The Shelleys

We have just spent a lovely 5 days in The Shelleys Hotel. The building itself is beautiful - a grade II listed country house yet just a stone's throw from the town centre, peaceful but very convenient for local restaurants and shops. The antique/period style furniture and furnishings are in keeping with its heritage and although the decor is a little faded it just adds to its charm and the feeling that one has stumbled into a P G Wodehouse novel and might at any minute bump into Jeeves or Aunt Agatha in one of the corridors! The staff are friendly and attentive but not fawning. Our room (a suite, in fact) was lovely - comfortable and clean. Only breakfast (not dinner) is available at the moment because of Covid-19 restrictions, but the menu is varied and the quality very good. The grounds are lovely but need some gardening TLC, however, as the hotel has only recently opened following lockdown it is hardly surprising that there is still some work to do. We loved our time there and will definitely be staying again before too long.

This is the third hotel I've stayed at in Lewes so far, I hadn't had a very good run of it prior to here, but I would say this is comfortably an improvement on the first two! It's a lovely rambling Georgian building, and I think the owners have done a really nice job with the decor - very much in keeping with the period of the building - particularly the foyer on entrance which has deftly avoided almost all of the usual banal soulless tropes of hotel lobbies. Overall I liked the decor in my room as well, which was elegant in an old fashioned way (again I thought appropriate for the building), and had a nice view over the smartly laid out garden below. If I had to nitpick, I would say that the shower was a bit naff (not much pressure), and the radiator was a bit noisy - even when I turned it off there was the low but constant sound of water flowing through. I do find it a bit difficult to sleep with these kind of persistent background noises. Although it wasn't as bad as the clanky radiators I had endured at the previous hotel I'd stayed at in Lewes. Breakfast was decent, possibly they were a tiny bit understaffed as service was a bit slow, and it was probably a good 10 minutes before I even saw a member of staff. Similarly a bit of a wait at checkout. I wasn't in a rush in either instance so it didn't really bother me, and perhaps this slower pace of doing things was, again, in keeping with the venerable building.

Quaint and comfortable, with an old fashioned air about it that allows a bit of grandeur from times past, this hotel is a gem that needs to be discovered. Great dinner and breakfast options. A few minutes walk from Lewes Castle and other beautiful must see attractions of the area. Highly recommended for events, beautiful garden at the back with fantastic views of the castle. Parking available.

5/5 My wife and I stayed at the Shelleys for two nights this August. Our room was very charming, comfortable and cosy, and the service extremely friendly and helpful. We had a very nice afternoon tea in the hotel's garden, and an excellent English breakfast in the morning. We'll definitely be coming back!

Stayed at The Shelleys Hotel for a couple of nights as I was seeing friends in Lewes. When I arrived the Manager took my case and took me up to my room to show me the amenities etc which I thought was a nice touch. All the staff that I met were friendly and helpful, and nothing seemed too much trouble for them. Unfortunately the Hotel does not have a lift, which could be a problem for some people. I am not sure if they have rooms on the ground floor. The room that I had was nice and spacious, with a large antique dresser, the bed was nice and comfy. The bathroom was big as well.  My only gripe is that the wardrobe was quite tall so I had trouble stretching up to reach the hangers. The WiFi at the hotel was nice and fast, which is not the case in a lot of hotels I have stayed at. I will definitely be staying at The Shelleys again.