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It offers Brightonians and visitors a chance to find and use totally one-off specialist, local businesses, dedicated to quality goods and/or service and the site is really clear and easy to use.
Really worth a visit! The Royal Pavilion is in the centre of Brighton set in beautiful gardens. Built for The Prince Regent, the architect Nash turned in into the Indian style building that exists today from 1815-23. The entrance price includes an audio guide to tell the story of the lavish interiors and the parties that took place! The banqueting room is extraordinary! Children can take part in the 'Dragon Quest' during this summer holiday too and 'tame the dragons' - lots of fun for the family.
Royal Pavilion, Brighton BN1 1EE,
www.royalpavilion.org.uk
01273 290900
Several thousand children, dressed as fish, pirates or spacerockets, cram the streets at the start of the Brighton Festival on the first Saturday of May. Mad, loud and brilliant; the city grinds to a halt.
A genuine family-run Italian restaurant down Preston Street, just off Western Road, with a great menu ranging from the de rigeur pasta through to excellent meat and fish dishes, all made with fresh ingredients and served with the best owner/maitre d around - the Italian owner Angelo! By far the best restaurant in Brighton.
29 Preston Street, Brighton;
tel: 01273 328 775
Lebanese restaurant. Gorgeous food - mezes, grills etc (must try fatoush). Great value, especially the set menu. Very friendly. Family run and therefore very welcoming toward young children. Top off your food with a hubba bubba pipe. Everyone we take loves it and takes their friends too.
44 Preston Street, Brighton;
tel: 01273 734 810
The best £2.50 you can spend in Brighton. This is the ride at the end of the pier, and it's hilarious and scary all at once. You sit in a giant, lurid coloured mouse, and it feels like you're about to fly off into the sea at any moment. Then it whips and spins you around endlessly; hence the 'crazy' I suppose. Wicked fun.
Brighton Pier
A great summer pub with a huge garden - it's a bit 'out of the way' so there's more of a relaxed feel. Kids welcome outside until 8pm, I think.
Springfield Road, Preston Circus.
A hotel in Brighton Marina is not necessarily an enticing prospect - the marina is soulless and a mile and a half out of the town centre but for a place where town centre hotels are either mediocre or often booked, the Seattle is worth considering as an alternative. It is modern, has sea and marina views (though if like me you are in a car park view room this can be positively irritating). It has a boutiquey feel - large beds with white linen, huge shower heads and bento boxes for breakfast - and a really excellent young staff, good room service and a decent restaurant and bar.Interconnecting rooms and a positive effort to attract families make it a good place to bring kids - as long as you don't mind the £6 taxi fare into town.
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