A Child's Weekend Adventure in Brighton

Prior to living with us, our kids had never laid eyes on the ocean.

We considered going with them to some place in the Mediterranean , or even the Caribbean To provide them with an additional cherished memory.

However, understanding that this might lead us into trouble – they would anticipate pristine beaches, balmy waters, and unending sunlight each time we brought them along. the beach – we chose Brighton .

It's close to home and provided them with a more authentic sense of the type of shoreline we're prone to visit.

Pure joy

We had discussed what beaches typically look like, yet nothing could have prepared me for the sheer delight and enthusiasm displayed by my four-year-old son upon learning that we would indeed be seeing the ocean.

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His face brightened, and it was clear he wanted to bombard me with countless questions right away. Following his visit to a recent science exhibition where he laid eyes on a full-scale blow-up orca, his initial query was, "Are there going to be any whales?"

Delivering the news to his older sister sparked equal excitement.

Maybe sharing the news right before bedtime wasn't the most brilliant move – after all, we had three more nights until they would finally set eyes on the azure sea.

Spaceships and sunsets

The excitement on our journey to the hotel peaked at their first sighting of the sea and the minutes on the satnav weren’t counting down fast enough.

As sunshine reflected off the sea and filled our car with light, my daughter told me that she understood where Brighton got its name. You can also get there by train; for our family (including children aged 10 and 4), the ticket would have cost £44.70.

Meanwhile, my four-year-old complained several times as we drove along the beach hut-lined coastal road that he had spotted a whale.

I couldn't bring myself to tell him that this was highly improbable.

Regardless, he was readily sidetracked by the spaceship-like structure visible from our room—the Brighton i360; this tall observation tower lifts you up 450 feet providing panoramic vistas of Brighton and the ocean (no sign of whales though).

Our kids wholeheartedly endorsed our stay at the DoubleTree Brighton Pole and had their desire met with a room featuring a balcony overlooking the sea. (Double superior rooms begin at £130, including breakfast.)

We even got to witness an amazing sunset over the rapidly vanishing Brighton West Pier.

They felt a bit let down by the absence of sharks and Daddy's firm stance that we wouldn't be taking a dip in the English Channel during this visit.

From our room, the water looked so inviting that our children couldn't resist it.

Despite the grey sky and drizzle that was slowly getting thicker, they were desperate to get closer. So we popped down to the beach and I battled in vain to prevent them getting their feet wet as we ran away from the waves.

They were fascinated by the white foam left on the beach as the waves retreated and wanted to see what it felt like.

So, finally, I relented and we whipped off our socks, rolled up our what my son calls ‘trouser sleeves’ and froze our feet off.

They found it great fun, quickly learning to recognise which waves might reach them and running back up the steep stony beach before the water got them.

Thankfully it didn’t take too long before they also wanted to get back into the warmth – much more appealing was the swimming pool back at the pole and the promise of a slap-up meal in the hotel bar.

They’re not into fish and chips yet, but, in the spirit of teaching them about trips to British beaches, one step at a time.

Brighton’s best attractions

We were only in town for a short time but plan to bring the kids back since there’s still plenty left to discover.

However, we managed to fit quite a bit in. Here’s a rapid-fire glance at what we accomplished, captured in photos:

Richard Hartley-Parkinson was a visitor at the DoubleTree by Hilton.

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