The Aviator @ Carlton Hotel, Bognor Regis

Official site of The Aviator (Carlton Hotel) - www.theaviatorbarandgrill.co.uk

Official site of The Aviator (Carlton Hotel) - www.theaviatorbarandgrill.co.uk

Located in the bottom of a sea front hotel, there are a couple of rooms either side of a small bar, all vividly painted in in red, white and blue and decorated with odd bits of aeroplane. A couple of handpumps were not in use but apparently some Boondoggle had just been delivered. A large patio area at the front overlooks the beach if you ignore the traffic.

Although the Aviator is the hotel bar of the Carlton it is also a bar in its own right. Unsurprisingly an aviation theme runs throughout the bar with old pictures and pieces of fuselage on the walls. There is also a large model of an aircraft that is attempting to land in the bar. As a plane enthusiast I thought it was very impressive! The interior is u shaped with seating throughout and a pool table to the right were there is a plasma screen and projector for showing Sky Sports. During my recent Saturday afternoon visit PGA golf was the sport of choice even though the Olympics were in full flow on the BBC. Live music and ‘entertainment’ are advertised, but I didn’t see any specific dates. Out the front is a large patio area full of picnic tables with views onto the sea. The bar is stocked with standard draught products alongside Peroni and I heard talk of introducing a cask ale. There was none available from the lone hand pump during my visit. Food is available all day and I thought the décor had a hint of American diner about it. I found the service to be friendly and if I was staying in one of the rooms I would be happy to find out that this was the bar.