Brighton, England

When we arrived at Brighton train station, we got another taxi to our hotel. Carrying 66kg of luggage plus hand luggage is not fun! When we got to the from door of the Hilton, we had to squeeze through the revolving door of the hotel with our backpacks on our back, our Padi bags on our front, and a dive bag in our hand. It was a tough squeeze! The bell boy took our bags straight away for us! What service at the Hilton hotel!!

The Hilton Hotel , Brighton

We relaxed in our room at the Hilton, watching tv, enjoying the comfy bed, and the nice, clean bathroom. Then we ventured down to Brighton Beach. Not much of a beach, since there’s no sand, just pebbles. The weather was abit gloomy aswell :(

They call this Brighton Beach.... !! (oh and my 6GBP flats)

For dinner we ventured down the main strip of Brighton. I discovered Weatherspoons pubs and found out how cheap the prices were there! For dinner I had sausages, chips and baked beans for only 3.10GBP! :) Gaffa had a full meat platter for under 10GBP. Dessert was only 3.30GBP each which is awesome, because they were such big servings. Drinks in there were also cheap, and I tried a really nice pear cider. Think this is one of my fav drinks in UK now since I don’t drink beer.

We were out in Brighton on a Saturday night. So we saw the swarms of people out for bucks and hen’s nights. I saw sailors, nurses, maids, braveheart, where’s Wally, golfers, cross dressers, burlesque, dog costumes…oh and a sign to a bar selling 50p shots!! It’s apparently the place to go for your hens or bucks night.

The next morning we wandered down for our buffet breakfast. Yummy!! We had orange juice in wine glasses on arrival as they took us to our seats. First plate of food was bacon, poached eggs, tomatoes, mushrooms, hasbrown, and I even tried black pudding. I was getting pretty full by the time I finished this first plate! Oh no!! But I had to try some more food. Next plate was pastries consisting of croissants, danishes, snails, etc. Then I had pancakes and Gaffa had waffles. They also did French toast and omelettes. There was also cold meats, yoghurt, fruit and cereal and various types of bread. One of the most elaborate breakfasts in a hotel I’ve seen. Can't wait to stay in the Hilton in Aberdeen!!

Brighton Pier

After our long breakfast we went for a walk down to the pier. There were rides and Timezone type games where you collect tickets and trade them in for prizes, aswell as all the stuffed toy machines with the claws. Found a sweet shop with massive lollies that I seriously wondered how I would even start to eat them or even finish them. Crazy Poms!! The weather was raining and cold, so we didn’t do much.

Alternative beach culture in Brighton!! 

We headed back to the hostel to wait for Gaffa’s best mate Tasha and her boyfriend, Si. We all headed to Yates pub for a drink and catch up. I knocked over my entire drink while taking off my jacket. :( Then we headed South to Fareham to Gaffa’s sister’s place, where the whole family was awaiting for our arrival. I’d met Gaffa’s parent’s before during their visit to Australia during Xmas in 2009, and I’d spoken to the rest of the family on Skype. It was great to finally meet them face to face, and also spend some time with Gaffa’s nephew who he’d never met before. He’s so cute at just 2 ½ years old, and he can say my name!! =D