Apart from family trips when I was little, as well as the odd night out in my slightly wilder days of partying and actually being able to cope with a hangover, Brighton is somewhere that I haven’t really seen in years. So when my mum gave us a Segway experience voucher for Christmas, we decided to spend Valentine’s weekend trying out this new adventure near Brighton and then spending the rest of the weekend exploring the city.
After an afternoon of fun whizzing our way through the woods on our Segways, with me desperately trying to avoid tree trunks while attempting to keep up with Mr Ayla, we made our way down to the seaside. Thankfully we didn’t have too much mud to wash off ourselves before heading out for dinner where, for once, I didn’t take a single photo of our food. Shock horror I know! But it was Valentine’s weekend and we just wanted to enjoy our meal for a change. (I think Mr Ayla was rather happy that he was able to eat his food while it was still hot without all my photo taking!)
Aside from the fun Segway and the delicious food, here’s what else I’d recommend getting up to in Brighton:
♥ Visit the Royal Pavilion
The sun just about managed to pop its head out for us and Brighton looks just gorgeous in the sunshine. The Royal Pavilion, once a palace and now a museum, looks like it should be found somewhere in India rather than by the English seaside. It silhouetted itself beautifully against the blue sky.
♥ Stroll down The Lanes
The Lanes are Brighton’s historic shopping quarter full of cosy cafes, chocolate shops (including Choccywoccydoodah) and quaint antique jewellery stores. We came across the cutest little tea room on our wander through The Lanes, so of course we had to stop here for some breakfast and one of their deluxe hot chocolates full of marshmallows and cream. My favourite!
♥ Have fun on Brighton Pier
Full of arcades, slot machines, stalls selling fish and chips, mini doughnuts and candy floss, this is your typical English seaside town and no visit to Brighton is complete without seeing the Pier.
♥ Take a dip in the sea on Pebble Beach
While I wouldn’t recommend this in winter like we saw a couple of crazy people doing, the pebbly beach was lovely and peaceful at this time of year and we just sat for a while watching the waves crashing into the shore and watching people having fun up on the Pier.
♥ Wander along the beachfront
The big wheel takes dominance over the beachfront but there’s plenty else to see from shops, bars, restaurants and little beachside huts.
♥ See the sights in North Laine
Full of independent vintage shops and bohemian stalls, the colourful North Laine district sells anything you can imagine as long as it’s quirky, exotic and extremely funky. The best shop is definitely Photomatic where we had some silly fun in a photo booth. It was Valentine’s Day so forgive the soppiness!
♥ Spot street art
All around North Laine the roads are filled with colourful street art.
♥ Go for a boogie in one of Brighton’s many bars
Wanting to avoid the usual rowdy groups of people who frequent Brighton for its buzzing nightlife, Maggie Mae’s is a great spot. Lively but not overcrowded and with a great mix of people, they played the best music ever (cue a variety of everything including plenty of cheesy 70’s and 80’s hits) and I gladly worked my way through the cocktail list.
♥ Find your dream house in Kemptown
This area of Brighton can easily compete with Notting Hill’s pretty cotton candy houses. Rows of grand seafront buildings and elegant pastel houses fill Kemptown, known for being the city’s gay quarter as well as where lots of boutique hotels and cosy guest houses can be found. We stayed overnight at Brighton Surf Hotel (despite my inability to surf) and had a wonderful night’s sleep after all those cocktails!
I’ll have the pink one please!
Mama Ayla's Adventures 
Think I might have mentioned to you once or twice how much I adore Brighton! The hubby and I would visit once or twice a year before we were married and had kids! He even proposed to me at the end of Brighton Pier (when you still could and it wasn’t full of funfair rides). Glad you had so much fun – makes me desperate to get back there soon – had considered going Saturday just gone, but the Blue One was rather poorly! Last time I was there was with my brother for a color run! Fab post as always 😊xxx
Aww that’s sweet! You should try and visit with the little ones when the weather is a bit nicer. Or try to get away just the two of you for some nice memories 🙂
We used to go all the time cos my granny lived there! So many memories of Brighton pier, stoney beaches and fish and chips!
Same here we used to go a lot when I was little. It’s a lovely seaside town 🙂
Aww, this is too cute!
We do try Emma 😉
nothing says “I love you’ like a shared segway experience!
Haha exactly Andy! Lots of fun it was too! 🙂
Brighton looks so lovely. I’ve been meaning to go for a while, but our plans keep falling through. This year, at some point I’ll make it!
When the weather gets a bit better you should definitely visit Frankie. Despite the beaches having no sand, it’s a lovely part of the coast 🙂
This is such a great guide! I remember visiting Brighton pier as a kid, would definitely love to revisit and explore more – those houses look so dreamy 🙂 xx
Dreamy houses, dreamy sea views, dreamy food and dreamy cocktails. You should definitely make a return visit!
lovely photos! I’d like to visit it
Thanks Tanja 🙂 Brighton is a lovely place, I’d definitely recommend visiting.
No food photos?! Definitely a holiday then! We went to Brighton for the first time last year and thought it was absolutely lovely… though we did spend the whole day eating!!!
I know! I even surprised myself haha! I don’t blame you for spending the whole day eating, I could have easily done the same 😉
This has made me quite excited about my upcoming birthday trip to Brighton 🙂 Like you I haven’t been there for years but always remember it being a lot of fun! I’d love to live there one day. There’s nothing I love more than being by the sea!
It’s a pretty lovely seaside town considering there’s no sand on the beach! I’m sure you’ll have loads of fun for your birthday – make sure you have a couple of drinks at Maggie Mae’s before a night out! 🙂
Aw, my favourite city in the world! I love going there in May when Brighton Festival is on and there are so many performances all over the city. Looks like you guys had a fab time. Was the Segway fun? I’m always worried I’d fall off!
Sounds like a fun time of year – you should include it in your 12 trips for this year seeing as it’s somewhere you love so much! The Segway was actually really fun! Took a little getting used to but once we did we were whizzing about through the forest!
Ohhh my, Brighton is soo pretty! I have to visit it someday.
I love your pic by the pier and these houses in Kempton are definitely as pretty as the ones in Notting Hill, and also reminds me of the ones in SF 😀
You guys seem to have had a wonderful weekend, I’m impressed with your photo behaviour on the table 😀
Next time you’re over you should definitely take a day trip down to the coast as it’s a really fun town. It was a great weekend and Brighton is so much better than I remember it being when I was little 🙂
I know!! I have to do that next time I go with more time 😀
I’d love that!! Brighton really looks lovely and I love being by the sea! 😀