A DAY IN BRIGHTON AND HOVE (AND WHERE TO FIND THE COLOURFUL BEACH HUTS)

When I was in London back in July, my mum and I decided to take a day trip down to Brighton. I'd never been before but I feel like I hear about it all time since a lot of YouTubes and bloggers live there (including two of faves, Lily Melrose and The Anna Edit). We took the train down from Victoria station and it was super easy; we bought tickets at the station and an hour later, we were in Brighton!

LUNCH

We started with lunch because food is the most important thing, isn't it? I googled vegetarian food in Brighton on the train down and made a booking at Food for Friends. It was Sunday so they had a special vegetarian roast on the menu and it was AMAZING! That weekend the special was a filo parcel stuffed with paprika spiced aubergine, smoked ricotta, shredded carrot, cashew nuts and chia, sunflower and pumpkin seeds, served with rosemary roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, fine green beans, beetroot puree, Yorkshire pudding and gravy (there was a vegan option available). I mean, does that not just sound like the most incredible vegetarian meal? I would highly recommend this restaurant, I loved everything about it and I definitely want to go back to try some of the stuff on their regular menu. I also got the fire-cracker cocktail and it was so good.

THE ROYAL PAVILION

After lunch, we wondered around and found the Royal Pavilion. Honestly I had never heard of this building before but it was beautiful. It was built as a seaside palace for King George IV in 1787 and incorporates the visual style of India and China. We didn't go inside but the gardens were gorgeous and there were a lot of people sitting around relaxing. There was a great atmosphere, with lots of geogorous flowers and people playing music.

THE LANES

The Lanes are probably one of the most famous areas of Brighton, after the pier, but if you haven't heard of them, they're basically an intricate maze of alleyways with a random mix of shops, including interior design, rubber ducks and cake. They are really cute and it was so fun wondering round them. There were A LOT of jewellery shops, which didn't really interest me as they were more on the expensive side, but there were also some really nice independent shops and plenty of cafes where you can sit and relax.[gallery ids="3829,3831" type="rectangular"]

THE BEACH AND PIER

The beach and the pier were nice but SO PACKED! It was a good day in the middle of summer, so that was to be expected. Brighton Palace Pier is free to wonder down and it's full of cool arcade and fun-fair games. If you stroll further along the seafront, you can see the West pier (pictured at the beginning of this post). It has fallen into disrepair and has gone through several fires, but I think it looks really cool. I think I just like how the dark sharp structure contrasts the blue waves. Also, from now on every time I hear seagulls I will always be automatically transported back to Brighton; they are definitely the soundtrack of the town but I found it quite soothing to be honest.

HOVE

One of the things I wanted to see was while I was in Brighton was the colourful beach-huts. I had seen them on multiple Youtubers videos but when I got to Brighton, there were nowhere to be seen. I just expected them to be near the beach but we couldn't find them ANYWHERE. I googled a bit and eventually found out that Brighton city is actually Brighton and Hove city and the beach-huts are in the Hove part. I still don't fully understand how it works, but it seems the two places go together even though they're about a 30 minutes walk from each other (I think they're two towns that make up a city, but I could be completely wrong about that). Regardless, we decided to hop on a bus to Hove in search of the colourful beach huts. Taking the bus was really easy and I'm so happy we decided to go on that little adventure. Hove is full of gorgeous buildings and was a lot more relaxing; it was a much needed break from the craziness in Brighton.

DINNER

For dinner, we got pizza at Fato a Mano. This place is great is you have dietary restrictions, as they offer vegan cheese and a gluten free base (I don't know if they cook the gluten free pizza separately to avoid cross-contamination but it would definitely be worth investigating if you are coeliac or have problems with gluten). I tend to like things other people would consider weird and they had no problem with my numerous topping customisations, which I appreciated; I went with black olives, capers, mushrooms and mozzarella, and it was just so so good. I love a good stone baked pizza and this did not disappoint. We got there quite early so we had no problem getting a table but they did get pretty busy and people seemed to be quite a wait for a table when we left so that's something to keep in mind.

THE COLOURFUL BEACHHUTS

After dinner, we headed towards the beach and we finally found the colourful beach huts! I was so excited. It was so pretty and calm, and it was nice to stroll along the seafront in the less busy Hove. We actually walked back all the way back to Brighton along the seafront and it was beautiful.All in all, I really enjoyed Brighton and Hove. We got some great food and there was a lovely atmosphere around the place. However, I wish I would have known about Hove before going; I would definitely like to go back and explore that part of the city a bit more. I think that's more my vibe, Brighton was just a little too packed for me. But I would still recommend taking a trip down if you're in London or nearby!

Love Jane x