Wingrove House

In a village characterized by creaky, half-timbered buildings, Wingrove House – an elegant, colonial-style ‘estaurant with rooms at the southern edge of the village – cuts a bit of a dash. It’s one of the nicest place to stay hereabouts by some way, with just five tastefully luxurious rooms, a cosy lounge for guests and an excellent restaurant that brings in lots of non-residents.

The  two largest rooms look out onto the Tye, the picturesque village green; two more have access to the heated balcony that runs along the front of the building; and the fifth is a smaller double (and a bargain). Resist the temptation to stray elsewhere in the village for dinner and settle yourself in for the evening: you can enjoy pre-dinner drinks in front of the woodburner in the splendid lounge, or outside on the veranda and terrace, followed by a meal in the restaurant, which sources its ingredients from the fields and farms around Alfriston. A large part of the place’s charm comes from the owner, Nick, who lives on site and looks after his guests so well that many of them return again and again. You probably will too – it's that sort of place.