Malmaison | Brighton Marina*

Nestled in an unassuming part of Brighton Marina is the Malmaison, which has just undergone an incredible £5 million renovation! I went along to check it out with Charlie (from Modish Male) and some other lovely bloggers for cocktails, canapés and a sunset view.

When we arrived, I was immediately impressed by how clean and new everything looked. We wandered down the stairs, which were adorned with some awesome rustic lighting, to the reception area. Before we even got there, I completely fell in love with this hotel; a hotel luggage cart adorned with beautiful, old and battered  suitcases was gracing the hallway ♥

The reception area has a huge screen behind which plays this unique video montage about Brighton. What can you spot?

After being shown to the bar area, complete with a balcony, we were treated to drinks and a variety of dishes from their menu (in canapé form). The dishes change seasonally and everything is sourced within the UK.

For starters I tried out some of their fresh burrata served with mozzarella, herb purée and a heritage tomato salad. It was really fresh and the mozzarella was deliciously creamy. Unfortunately, I didn’t manage to get a pic of these, but trust me, they looked incredible!! I decided not to drink and they couldn’t have been more helpful in getting me a drink. I got to soak up the last rays of sun while enjoying this delicious mocktail!

There was also grilled masala spiced mackerel with sweet potato, a lime pickle and cumin raita to try. I’m not sure everyone liked this one, but I thought it was so tasty and I loved being able to eat fresh fish while looking out to sea.


The final starter was spring lamb Benedict; which was slow braised Dorset lamb shoulder, an American glaze with brioche and a mint Béarnaise. I’d definitely recommend this as my favourite starter, the lamb was tender and the sauce complemented the lamb so well.

For the mains, we got to try the chicken Milanese which was a breaded chicken breast with truffle mayonnaise and rainbow chard. This dish usually comes with a Burford Brown fried egg, but as we were only having canapés, there’s no way it would have fitted on the plate 😀 I think this was my favourite dishes of the evening and I’d definitely want to order the full-sized dish for dinner! I’m sad that I didn’t manage to get a photo of this either 🙁

They also had a fresh spring vegetable and wild garlic risotto to taste test which was accompanied by pea shoots and extra virgin olive oil. It was so creamy and delicious and felt light and refreshing. I might have accidentally eaten one and inhaled a second one!

Finally for pudding, there was a warm Valrhona (French chocolate) caramel chocolate brownie with a blackberry on top and some rhubarb trifle with Yorkshire rhubarb, a vanilla custard and ginger crumble topping. I’m not a massive rhubarb fan, in fact I’d go so far as to say I hate rhubarb. I’m also not a custard lover. I would; however, have eaten all these desserts if there weren’t lots of other bloggers who also wanted to try them 😀 It was absolutely delicious and my mum was shocked when I told her what I’d eaten!

I also have to give a special mention to Colm, the absolutely delightful waiter who served us our food and drinks, patiently holding the serving trays full of food while we all took copious photos!

We were then invited to take a room tour and omg, I didn’t want to leave; it was stunning!! We were told that all the rooms have a different feature wall and all the furniture is different. I, and several other bloggers, loved this gorgeous yellow rocking chair.

This sea-view room came complete with so many extras; a full-length mirror (with plug sockets for hair drying and straightening), a safe, an iron, complementary robe and slippers, mini bar, snacks AND some cute shampoo and shower gel. The bathrooms unfortunately only come with a shower as standard, except the suites which all have roll-top baths. I’m one of those people who love a nice bath in a hotel, but I’d definitely still stay here if I had the chance!

We were also shown the library which I want in my house please and thank you. I loved the fact that it’s also open to non-residents and you can hire it out for private events! It’d be perfect for a mini-blogger meet-up! There are also plenty of other rooms round the hotel you can hire out for functions, events or meetings.

And although this branch doesn’t have leisure facilities, they have a deal with the spa in the Marina for a 10% discount for guests, and there’s a David Lloyd, complete with gym and swimming pool, 2 minutes away by foot!

I definitely want to come here again and I’m hoping I can persuade J that we need to come here for my birthday meal 😀 I was also really surprised when we got a goody bag at the end of the evening. There were loads of brochures about the different things Malmaison has to offer; afternoon tea anyone? They were also kind enough to pop one of their shampoos, an After The Rain scented candle from Arran Home and a Kinder Bueno!! (Which I kindly shared with J ♥)

Have you ever stayed at one of the Malmaison hotels? Would you be tempted to try it out for a special occasion? Let me know in the comments below 🙂 x

*I was invited by the venue to review but all views are my own.

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30 Comments

  1. This looks like such a pretty hotel! Will totally recommend the Malmaison to any friends and family who want to stay down here in a pretty hotel for a decent price!

  2. Wow! Looks amazing! Gonna keep this in mind for a romantic get away with the husband. We are in desperate need for one

  3. This place looks so cool! Think I’m going to have to try it, the food looks delicious 🙂

    Courtney xx
    strawberrydream.co.uk

  4. Perfect timing, your review because I am looking for a good venue in Brighton for my women’s leadership confidence programme. Loved the sound of the food especially the rhubarb dessert.

  5. That mocktail looks insane, and food sounds amazing! Was checking out their afternoon tea menu the other day and it sounds so good.

    1. Thank you 🙂 I wish I’d taken more, but I was so excited to check out the hotel, I kept forgetting!! Lovely to meet you 🙂 x

  6. This looks so cool! I’m so gutted I missed out on it all. I’m glad you got your mocktail! I’ma fan of fresh fish too, I bet I would’ve enjoyed it with you. Stunning hotel!! Great write up my lovely!

    Honestly Aine

    1. It was epic, sad you weren’t there to enjoy it too though, I reckon you’d have loved it! Maybe we should do an afternoon tea there before you go? Or one day when you visit Brighton

      1. Are you going to the Spring brighton blogger cocktails this week – I won’t be drinking much, maybe one. It’s there! We can have mocktails together! Or we could organise it with the three of us?

  7. Oooh! The food, the room – it all looks beautiful! I’ve never stayed in a Malmasion before but this has certainly got my attention. Brighton has been on my UK bucket list for years so this may be the push I need to actually visit this year 🙂 Lisa

    1. Brighton is an amazing place to visit and there are loads of buses from the Marina into town, or you could stroll along the seafront! 🙂 x

  8. was lovely to meet you there! These photos are incredible, what camera did you use?x

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