The Downs Hotel

No restaurant. No breakfast. Room was clean and beds were comfortable

Great location ideal for visiting Brighton and the south coast. Clean, good size bedrooms with lovely views. Friendly, helpful staff. Excellent breakfast, lots of choice, full English sets you up for the day.

We booked the Downs Hotel for my late father's wake which we had yesterday. On the website the traditional wake menu was 9.50, I paid a deposit, then a couple of days later I queried the price and was informed it was now 13.95 and hadn't been changed on their website. We arrived at the pub and was greeted with a small buffet which wasn't sufficient for 27 people, my husband asked if the buffet was being replenished and was told no its enough for 1 item each of the selection for 1person.

I was very upset and embarrassed by the amount of food on offer. I paid the remainder where I told the bar person that I wasn't happy with the food and had paid over 376 for a buffet that wasn't worth that amount of money. I said my late father would have been embarrassed by that buffet. Then someone said close the door on your way out! I certainly wouldn't recommend anyone having a function there. The website is still showing the price of 9.50!

Great staff, great service, good breakfast. Did exactly what we needed with good access into central Brighton via 10 minute taxi. Would stay again! Thanks

Came to Brighton from Leeds with some mates and stayed here - fantastic staff, food, drink choices, service, facilties and just made our weekend even better. For a family run 'pub/hotel' - you would never have thought it, just brilliant. Thanks to Jo and the team!

Appalling. Freezing cold room. Loose plug socket. Nowhere safe to plug kettle in. Blind didn't shut. No Wi-fi because I was actually staying in an 'outhouse' and when I complained I was told they were 'disappointed in me' I have requested a partial refund but am being ignored. Absolutely shocking. Avoid.

Food. Not the best sadly. This establishment could do SOOOOO much. Quality is dry, bland and you get the feeling it's been made, frozen and reheated!

If you're a rambler, and you happen to be rambling around the South Downs at Woodingdean, the Downs hotel is a good stop off to refuel. I haven't eaten anything here (although you can enjoy a cooked meal for around 6 and up) but it's not a bad place to look out over the downs and sup your wine or cask ale on a summer's afternoon. Nothing out of the ordinary, and the staff could be a little cheerier, but the building itself is beautiful.

What is it the makes a visit to the Downs Hotel an invariably dispiriting experience? It has an unrivalled location facing across the eponymous South Downs to the Channel. But that's where the charm begins and ends. The food is ordinary, the ale is fine but nothing special, the staff are friendly enough but seem lacking in esprit de corps. When Woodingdean was cut off from civilisation during the recent bad weather, the pub was amazingly transformed into what it should be a bustling local.

As soon as people got the chance to vote with their feet, bus passes and car engines, it reverted to type as a tired looking boozer past its best. Visitors report that the bedrooms could also benefit from some TLC. All-in-all the Downs is a missed opportunity. It would be a shame, though, to see it go the way of other failed pubs a victim of the smoking ban, cheap supermarket booze and, not least, owner inertia.

I love this place as its hard to combine a hotel, pub and restaurant and make it work. Something usually has to give and I guess in this case its the food in a small way as it is a carvery but a very good one in my opinion. The surroundings of the hotel are fantastic, just near the beautiful village of Rottingdean and not too far at all from the seafront with fantastic views of the South Downs.

The Hotel offers some really good rates and the rooms are extremely clean, tidy and comfortable. A single room with shared facilities are 30 but I'd go for the four-poster en-suite for 80 if you want to impress your fellow guest!