Vista Bar Cafe @ The View Hotel, Eastbourne

Visited 19/07/26 No cask. Keg offering of Camden Pale and Camden Hells, Stella, Guinness and Kopparberg crisp apple cider. Ground floor bar in modern prominent hotel on Eastbourne seafront. Bare boarded with a few carpeted sections and bar counter, an attractive tiled affair in the far corner. Decent view from the floor to ceiling glass frontage. Variety of seating options from more formal marble topped tables and leather chairs to some more casual sofas and wing back armchairs. There are some leather banquettes and a couple of booth tables. Most were outside on the paved area on typical patio style furniture. A couple of screens switched off on my visit and a country & western soundtrack playing. Was a very pleasant stay on a bright sunny day but not so sure it would be one of the most ambient hotel bars in darker parts of the year.

Hotel bar, but open to all with its own entrance. Modern furniture and decoration, but the view to sea from the full-height windows is the main draw here. However, draught beer is not a strong point, with a dull keg selection of Guinness, Stella, a pair from Camden - Hells and Pale (£2.40, half) - plus Magners cider.

Official site of Vista Bar Cafe (The View Hotel) - www.theviewhoteleastbourne.com

Official site of Vista Bar Cafe (The View Hotel) - www.theviewhoteleastbourne.com

Vista Bar Café is the bar of the View Hotel, although it has a separate entrance and is open to non-residents. Steps lead up to a terrace with some seating. There is a ramp, but it is all the way around the other side of the hotel. Inside there is a large open plan seating area with views of the sea through the floor to ceiling windows. The bar runs along the rear wall, I counted eight draught taps that were badged with a standard and premium range including Stella, Becks, Boddingtons and Guinness. There are no televisions and there was no background music. I was very surprised at how busy it was for early on a Saturday afternoon in February. Every table was being used, and this is quite a large bar, so the food must be very good.