A one-two punch of heritage and modern class, The Star is the latest point in Olga Polizzi and Alex The Hotel Inspector Polizzi’s triangle of gorgeous hotels. You’ll have to schlepp it over to Devon and Cornwall to complete the set — but why bother, when our own Sussex offering is so damn lovely? A 15th century inn with 30 rooms in the quaint, quiet village of Alfriston, just a few miles from the coast, it’s perfectly situated: Eastbourne is 10km to the east, Brighton 20km to the west, and the South Downs Way skirts the village. If you follow the nearby meandering rivers you’ll come to pretty, pebbly local beaches.

Read Muddy’s review of The Star.

And the hotel itself? Positively aches with charm. A heavily beamed upper storey bows onto the high street and urges passers-by to stop in for a drink, meal, or overnighter. The interior feels like flipping through a country interiors magazine: period features and Tudor nods (the restaurant’s painted floorboards were stencilled to an Elizabethan design) are blended with bright, current fashion. There are plenty of charming quirks such as a ‘secret’ door leading out of the library and a children’s reading chair that is made out of books.

The restaurant serves a menu of unfussy British dishes, with an Italian twist.  It’s seasonal, of course, and simply balanced: aged Sussex Red beef fillet with fondant potato, pan-roasted wild turbot with sauce gribiche or the house-made pumpkin ravioli is an example of the daily offering of fresh pasta — trendy, ingredients-led, modern European eating. You don’t have to be a hotel guest to come for lunch and dinner, and dogs and children can both be accommodated for. Music to our ears!  There is plenty of space for outdoor dining, both in the pretty courtyard and in the recently opened Walled Garden with huge terracotta pots overflowing with lavender, fragrant star jasmine climbing the walls, and pleached laurels peeping over the flint walls.

The multi-faceted appeal is part of the hotel’s success, of course. Romantics will feel at home with the intimate vibe here and stylish spaces, while families will relish the children’s menu, board games, and interconnecting rooms. Pooch lovers will like the easily available dog beds and bowls. You can stay in and revel in the luxury, or borrow a pair of wellies and head out to hike through mud. Decisions, decisions!

Want the whole thing? You can take over the hotel for weddings or private parties, and can pretty much expect a gorgeous time — just be sure to invite us, yeah?