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For a sense of the vibe at The Gallivant, let me list you some of the household names you’ll come across during your stay: Bamford, Dryrobe, Teapigs, Hunter, Gusbourne. Are you sold yet? If you’re looking for a chilled-out spa break on the beach in the heart of English wine country, it doesn’t get much better or more British than this coastal retreat.
The adults-only, dog-friendly hotel sits just behind the sand dunes at Camber Sands — an enviable beachside location that’s integral to every part of your stay, from morning yoga on the golden sands to hot toddies in the dunes after dinner. Sea dips, massages and vineyard tours are among the highlights at the Gallivant, which boasts the UK’s largest English wine list and an exclusive partnership with award-winning wine estate Gusbourne, just a 20-minute drive away, with private tours, transfers and wine-paired lunches available on request.
From board games by the fire to facials in the Beach Hut spa cabin, here’s what to expect.
Where is it?
Right behind the dunes next to Camber Sands Beach in East Sussex, just an hour from central London and right in the heart of English wine country. Historic Rye is just a 10-minute drive away and Hastings is 40 minutes by car.
Style
Fire pits on the plant-filled terrace. Dominoes and card games in the snug. Hunter wellies and Dryrobes by the front door.
The vibe at The Gallivant is sophisticated but relaxed — and the devil is in the details, from the deck chairs you take take to the beach from reception to the little Teapigs sachets staff leave out for you before bed.
Lovers of The Pig will adore it here, with cosy lounge areas and laid-back bedrooms reminiscent of the popular hotel’s coastal outposts in Studland and the South Downs. There are dog-friendly tables available at mealtimes, and old vintage swimming costumes in frames on the wall.
Which room?
All 20 of The Gallivant’s rooms (four are dog-friendly) are uniquely designed, with coastal hues and fun beachy details such as rustic wooden chairs and surf-themed books above the bed.
Each one comes with a beach bag for using during your stay (there are beach towels, Hunter wellies and sowesters available to borrow from reception) and a Gallivant-branded water bottle, fillable from the still and sparkling Belu water taps at the end of the bar (staff can add it to the bill at the end of your stay if you want to keep it). There’s also a Thermos bottle you can take to the bar for your evening cocktails on the beach.
Bathrooms are stocked with Bamford products and some come with roll-top baths and private garden terraces at the back. Expect to come back to a tray of candles, flasks of hot water and nighttime tea in your room at bedtime. There are still and sparkling water taps next to the bath.
Food & drink
Eggs on hand-toasted rye (Rye?) bread for breakfast. Oysters for lunch. Wood-roasted Romney lamb rump or good old-fashioned fish and chips for dinner.
Food at The Gallivant is locally-sourced, seasonally-centred and sustainably-produced, with meals prepared over charcoal from sustainable British woodland in the kitchens (there are no gas cookers) and more than 90 per cent of ingredients sourced from within 20 miles of the hotel. Breakfast and dinner are both served in the dining room, while lunch is served on the foliage-filled terrace, with outdoor heaters available and guests comparing notes about their sea swims and Gusbourne trips across the tables.
Masterchef Nico Fitzgerald, executive head chef, is the mastermind behind the whole thing and delivers an ever-evolving menu from roast Kent beetroots and walnut cream to whole Rye Bay fish with a homemade seaweed butter so irresistible we simply had to ask for more. Staff will happily match your wine to your dinner (the hotel boasts one of the largest selections of English wine available by the glass or bottle) and there’s an extensive cocktail list from Camber Negronis to an aptly-named Romp in the Dunes. A traditional fish and chips wrapped in paper is available to order, if you fancy your dinner on the beach.
Breakfast is an a la carte affair, with bacon, sausage or mushroom buns and eggs on toast available to order after a starter breakfast tray of fruits, yoghurts and granolas. There’s a toasting station on a table in the middle of the dining room, and still and sparkling filtered Belu water, fresh fruit and bowls of nuts laid out in the sitting room at all times.
The Gallivant’s real food and drink highlights, however, are those you don’t get at mealtimes: freshly-baked cakes served in the sitting room from 4pm; wine tastings in the coastal garden; and the hotel’s signature experience, drinks in the dunes, served to you in sweet little thermos flasks that you can take to the beach after dinner (staff will make you up a beach bag with rugs and give you a What3Words for the top sundowner spot). Choose from margaritas, hot toddies or — if you’re not done with it yet — more English sparkling wine.
Facilities
There’s a snug with an open fire and board games, a wild eco coastal garden with Pinus Pinea pines, outdoor dining and an open fire, and a Beach Hut spa cabin offering offering a selection of Bamford facials and massages.
But the Gallivant’s real USP is its access to the beach, just a 30-second walk away. Swims, guided beach walks, wellness sessions are all on offer (tell reception you’re heading to the beach and they’ll make you up a bag of towels), and all guests are invited to join the hotel’s daily complimentary flow yoga class, held each morning in either The Open Space (the hotel’s indoor wellness and yoga studio) or — weather and majority vote-depending — on the beach itself. Just book via the QR code in your room and grab a yoga mat from the studio.
There’s a Peloton bike and a Concept 2 rowing machine in the studio too, both bookable online or at reception. And remote working from the hotel’s dedicated workspace is actively encouraged — monthly memberships are available to locals or day-trippers who fancy making the most of The Gallivant’s food and drink, exclusive wine tastings and daily wellness classes from mindfulness to breathwork.
For overnight guests, the package options are extensive, from a Bamford Spa Escape to The Unlimited Gallivant, a £530-a-night all-inclusive offering including an overnight stay, dinner, breakfast, English wine at 5pm, unlimited drinks, drinks in the dunes, daily yoga and wellness classes, turndown ‘We Have Drift Off’ tea.
The Gusbourne Ultimate English Wine Experience costs £1,045 per couple and includes a private three-hour tour of Gusbourne (Guzzlebourne, according to staff here) and overnight stay with dinner at The Gallivant.
What to Instagram
Sunset in the dunes, hot toddy in hand.
Best for?
Couples (over 16), dog-owners and wine-lovers looking for a relaxed beachside staycation. It’s all on the ground floor and wheelchair accessible.
How to get there
Trains to Rye are just over an hour from London St Pancras. It’s a two-hour drive from central London.
