Beautiful South Tourism Excellence Awards 2012 1066 Country Finalists

In testimony to the wealth of top quality accommodation that we enjoy in our lovely corner of the South East, one of the finalists in the best B&B Accommodation of the Year category is from right here in 1066 Country.

16th century Kester House in Sedlescombe, East Sussex has been shortlisted from hundreds of B&Bs visited by the ‘secret shopper’ judges and will find out on November 28th whether they are winners of the prestigious Beautiful South Tourism award at the ceremony held at Denbies Vineyard near Dorking.

Owners Derek and Monique Wright said: ‘We are thrilled to have been nominated for this prestigious award. We have only been trading for just under 18 months and have been overwhelmed by the welcome we’ve received for our new venture!’

Perhaps it’s those little extras that make Kester House stand out from the crowd. Pancakes and muffins vie for first choice over a full English breakfast. Not many B&Bs offer spa and beauty therapies. Guests can also sample Monique’s home baking during afternoon tea which is available on Sunday afternoons. These little extras are also on offer even to people who aren’t lucky enough to be spending the night. Another 1066 Country finalist is the Rye Tourist Information Centre (TIC), which was opened in August 2009 and won a Silver award in its first year of trading. The domain of the TIC has increased in 2012 since it became the tourist information hub for Rother District.

Tracey Young, energetic manager of the Rye TIC said: ‘In addition to our work at the Rye TIC, we are now responsible for managing the two Visitor Information Points in Bexhill and Battle, at Number 48 and Yesterdays World respectively.

There are also over 10 Tourist Information Points located in businesses throughout the district. The system is working really well and we are thrilled to be finalists again in the Beautiful South Tourism Awards.’

Here in 1066 Country we’ve got the champagne on ice!