Thursday 28 March 2013

Reasons to come to Eastbourne over Easter!

It’s all going on this Easter and Eastbourne has a wide variety of attractions and events taking place over the Easter weekend and half term.

Easter weekend starts on Friday 29 March and Eastbourne has a jam packed list of things to do for the whole weekend starting with the grand opening of The Redoubt Fortress. The fortress is offering free entrance over the whole weekend as it opens for the season after improvements over the winter. 

Good Friday also sees the Fat Controller at Drusillas Park! As families get on board Thomas to view the park, they can meet the Fat controller at the same time! Drusillas is located just outside of Eastbourne, it is widely regarded as the best small zoo in Europe and there are an array of rides and things to do! Drusillas also welcomes Mike the Knight on bank holiday Monday 1 April.

Towner; the award winning contemporary art museum also gives visitors a reason to visit our sunny town. On Saturday 30 March Towner has events for both children and adults. There is the ‘Bunnies and Bears early years play session’ and the ‘Collection store tours.’ Both require booking.

The Eastbourne steam miniature railway is a great place to go on Easter Sunday! They are holding an Easter Eggspress event where customers get a free Easter egg on entrance to eat between rides on the fantastic miniature railways.

To follow a day at the miniature railway, visitors can go to the famous Easter Concert at the Eastbourne Bandstand. The traditional concert comes with the towns very own “Eastbourne Silver Band” and is a delight to watch. The concert starts at 3pm on Sunday 31 March and doors open at 2.30pm. Tickets are FREE but booking is essential.

One thing that can’t be forgotten over the Easter holidays is that when spring has sprung, it is lambing season at the Seven Sisters sheep farm. The sheep farm that allows visitors to see 50 different breeds of sheep, goats, pigs, ducks, chickens and rabbits, is located at the South Downs national park- Just a mile away from Beachy Head. It is an annual excitement to greet the lambs on arrival and a great day out with the family.

There is also fun at the Observatory science centre! From Good Friday to Easter Monday, visitors can go to the centre for a hands-on science trail whilst discovering the domes and telescopes of the world famous astronomical observatory. There is also an alternative Easter egg hunt over the Easter weekend and exhibitions over the holidays.

To find out more about these attractions and to see what else is on over Easter go to www.visiteastbourne.com


Thursday 14 March 2013

Eastbourne joins in with English Tourism Week!

The UK’s sunniest place will be joining in the fun of English Tourism Week from 16 - 24 March, with some great offers and daily prizes to be won. 

Residents and visitors will be able to test their knowledge of tourism in Eastbourne by entering the competition each day on Facebook and Twitter for the chance to win a range of great prizes from concert tickets to fish and chips!

English tourism week was set up by VisitEngland and is a week long celebration of events from 16-24 March. The week will highlight all the fantastic things to do and see in England and Eastbourne.

Eastbourne and Tourism go hand in hand as 4.9 million visitors come to Eastbourne each year and spend an average of £261 million annually. Further more, £102 million is spent just by day visitors alone! Eastbourne thrives on tourism as it brings over 7000 jobs to Eastbourne and a whopping £346 million to the local economy.

Eastbourne was the first town to hire out quadricycles. To celebrate this and English tourism week, Ride and Joy are offering half price hiring on both weekends of English tourism week - 16/17 and 23/24 March. They can be found next to the open air tennis courts on Eastbourne seafront and are a fantastic way to see the delights of Eastbourne.

Also celebrating the week is The Grand Hotel. The hotel, named ‘Downton-by-Sea’, is a white palatial landmark on Eastbourne seafront and are offering a complimentary upgrade for anyone who books a bedroom and a complimentary glass of bucks fizz for anyone who books full afternoon tea from 16-24 March.

Visiteastbourne.com will also be getting involved in English tourism week, showing offers on their website and holding a week long quiz on social media sites, giving daily prizes! Prizes could include anything from fish and chips to Bandstand tickets.

For more information visit www.visiteastbourne.com, Facebook.com/visiteastbourne or Twitter.com/visiteastbourne.

Tuesday 5 March 2013

What to do this Mothering Sunday?

It seems like Christmas was just the other day and yet Mother’s day is here already!
Every year thousands flood into their local supermarket to grab flowers and chocolates for their mum. But here in Eastbourne we have some amazing places to visit to make it an extra special day! There are plenty of things to do this Mothers day and if this week is anything to go by, then the weather should make a great day too!
From café’s to restaurants, attractions to walks; and salon’s to spa’s; Eastbourne has an array of different ways to treat your mum!

Anyone for Afternoon Tea?
There are many lovely tea rooms to take your mum for afternoon tea.
Let’s start with the famous Grand Hotel. The Grand hotel is the only seaside 5 star hotel in the UK and they serve an incredible afternoon tea. If you fancy spoiling mum to a relaxing, luxury afternoon then this is the place to go! Surrounded by gorgeous settings and a view of the sea, guests can enjoy a high tea, Champagne high tea or a children’s high tea.
Other Eastbourne hotels also offer great Afternoon tea!

For a more casual affair, why not try Dickens Tea Cottage, on South Street. It is a lovely quaint tea room offering a selection of cream teas, sandwiches and more. The old fashioned tea room is a great destination for Mothers day. There is also Pistachios in Princes Park and The Beach Deck on the promenade offering tea and cake as well as evening meals.

So that’s afternoon tea covered, what about a spot of dinner.
Go somewhere different like The Belgium Café- famed for their freshly prepared seafood specialities, including 50 different ways to enjoy mussels. The Belgium Café is situated on Eastbourne serene seafront where diners can dine al fresco during the day or experience the relaxed atmosphere inside. As well as a great seafood menu there is also a great selection of meat and poultry dishes, salads and vegetarian options.
What about some Italian at either Mo Mambo or Mo Mambo Mania? Both located in the town centre, customers can expect to receive an authentic Italian extensive menu. In addition there is a special lunch menu so you can choose when to take your mum! Mo Mambo also offers specialty dishes such as Veal, Ostrich, Kangaroo and Springbok for a more unusual but exciting Mothering Sunday!

Instead (or as well) of eating out, you could buy mum a voucher for a luxury pampering session. Salons are in abundance in Eastbourne, all offering slightly different services- a great gift for mother’s day! Try Jasmines or The Retreat for a pamper voucher!

Or bring some food to Mum! Grab some cakes from The Truly Scrumptious Cake Company located on Cornfield road next to Pizza Express.
We hope these ideas will help you treat your mum on Mothers day! Let’s hope for good weather and remember to book as soon as you can because places get very busy!

Find out more at www.visiteastbourne.com