It took us nearly a day to get there. But why wouldn’t it, when we kept stopping off to visit all the places we’d promised ourselves we’d visit – if we ever had the time.

So it was 11am coffee and scones at the Art Deco magnificence that is the De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill – as well as a march round their delightful Ladybird Books exhibition.

Then it was lunch and a turn about the Old Town at Hastings, poking round its retro and vintage shops, the prestigious Jerwood Gallery and a brisk walk round the fishermen’s huts at Rock-a-Nore, the three and four storey edifices that were used to repair and keep the nets of the fleet which launches from the beach there.

It must be said – Camber Sands in East Sussex is a long old way from Dorset, or even Hampshire, but it is a journey so worth making to stay at this hotel which modestly describes itself as a ‘restaurant with rooms’, but which the Sunday Times rates as one of the UK’s top 100 establishments.

For starters it’s all on one level and so there’s no heaving yourself up and down stairs.

And then there’s the décor. Like Oscar Wilde, who died complaining about the wallpaper, I am deeply affected by nasty surroundings. So what a joy to discover that the whole establishment wouldn’t look out of place in a glossy interiors magazine.

It’s decorated in New England coastal style – seagrass flooring, whitewashed walls, driftwood and painted hand-made furniture, with a cosy woodburner and faux furs draped over the eclectic selection of seating in the bar area.

We were shown to a ‘deck room’ so-called because we had our own private deck, complete with lantern and chairs which would have been brilliant to sit and have tea at, if the weather wasn’t perishingly cold.

Not that you’d notice the outside temperature because keeping guests warm, well-fed and comfortable is what The Gallivant does best. Beds are either king or superking with goosedown pillows and 300 count linen in dazzling white. Curtains or blinds are heavy and lined and there is a desk and chair for your comfort as well as a flat-screen, free wi-fi and a thoughtful selection of books, including ones for children, in each room.

At the end of the corridor is the Larder of Guilty Pleasures where peckish guests can buy anything from granola bars to soft drinks, salted nuts to a yoghurt, and where the milk for morning tea is kept nice and fresh while it waits for you to collect it.

The larder is just one of several welcome innovations dreamed up for guests’ comfort by manager Mark O’Reilly.

No sooner had we packed our kit away than we were invited for tea and chocolate cherry cake with all the other guests, many of whom had been out walking, in the bar sitting area looking towards the famous dunes. Tea and cake are served like this every day which a) makes you feel instantly at home and b) wonder why all hotels don’t do this.

After imbibing several mugs of tea we decided to get ready early for dinner which meant my husband getting very excited about the monsoon shower, and me indulging in a bath so deep you could launch a submarine into it. Beautiful Noblis toiletries – all the usual plus body lotion – wafted delicious scents through the room and then it was time for pre-dinner drinks.

Like the vast majority of quality eating places, The Gallivant has a ‘local wherever possible’ policy which ensures seafish from nearby Rye, lamb raised on the area’s salt marshes, sustainably gathered shellfish and a tempting array of craft beers. It also means the menu changes with the season and with availability because 95 per cent of it is provided from within a ten-mile radius.

I started off with an exquisite beetroot and cod combo, my husband had terrine. Then it was steak and excellently cooked chips for him and risotto for me.

I always judge a restaurant on its puddings and The Gallivant could never be found wanting; the chocolate sponge was divine and so was the sauce and ice-cream. My husband, meanwhile, tested out the interesting local cheeseboard.

Breakfast was just as grand and included black pudding in the full English, as well as a table creaking under the combined weight of cherry and apricot compotes, granola, thick Greek yoghurt and dark, dark coffee to set us up for another day of exploring. We started with the vast sands of Camber and then went on to mysterious Dungeness – Europe’s largest shingle beach.

Dungeness is home to a number of seemingly ramshackle properties including the iconic black-and-yellow house and sea-themed garden of the late director Derek Jarman; a black-and-white lighthouse which resembles a giant rugby sock, and everything is backdropped by the glowering presence of Dungeness B Nuclear Power Station.

You can visit on a pre-booked tour but we preferred to stay outside and hunt for waxwings and other exotic birdlife, before making for medieval Rye and its vintage and antique shops.

We could equally have spent some time in the other nearby cinque port, Winchelsea, as well as venturing inland and exploring ‘1066 Country’ – the lands and coast connected to the Battle of Hastings – but that will have to wait for when we return.

And we will. Twenty-four hours at The Gallivant is like 48 anywhere else.

Getaway

The Gallivant costs from £95 per room (Monday to Thursday), including continental breakfast. From £125 weekends which are a minimum two-night stay.

See thegallivant.co.uk