The best of Brighton

Watering holes
Warning: you could develop a drinking problem if you stay too long in Brighton. The stunning sunsets just look so much better with a pint of ice-cold lager or glass of wine in your hand. It's a tough call choosing from so many fab and friendly boozers, but here are two standouts:

• Coopers Cask
  3 Farm Road, Hove (01273 737 026)
  Where to start? The staff are incredibly friendly, there's a fine selection of ales, they do a mean Sunday Roast (arrive early to ensure you get a table), and you get free sweeties at the bar.

• The Great Eastern
  103 Trafalgar Street (01273 685 681)
  If you actually like holding a conversation when you go to the pub, head to this traditional, cosy pub with its flock wallpaper and roomy seats. The chilled-out atmosphere comes into its own on a Sunday afternoon, but if you want to eat, get there early.

Night, night
If you've got money to burn, book into the opulent Grand Hotel (01273 321188) on the seafront. If the £1,350 price tag for the Presidential suite (where both JFK and Ronald Reagan once slept) is a bit steep, book a sea-facing double for a slightly more democratic £250.

For those on a tighter budget, Montpelier Hall (01273 203599) is a good option. The guest house - located on the pretty Montpelier Terrace - has the feel of a country retreat, with spectacular gardens. And for £50 a double room, you might even get to meet the female ghost who is said to haunt it.

Hipsters will like the Hotel Pelirocco (01273 327055), which has themed rooms influenced by pop culture, music and more. You can bed down in the O2 Bubble Suite (with circular bed and mirrored ceiling), get groovy in Lenny Beige's Love Palace (with a cheesy '70s theme awash in animal prints) or enjoy playtime in Nookii (complete with a trademark Kinkybed, a strip show sign and black satin). (Read our review of Hotel Pelirocco.)

And oenophiles will find a haven just steps from the seafront at Hotel du Vin (01273 718588). The boutique hotel chain is known for its interesting - and affordable - wine and spirits lists. The accommodations are just as evolved: Egyptian cotton linens, deluge showers and a cigar and billiards gallery above the bar.

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