The best boutique hotels in Brighton, from lofty sea views to Star Wars-themed rooms

This fabulous hotel is said to be a favourite of Cate Blanchett’s, and a seaside pad for Kylie Minogue. It spans two late-Georgian townhouses and has a great location almost opposite the pier and Brighton Wheel. Full of Art Deco-style detailing and with a locally renowned restaurant on the lower-ground floor, the hotel oozes style. While remaining sympathetic to its Georgian footprint, there are attractive Poirot touches to the rooms: elegantly curved ocean-liner styled walls and rippled stucco, blond-wood panelling and on-trend bed throws. Superior and feature rooms have freestanding baths facing floor-to-ceiling windows, so you can splash in the tub while enjoying the twinkly lights of the pier.

Hotel Una is quite simply one of Brighton’s finest hotels. On the east side of Regency Square and offering side views of the sea from front rooms, you’re right in the heart of things here, but inland enough from the seafront to banish extraneous noise. There’s oodles of style in the lovely high-ceilinged bedrooms. Each of the 17 rooms is named after a river, and the owner has devoted time to making them highly individual. Much of the hotel’s designer furniture has been locally sourced, so expect eye-catching contemporary art work, one-off craft-designed furniture, lots of solid wood detailing including stripped floorboards, and heavenly crisp white beds.

Perfect for arty weekenders, Hotel Pelirocco offers tongue-in-cheek themed rooms with a retro-rockabilly twist. Think Fifty Shades meets Seaside Sauciness. An overtly eclectic mix of kitsch and contemporary culture dominates, with album covers, rock memorabilia and artwork plastered throughout the entrance and along the staircase. All rooms are individually themed to excess: Lord Vader’s Quarters is Star Wars-themed and has a Darth Vader costume and lightsabers, while Bettie’s Boudoir is a sexy leopard print homage to Fifties pin-up Bettie Page, and has a whirlpool tub and sit-out balcony. Head to the hotel’s funky bar for cocktails among Brighton’s most colourful locals.

This four-storey Georgian townhouse hotel kicked off Brighton’s passion for boho boutique establishments. Its 12 bedrooms offer stylish décor and ultra-modern bathrooms. Great attention is paid to customer service, and extra requests – champagne in the room, or chocolates – are happily accommodated. Award-winning breakfasts are served in a “Belle Epoque” back room, include offerings spanning homemade muesli, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, pancakes, to the full English. An attractively chic front bar doubles as a relaxing guest lounge.

This whitewashed Victorian villa, steps from Kemp Town’s kooky pubs, antiques markets, hip cafés and beach, is the epitome of seaside chic. Inside, it’s all cool, clean lines, beach-themed prints and candy striped carpets which bring a fresh and contemporary boost to the traditional b&b blueprint. Downstairs, the modern breakfast room has a fun vibe with feature wall, lime-green banquettes and yet more Brighton-themed artwork. The 10 rooms of varying sizes range from compact singles to an airy suite with a double balcony and a spacious lounge. All rooms are decorated with a clean contemporary palette and bright and voguish feature walls, sisal carpets and plump velvet cushions.

If you’re looking for a quieter seaside base, this 11-bedroomed guesthouse above Hove’s highly-acclaimed Ginger Pig Bar and Restaurant is ideal. More boutique hotel than pub with rooms, interiors ooze style. Charcoal grey walls mix with original artwork, quirky junk store finds and contemporary colour notes in high-end fabrics. The look is pared-back and elegant, but respects the building’s turn-of-the-century architectural footprint. A young and friendly team can advise on where to eat and what to see in the area, but downstairs the award-winning Ginger Pig Bar and Restaurant serves snacks, well-executed mains and a good range of wines, beers and locally made spirits.

Spanning two smart townhouses at the top end of grassy Regency Square allows for fabulously lofty sea views without the usual seafront traffic disturbances. Brighton’s much vaunted i360 viewing tower faces the square. The look is cool private club meets East Village boho, with reclaimed furniture, exposed brickwork, densely pigmented colour schemes and a fabulous collection of paintings and prints by contemporary artists. Muted Farrow & Ball colours offset murals and paintings by artists like Parisian graffiti man, Blek le Rat alongside Charlie Anderson, Joe Webb and Jess Albarn. Arty rooms take up half the hotel (some are sea-facing with balconies).

Just up from the sea, the hotel is ideally placed for The Lanes and the city’s major attractions. Appropriately, the huddle of pistachio-toned Gothic-style buildings that comprises Hotel du Vin originally started life as a wine merchant’s store. Yet inside, space dominates – lots of exposed brickwork and leather club chairs in the roomy split-level bar, and a strong Parisian feel to the brasserie. Bedrooms have a Rhode Island-feel with sand and blue colour schemes, wicker furniture and pale wood panelling. Each one has nice individual touches such as retro leather bedheads, Victorian fireplaces or roll-top baths set by the window.

This stylish boutique bolthole, set in a tall creamy Regency townhouse, is a stroll up from the seafront Peace statue and ideally situated for easy access to the city’s main attractions. Lashings of style with funky furniture, gorgeous plum colour schemes, furnishings made from old kimonos and walls adorned with works by local artists, this arty hotel also has nice traditional touches with huge floor-to-ceiling windows, folding shutters and plenty of Regency stucco. Rooms are bright, minimalist and contemporary, with spa baths in superior rooms, power showers in standard doubles, alongside memory mattresses, L’Occitane toiletries and pillow menus.

A small but luxurious Grade II-listed Georgian townhouse hideaway with a friendly heart, set next to the Palace Pier and looking out to sea. Each of the nine rooms has at least a partial sea view and all are slightly different. Try and bag the roof terrace room at the top of the house which has a balcony from which you can watch the wind whip up the waves and folk strolling along the pier. Also recommended is the sea-facing room on the first floor, which is a more appealing size and has gorgeous floor-to-ceiling windows with enviable pier views.