This is a fantastic hotel - and you should find an excuse to stay here.

In order of growing 'impressiveness':-

1. The restaurant and bar are pleasant and well furnished. There seems to be a few locals that dine in the restaurant as well as the guests - which is always a good sign. Both had a good buzz without being crowded.
2. The rooms looked freshly decorated (in modern greys and browns) and were of a good size. Beds were comfortable and there was free wi-fi that worked well. Everything was spotless.
3. The food in the restaurant was absolutely fantastic. Although I ate there the same night as a large wedding reception was being held in the hotel I was served very quickly (less than 50 minutes from sitting down to finishing a 2 course meal) and the food quality was superb.
4. The staff are astonishingly good here - probably the best level of service I have experienced (an that includes a large number of 4 and 5 star hotels). They provide a very very professional service but they also think about you as a guest. Here are a few examples;
a. when I booked in they asked me if wanted dinner. When I said that I couldn't as I was working until 02:00 in the morning she asked me what time I was going to sleep to in the morning so she could make sure housekeeping didn't wake me up.
b. After dinner on the second night the waitress reminded me of the times for breakfast. When I said that I would be away working too early to get breakfast - she went out of her way to try and arrange something very early for me.
c. During dinner an elderly couple arrived for dinner. They could not read the menu as they did not have any reading glasses, so the waitress gave them her reading glasses for 5 minutes to read the menu.

All in all a lovely place to stay - with truly world class staff. Unfortunately for me the work I was doing in this area is now complete - so I am looking for an excuse to go back and stay here.

One minor gripe - Trouser Presses! Trouser presses remind me of some second rate has-been hotel that is grasping for ratings with the English Tourist Board. Does anyone ever use these ridiculous things? The Hickstead doesn't need to grasp for ratings - it already is top class. Please sell them on eBay and use the cash to by an iron and ironing board to stick in the wardrobe.

It's not glamourous, no comfy lounge, lighting too bright.

But the team work very hard to keep guests happy and looked after.

Hassan and Patricia work long hours and very hard, always with a smile.

£99 room, dinner (inc wine) and breakfast - a bargain.

Situated just off the A23, it was near where we wanted to be. Far enough away from the main roads to be quiet enough to hear the quacking ducks in the nearby pond. Rooms were a decent size; we had the double + single family room with a rear facing aspect. No aircon but the window was sufficient and quiet enough. Looks like a popular special occasion venue, weddings etc. but we were not disturbed by the Wedding in full flight on the Saturday we stayed. There might be a slight concern over proximity to water/open windows for bug life during the summer but as we stayed in autumn, not an issue.
Only issue was with the TV signal dropping out every now and again - but who stays at a hotel to watch the TV? Countered by the excellent free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel (or at least where we went). Overall the hotel is a little dated compared to some 'chain' hotels but was clean and well managed. Breakfast was adequate and makes a change to get waiter service these days (instead of the more common buffet for hot food).
Good value for money. We paid £79 for B&B for the 2 of us booked online. Would stay again.

My husband and I stayed here for one night to celebrate our wedding anniversary, the room was very clean and comfortable. We had a three course dinner in the restaurant which was excellent (treacle tart best ever) Buffet breakfast was just as good. Staff are very friendly and helpful and although there was a wedding reception on we were not disturbed at all, would certainly recommend this hotel and very much look forward to staying here again.