Yes, I know, I have written about this place a lot before. But if you are reading this Brighton journal before any of my others please go and read why I love this hotel. They are great people, and I stay here whenever I can.

I think I have said just about everything I can say about the welcome and the food, so here are a few facts and figures:

- there are 23 rooms;
- the hotel is 200 metres from the sea;
- every room has satellite TV, tea and coffee making facilities, phone and hair-dryer;
- I have no problem accessing the Internet on the hotel phones. Indeed, because they have ISDN I get better access in the hotel than I do at home;
- they are even working on having online booking, which for a hotel of that size is pretty awesome.

Check out their web site for more details.

Once again I stayed with my good friends at the Adastral Hotel. See my "Brighton by Fairy Lights" journal for general details.

As this is an historical journal I decided to ask Tony about the history of the place. The building is Victorian, dating from around 1865 when it was a family home. However, like much of Brighton''s wonderful housing, it became too expensive for ordinary families and was converted into flats. During WWII parts of the building were used to billet Canadian soldiers.

After the war the building was purchased by Group Captain Miles, ex of the RAF, who turned it into a guesthouse and named it Adastral after the Air Force HQ in London, Adastral House. The business changed hands several times. One set of owners was a French couple, the husband of which used to serenade diners as he served their meals.

Tony and Val bought the building in 1987 and set about turning it from a guesthouse into a serious business. In 1992 they purchased the adjoining #7 for further expansion. The four rooms that they started with have now become 20. Refurbishment continues, and the accompanying photos show some of the most recently renovated rooms.

I''m sorry to say that I cannot report anyone famous having stayed at the hotel (except me, of course). Tony says that various senior Labour Party bureaucrats have stayed there during party conferences, which are often held in Brighton, but it seems like the rich and famous of this world are missing out on a fine hotel.

Whenever I visit the Brighton area I always stay in the same hotel. It is a small, family-run establishment close to the sea front in Hove. I first stayed there while convalescing from a fairly major operation and the staff were so nice to me I have gone back again at every opportunity. It being a fairly small place, you quickly get to know everyone and as I am now a regular I get greeted warmly whenever I go back. However, the hospitable treatment is by no means reserved for the likes of me, as a quick look through the guest book will show. Visitors from all over the world have found themselves delighted with the atmosphere.

The hotel has been converted from two large semi-detached houses. This being Britain, some of the rooms are quite small and there are stairs to climb. However, all of the rooms have at least a shower and some of the family rooms are quite spacious. The price I have quoted is for a single room with shower. There are TVs in every room and the hotel has a subscription to the basic Sky service, which means that they have a rather better TV service than most supposedly posh British hotels. Also, unlike most British hotels, they do not put a massive mark-up on telephone bills.

There is a small dining room and bar that serves breakfast and evening meals. The staff are also happy to make sandwiches, etc. during the day if guests need them. As is traditional in the UK, breakfast is included in the room charge. I have done a separate entry on eating at the hotel.

The original owners of the hotel, Tony and Val, can still be seen around quite a bit (often in overalls helping with the decorating). However, they are now easing their way into a well deserved retirement and the day-to-day operations have been taken over by two of the staff, Bobby and Molly. They are all wonderful people. Please be nice to them, and tell them that I sent you.

Finally, should you happen to discover the Californian flag flying outside the hotel, this is my fault. Tony had taken to flying the Danish flag as one of his daughters now lives there. It was causing quite a bit of amusement, as few people knew which country it belonged to. I asked him if he would like to confuse people even more, and as a result I ended up bringing back the flag of the Republic of California on my next trip to San Francisco. Goodness only knows what the taxi drivers tell people it is.