A Weekend In Hastings, East Sussex

So of you who follow me on Twitter and Instagram will know that last weekend I went to Hastings for my best friends hen do, which was an amazing weekend. The house we stayed in was absolutely beautiful, and Hastings itself turned to out be a lot more than we expected so I decided to write this post on our weekend because I think more people should know about this pretty cool weekend destination. Of course it's not Ibiza or the South of France, but perfect for a 'local' weekend away!

We found this three bedroom house, Caple Gardens, on Airbnb, which is invaluable if you travel a lot. It has a huge selection of places to stay all around the world which suits every budget and need - whether you're on the lookout for a room to share in Thailand, or a manor house in Scotland you will find what you're looking for. I have used Airbnb several times and cannot fault it. 

This house sleeps 8 people in 3 rooms - two double bedrooms and a third room with the most amazing bunk beds I have ever seen. The accommodation is perfect for a weekend away with friends or a family break for two couples with kids. We were all so inspired by the decor - every single room was decorated to an incredibly modern style with touches of Hastings history, and all were different. The living room also has a working fire and we had cosy drinks in front of it on Friday night. One of the bedrooms is designed with a French style twist and is a pretty feminine room, however the other bedroom is designed with wood effect walls and Autumn colours with the most amazing framed art pieces. The third bedroom has a chunky wood bunk bed which sleeps 4 (it is huge!) and looks like something out of Harry Potter with library effect walls! I absolutely loved spending time at the house, and I think the other girls did too. 

The house is about 15 minutes away from the beach which is perfect, and the walk there is downhill, although consider how you are going to walk back because it's all uphill! 

Hastings is a cute little town - on our walk to the seaside we came across plenty of antique and vintage stores, as well as some modern interior design and art galleries. I discovered a shop called Xanadu which is full of vintage treasures - it sells mens and womens vintage clothing and accessories. I picked up the most awesome white real leather jacket from the 80's for £25! And my friend haggled a felt hat for £35 - good hunt! I wish we had more time to browse through the stores so I'm thinking I might actually come back for a weekend full of vintage clothing shopping as there are lots of stores I want to hit up. Who knew Hastings was going to be a vintage fashion treasure trove?! 

We then moved onto the beach which is pretty quiet in parts, but equally has a lot of activities by the main pier. I was surprised at the amount of eateries on the beach offering fresh seafood - there are so many things I wanted to buy but I couldn't exactly stock up and take goodies home, it's fresh fish. So I told Liam we definitely have to come back and taste all the fresh seafood Hastings has to offer! 

After some fun times on the beach we stopped by an eatery called Bullet which offers a variety of home cooked food and caters for veggies and vegans. I had the falafel which was delicious - quite spicy and perfect with the cooling tzatziki. 

We then geared up to go out for a meal and some drinks to celebrate marrying off our dearest Louise - tacky hen accessories a must! We chose to go to Romans Bar & Grill which looked amazing from their website with a selection of burgers and steaks - however when we got there it wasn't as big and loud as we expected, and also the food wasn't the best I had. I ordered a Love&Hate burger which consisted of beef, cheese and marmite and it was good, but the girls who ordered the steaks weren't impressed as the meat was overcooked which ruined it a little. They also had a good selection of cocktails which everyone enjoyed!
We then carried on the night in TinTins Bar across the road which was very pleasant to sit in - but if you need to go to the ladies room, beware: slabs were missing from the floor, the stairs were moving and men walked into the ladies room whilst we were trying to fix our hair... Creepy!

Saying that, Hastings is a lovely place for a weekend away - perhaps it has its flaws but that's what makes a weekend interesting right?
What is your favourite 'local' weekend away destination? I need more places to travel to!