Description
Bognor Regis has been a seaside fishing settlement (and occasionally also a base for smuggling operations) since Anglo Saxon times. It became a fashionable resort in the reign of George III and has been frequented by royalty on numerous occasions. Visitors to the Royal Norfolk Hotel have included the Emperor Napoleon III of France and various members of Queen Victoria's family. The resort gained the title Bognor Regis after George V stayed here to convalesce after an illness in 1929. The resort is quite flat and has an excellent promenade walk. There is a pier and a delightful park, Hotham Park, which boasts a narrow gauge railway, putting green, crazy golf, tennis court and boating lake. On the beach between Bognor Regis and Aldwick lies the wreck of a floating pontoon - part of the Mulberry Harbour which was destined to be towed across to Normandy on D-Day June 6, 1944, but did not make it to Normandy and was washed up on the beach shortly after D-Day. It is clearly visible at low tide throughout the year. Bognor is a relatively small town but has some good shops and a theatre. The excursions possibilities are legion with numerous stately homes and several important towns and cities, as well as some smaller seaside towns, within easy reach. The beach is predominantly pebbly but the water is clean and the quality of the light often remarkable. Inland the scenery is quintessentially English with the splendour of the South Downs, England's newest National Park, very close at hand.
Itinerary
Holiday Itinerary
TOUR OPERATES SUNDAY TO SATURDAY
EXCURSIONS INCLUDED
Full Day Excursion to South Downs & Arundel
A picturesque round trip takes us through the gentle beauty of the South Downs, stopping at Arundel and the Amberley Working Museum where working craftspeople and artisans, such as clay pipe makers, wheelwrights and potters demonstrate their traditional crafts (entrance included in the tour cost).
Full Day Excursion to Southsea & Chichester
Nearby Chichester has a ancient medieval cathedral but was also a Roman settlement. Southsea is a an attractive seaside resort with a hovercraft link to the nearby Isle of Wight.
Full Day Excursion to Worthing and Littlehampton
We visit the large seaside town of Worthing, where Oscar Wilde wrote The Importance of Being Earnest while on a visit in the 1890s. It is a vibrant place with an attractive town centre. Nearby Littlehampton on the estuary of the River Arun is simply delightful with an award-winning beach, bustling marina and attractive harbour
Venue Information
Royal Norfolk Hotel
Situated in a delightfully sunny spot on the sea front with extensive lawns and superb Channel views, this exceptional Georgian building dates from the 1830s and has been visited by the Emperor Napoleon III of France and various descendants of Queen Victoria. The hotel is just a short walk from the pier and shops.
All 61 rooms are centrally heated with private bath or shower and WC, television, trouser press, hair dryer and tea/coffee making facilities. There is an attractive cocktail bar, a split level restaurant, two conference rooms and a bar lounge with small dance floor. Lift serves most rooms (some rooms accessed via several stairs). Entertainment is provided most evenings.
Note for clients with a mobility impairment: there are only two small steps to negotiate at the hotel entrance with a ramp available but this hotel does not have any ground floor rooms. Each of the bedroom floors is divided into two levels and it is necessary to ensure mobility impaired clients are allocated rooms on the side of the hotel which can be directly accessed from the lift. Please ensure you submit a Special Needs form if you have a mobility impairment.