Despite being extensively invaded by the Romans, and more recently by Londoners snapping up second homes, West Sussex has retained plenty of its unique character, and its natural assets. The South Downs, and the harbours around Chichester, being two of them. So now our Gurus’ recommendations for the best places to stay in West Sussex are characterful, and often view-rich too. West Sussex has an excellent array of accommodation on offer, from grand country houses turned hotels, through to simple B&Bs and holiday cottages, and this is a fantastic destination for great pubs-with-rooms; walkers; those with an interest in history; families; and mini-breakers.

Some of our West Sussex recommendations:

• 10 of the Most Romantic Hotels in West Sussex
• 10 of the Best Hotels with hot tubs in West Sussex
• The Best Spa Hotels in West Sussex
• The Best Pubs-with-Rooms in West Sussex
• The Best Hotels for the South Downs

West Sussex has a fantastic calendar of events, which includes Goodwood’s horse racing and motor racing fixtures, and the polo at Cowdray Park (stay in Midhurst for Cowdray). Chichester’s Arts Festival is another mark in the calendar, when this Georgian market town of 18th century townhouses and pretty tea shops is injected with world-class art and theatre. But while things can get exciting, and busy during the season(s), West Sussex is also the perfect destination to escape to for a walk in woods carpeted with bluebells, or drinking beer inside, or outside, a fine country pub. Those seeking peace and views, may well gravitate to the South Downs, for their scenic walking trails and views to the coast. West Sussex’s accommodation needs to accommodate this broad range of visitor, and the best places to stay in West Sussex includes no-nonsense coastal guesthouses, left over from days when folk went shrimping in Bognor for their annual escape, which still do a brisk trade for the bucket-and-spade brigade. At the other end of the scale, five-star country piles abound, where former Lords and Ladies peer from their canvas haunts at corporate types having a pow-wow or elegant ladies relaxing in the fluffy robes of a spa package.

Arundel, with its castle, and pretty Petworth, with its fabulous stately home, built in the 17th century, and surrounding estate, are some of the best places to stay in West Sussex for families. Along with seaside charmers like east Wittering, Selsey, Bognor Regis, Worthing, and Shoreham-by-Sea.

The Best Places to Stay in West Sussex

For a quirky option

• The Old Railway Station is a rather magical collection for Pullman carriages, arranged along a decommissioned Sussex railway station, and providing ten guest rooms and suites. The old station and waiting room is now a cosy breakfast room, and tea rooms. There’s no restaurant, but there are a number of local options. Children ten and over welcome.

For a Countryside Escape

• Gravetye Manor, outside East Grinstead, is a traditional English country house hotel converted from a charmingly grand Elizabethan stone manor. Its 17 rooms and suites offer cosy country elegance, complete with country garden views, wood panelling and four-poster beds, the restaurant has a Michelin star, and the lawns, with their croquet hoops, complete with picture. Charm and romance against a backdrop of old fashioned hospitality and service.
• The Halfway Bridge is a cosy inn with comfortable six rooms, and a bar and restaurant below serving great ales and superior pub food. The location, on the Petworth estate, halfway between Midhurst and Petworth, is ideal for exploring the area, or for walkers, or escapers. Expect warm service, plenty of space, wonderfully traditional architectural details, and generous portions.

Best Pubs-with-Rooms

• The Welldiggers Arms is a country pub bursting with a contemporary version of rustic charm, and 14 very comfortably rooms and suites to match. Great value, with a very good restaurant, and plenty of privacy, this is an excellent choice for a quite country escape, as a base for walking of cycling, or as a place to lay your head before or after attending Goodwood or the polo at Cowdrey. Foodies will be impressed - make sure you visit the Petworth Farmer’s Market too. And you can bring your pooch for a nominal extra.
• The Horse Guards Inn got its name from being a popular stop off point for the household cavalry, as they escorted gold bullion from London to the navy in Portsmouth. They certainly appreciated this atmospheric pub and inn on the outskirts of the Petworth estate, close to the picturesque village of Tillington. Today the pub still has an historic and homely air, with mismatched furniture and chalkboard menus offering seasonal homegrown, foraged or locally sourced ingredients. The three rooms upstairs are just as charming, and there’s a wonderful garden ‘out behind”.

Best Country House Hotels

• The Alexander House Hotel & Utopia Spa is an elegant country house hotel set in on 120 acres of parkland. The house is medium old, but the rooms have been recently refurbished, and all 57 are light, spacious and dressed with contemporary confidence that incorporates bright colour in some room, and restraint in others. Expect romantic add-ons, like tandem massages, and tubs-for-two, but this is also a family-friendly option - so idea for parents who would love a bit of a spa break? and maybe supper for two after the kids have gone to bed? Our Gurus recommend the afternoon tea, which is served outside when the weather allows.

For Families

• The Angel Inn is a picturesque, Georgian era inn in the South Downs National Park. The seven charming rooms are decorated to compliment their traditional features, of exposed beams and elegant original fireplaces. Some of the rooms are ideally laid out for families. The restaurant is very good, and serves an excellent seasonal menu. Pets are welcome too.

For Historic Inns

• The Spread Eagle Hotel and Spa is a character-packed old inn, with a main building, which includes the pub, dating from 1430. Unsurprisingly, the old part of the building is a warren of exposed beams, narrowing and slanting corridors, creaking staircases, and architecture that doesn’t quite seem to fit together. Admiral Nelson and Elizabeth I are just some of the big name celeb.s who undoubtedly spent a night here, and the very comfortable ‘Queen’s Suite’ still has a wig closest. The oldest rooms have separate snugs, and carved four-poster beds, but among the 39 rooms and suites there are some far more contemporary options too, with some good-sized family suites. The spa is in the newer part of the building, and it’s very popular with mini-breakers and spa weekenders. The pub is cosy and relaxing, and the restaurant fancy, but friendly.

For a Mini-Break

• The Chichester Harbour Hotel is a Georgian townhouse conversion in the centre of town, with 37 contemporary rooms and suites, a lively bar, a great restaurant, and an underground spa with a hydrotherapy pool, a gym and steam room. There are plenty of original features adding to the property's appeal — full height sash windows, magnificent fireplaces and a grand, sweeping central staircase — but it’s decorated in contemporary colours, design furniture, and contemporary art on the walls.
• Famed for its racecourse, and motor circuit, Goodwood, and The Goodwood Hotel is a fantastically imagine escape on the Goodwood Estate, complete with a spa and health club, two golf courses, and a choice of restaurants, all serving food grown on the estate, and including a rather fantastic pub. The hotel has 91 rooms and suites, the largest of which have sitting rooms and patio terraces. You’ll see smart decoration throughout the hotel, in the communal areas, and the rooms. Children can be accommodated in adjoining rooms.

For Romantics

• The Bailiffscourt Hotel & Spa is a mock medieval house built in the 1920s, using a wide variety of authentic materials, including a 15th century door and walls of Somerset stone. These days there’s a spa too, amongst the medieval follies and peacocks in the beautiful gardens, and 30 acres of parkland. The 39 rooms and suites offer romantic decor and four-poster beds.
• The South Lodge Hotel is a classic country house hotel: elegantly aged, set in acres of its own parklands; with a Michelin-starred restaurant; and views of the South Downs. In hotel form, the Lodge has 89 rooms and suites, with many a four-poster bed amongst them. And, as well as the Michelin-starred restaurant, there’s also a second, more casual option, which has 2 AA Rosettes. If you want more privacy, book a private cottage, and if you want a private hot tub, book the Godman or Farrier Suites.

For the South Downs

• Park House Hotel is a charmingly traditional, 21 room hotel in the heart of the South Downs National Park. Converted from an elegantly unfussy mansion house, this hotel now offers 21 rooms and suites, comfortably decorated in pale neutral colours - think plump cushions and just the right amount of chintz. The hotel has outdoor tennis courts, a professionally designed pitch n’ putt golf course, a putting green, croquet lawn, a spa and heated pool. There are also wonderful views of the South Downs, a peaceful drawing room, and a friendly restaurant. It’s been in the same family since 1948, and they’ve really honed their welcome.
• The Old House Inn was a farmhouse, but is now a pub-with-six-bedrooms. The pub and restaurant feel traditional, with an old beamed ceiling, stone floor and huge fireplace, but the bedrooms have contemporary touches to the traditional decor, like blue floors and chic, black and white bathrooms. The food is very good, and a Full English Breakfast is included with the room rate.

For Foodies

• Ockenden Manor is an Elizabethan manor house surrounded by tranquil grounds, about an hour from London, a country house hotel for people who appreciate uneven floorboards and lead-lined windows, but also Michelin-starred dining and impressive spa facilities. Ockenden does it with a state-of-the-art spa wing, which sits behind the original facade, offering contemporary accommodation if that’s what you’d prefer, while also offering all the wonderful nooks and crannies of the original Elizabethan building - perfect for romantics wanting to get lost. Expect English wines in the restaurant, cocktails in the cosy, wood-panelled bar, afternoon tea in the elegant dining room, and croquet on the lawns.
• The Crab and Lobster is a 26th century inn on the banks of the Pagham Harbour Nature Reserve. Today its main focus is its excellent seafood restaurant, and the four rooms and suites above it are elegant extensions of it. The menus are centred around locally caught fish, and locally reared meats, in an understated atmosphere.

For Great Value

• Crouchers is a converted farmhouse just outside Chichester, with 26 spacious, comfortable, and affordable rooms and suites. This is simple accommodation at its best, with pleasantly unfussy design in neutral colours, and good quality, solid furniture. Some rooms have courtyard access and four-poster beds. The hotel restaurant has 2 AA Rosettes, a friendly bar, and a lovely courtyard.

Best B&Bs

• Church Lodge is a three room B&B set just back from the Sussex coast. This is a home, as well as a B&B, and it’s got a warm, comfortable and friendly atmosphere. We like the eclectic decor, the breakfast conservatory, and the peaceful location.
• West Dean College B&B is an historic country house that looks quite a lot like a castle, what with its towers and crenelated, battlement-esque roof. Set within gated parkland and gardens just outside of Chichester, this is a wonderfully traditional feeling place to stay. The bedrooms have many original features, including elegant murals, and there are wonderful fireplaces, coving, stonework and stained glass. The communal areas are grand, the gardens glorious, and the views and atmosphere are tranquil. Adults only.

Prefer a Private Apartment or Cottage?

• If you'd prefer the privacy of a self-catering option then browse through the wide variety available online with our partner, Booking.com.

Travel Information

• Want to fly to West Sussex?

• The closest airport depends on where exactly you’re staying, with Heathrow Airport, Gatwick, and Southampton Airport all worth considering. Alternatively trains run towards West Sussex from London Victoria.
• If you want to hire a car we recommend you visit our online partner, Rentalcars.

• West Sussex is busiest during the summer. The Festival of Chichester, which runs for four weeks annually, is held at the end of June, through early July; the polo at Cowdrey runs between April and October; Goodwood is in September; and late spring, summer and early autumn are the best times to explore the South Downs too. West Sussex can be a great country escape any season, though, with sprinkles of rain coming through in all season. If you travel out of season you will find better value and choice.

Still not sure where to stay?

• You could refine your search to just the best places to stay in Chichester? or Midhurst (for Cowdray?)? Petworth? or the South Downs?
• Or you could refine your search by the type of accommodation you’re looking for? and consider just the best pubs with rooms in West Sussex? or the best spa hotels? or most romantic hotels in West Sussex?
• Or you could contact one of our friendly Gurus for personalised advice.

Weather

Monthly Weather in West Sussex