The Bank Hotel & Bistro

The room was spotlessly clean, comfortable, and full of character—the bathroom was clearly a vault from the building’s former life as a bank. The bed so comfortable I had the best night’s sleep for ages. I was thrilled to find a full-sized bath as well as a shower with endless hot water. The hotel and bistro are currently undergoing some renovations, but the property itself is fascinating (it even features a grand ballroom!) and the bedrooms all seem to be as comfortable and well decorated as my own. The location is unbeatable: right on the seafront, seconds from local bus stops, and just a 10-minute walk from St Leonards station. I notice some previous guests had complained about lack of parking but I did a bit of research before my holiday and paid £24 for a week’s stay at the railway station carpark, plus a quick £5 taxi back to the car park at the end of my stay with cases made heavier by some retail therapy! St Leonards itself is fantastic, packed with vibrant independent cafes, vintage clothing shops, exquisite jewelry, and local artisans. The staff I spoke to were all really friendly and helpful especially getting baggage up the two flights of stairs - no lift - but it didn't put me off I’ll stay again in a heartbeat!

Just the stairs especially as I was travelling alone but I was helped by staff.

Great location for our needs. Easy to find and room was clean and comfortable (if a little hot).

Just needs a bit of updating. Only one window opened and it was hot when we arrived. One of the blinds didn't function. Noise from guests was a bit of a problem as the floors in the room are wood and therefore a bit noisy.

The room was so pretty, it made me happy just to sit in it. Sitting on the bed looking at the sea was a treat. i went for a walk and found a lovely cafe with an art gallery in it, and a shop selling vinyl records (near HastingsWS). If you like collecting vinyl and memorabilia, you will absolutely love it.

The negative is it was a bit noisy because of single-glazing windows and on a reasonably busy road. Earplugs were provided, and the view and sea air was worth it.

Convenient for the seafront and White rock Theatre

Got hardly any sleep due to person in room above - creaking floorboards and constant walking about/dropping things on the floor until well past midnight and then more of the same from 5.30am - In between there were people outside making a lot of noise and cars stopped at traffic lights right outside with music blaring. The traffic noise itself didn’t bother us but we won’t be staying again.