Dog Friendly Beach Break at The Gallivant

Brand CollaborationsFood & Travel DestinationsLifestyle

22 Aug

Written By LBM

A few weeks ago Patrick and were feeling totally exhausted – we had just reached the end of two big renovation projects and although we knew we had our Mallorca holiday coming up, we decided to take ourselves (and the dogs!) away for a night for a little R&R.

We knew we wanted to be by the beach and didn’t want too far to drive, so opted for the Gallivant, just outside Rye in East Sussex. We had heard great things about the hotel and it didn’t disappoint. If you’re looking for a dog-friendly break by the sea, with a little bit of boutique pampering thrown in, then look no further.

Positioned just across the road from the dunes of Camber Sands, the hotel is a motel conversion – so simple in style from the outside, but the interiors and attention to detail throughout give it a more luxurious feel. From the cosy sheepskin-covered chairs in the bar area to the welcoming and well-equipped bedrooms with roll-top baths and beautifully soft bed linen, the overall feel of the place is of relaxed pampering. The bathroom had full-size Bramley products, perfect for a soak after a long walk on the beach.

We arrived in time to take the dogs for a good beach run, before checking in for afternoon tea. We dropped our bags and with the beach being literally across the road, it took minutes to get to the water’s edge. Just to quickly mention the road – being a former hotel, it is right by the road, but once inside our room we were totally unaware of any traffic noise and the position is super convenient for the beach. Back to that and the dogs were in heaven! They love nothing more than running and digging in the sand, so we spent an hour or so running up and down before we were all exhausted!

Back at the hotel, we were just in time for tea, which was delicious and such a treat as I don’t eat cake very often (being gluten-free it can be hard to find good options.)

After a long bath and some time relaxing in the room, (which was totally kitted out for our pampered pooches!) P and I headed over to the bar area for drinks and dinner. The food was outstanding – lots of great choices and as expected lots of lovely fresh seafood. We went to bed very full and happy!

The next morning we had breakfast and the dogs were allowed to join us for that in the bar area. We then headed into Rye to explore before heading home. Rye was so beautiful, as was Camber Sands. It was the perfect mini getaway and the dogs loved it too!

For this feature, we were hosted by The Gallivant, but as always all thoughts and opinions are my own. Photographs by Patrick Butler-Madden