Address: Cooden Sea Road, Bexhill-on-Sea, East Sessex, TN39 4TT

Telephone number: 01424 842281

Website: www.thecoodenbeachhotel.co.uk

Date of visit: 8July 2010

Approximate cost per head: main course under £10. Set lunch @ £13.95 for 2 courses, £16.95 for 3 courses

Comments on wine list/beer: Not a beer or wine connoisseur’s paradise

Summary:

Bexhill-on- Sea is located on the coast between Eastbourne and Hastings. This area has a very high population of retired people.

On a bright sunny day, I drove through Brighton, expecting to drive along the coast to have lunch with a friend at Cooden Beach Hotel. Unfortunately, the main road is the A27 which is inland with no sea view.

The hotel is sited at the end of the road right on the sea. It’s a modern looking hotel with 2 bars and a restaurant. New wooden tables were strategically placed round the outside of the hotel and on a big patch of lawn outside the club bar.

I started off in the lounge bar with a pint of Harvey’s Sussex bitter (£3.10). In this bar they were serving sandwiches and there was a hot food counter with baked potatoes, lasagne and some sort of top crust pie.

When my friends arrived, we proceeded onto the restaurant – it was packed out. We were then advised to take up one of the wooden tables that over look the sea by the club bar. You ordered food at the bar and they will bring it out.

I had another Harvey’s and my friends had a glass of house wine and a pint Knonenbourg (£3.40). The house wine turned out to be a piesporter @ £4.60 for 250ml. I think this sums it up what sort of place it is. I bet you that the local best selling wines are Blue Nun and Mateus Rose.

For food, we had the scampi and my usual fish and chips – all priced at £9.50. The “fish and chips” was heavily advertised as posh and fantastic. When it came, it was Ok but nothing special. There was a lack of seasoning on the chips and fish batter – a plus point for me as restaurants tend to forget that there are people on a low salt diet. The mushy peas were a disappointment – it was very bland.

I have to admit that it was a sunny day and I would be happy to sit there and look at the sea all day.

On the way back, my friend advised me to go back along the A21 as it is closer to the M25. That was a mistake as the A21 is mainly a single lane until it’s near the M25. There were also plenty of roundabouts which added to the congestion whereas the A23 is a dual carriage way and you also have the M23 when you are near Gatwick.

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