresh fruit, teas, coffees, juices and even bloody Mary's! Each guest is served eggs cooked just to their preference - it had to be poached for me. 

What an absolute treat. We loved our stay at The Gallivant, it was everything we had hoped it would be and more. Thank you for being so hospitable and for giving us the perfect overnight seaside getaway!

Lydia xxx