KYLIE Minogue's room was taken. So was Gordon Ramsey's. But this was fine by us — our attic room in the elegant but über-chilled Drakes Hotel was one of two that had a balcony where we could keep a bird's-eye view on Brighton seafront below.

It was highly likely that our room in this luxury boutique hotel had previously been occupied by a celebrity. The list of actors and actresses, presenters, pop singers and comedians that have stayed there is endless.

However, despite it being a regular celeb haunt, Drakes isn't at all pretentious. This was immediately obvious when we were shown the way onto our balcony through the window!

Situated on the edge of Kemp Town and a convenient few minutes stomp from the Lanes, this four-star converted Georgian town house was to be our haven from the hustle and bustle of the colourful city labelled 'London by the Sea'.

Drakes epitomises romance and has a well-executed philosophy of making its guests feel like friends coming to stay. Its contemporary decor hints of French colonial Indochina and its 20 cherry chocolate bespoke rooms are laced with bamboo and elm.

We noticed the relaxed ambience the moment we walked into the hotel's small cocktail bar — which doubles up as an informal reception — from the busy Marine Parade.

I quickly discarded any concern about forgetting my smart threads, as the relaxed atmosphere even extends into the hotel's intimate fine dining restaurant — studded with two rosettes. But then this is Brighton where pretty much anything goes.

We had come to stay at the hotel to soak up Brighton's renown vibrancy and mooch about.

And with its great shopping district, comprising the very bohemian North Lanes and the South Lanes of the Cultural Quarter — with a plethora of animated and cosmopolitan restaurants, pubs, bars and clubs thrown into the mix — we felt Brighton more than rewarded our three-hour drive from Exeter.

And when fatigue finally set in after a day of pounding the pavements, retiring to our room and sinking into our giant marshmallow beds was bliss.

The pillows and duvets are made of duck down and the beds are all super-king size enveloped in rich Egyptian cotton sheets and velvet throws. Most of the rooms have stand-alone baths, and some also have the luxury of 'wet rooms'.

Our stay at Drakes was a treat made even more so by our evening pre-dinner cocktails stirred up by a very knowledgeable bar tender.

I had a mix of passionfruit, vodka and champagne — and I can fully recommend it.

But the pearl in the shell was most definitely our fine dining experience in the restaurant tucked underneath the hotel's five floors. To miss this would have been nothing less than criminal. In addition to its rosettes, the restaurant at Drakes has scooped the highest rating out of all the restaurants in Brighton by the Good Food Guide 2010.

Selecting dinner was an almost impossible task. But we finally plumped for a flavoursome three-course meal of Modern European cuisine. This included melt-in-the-mouth oysters, roast quail, wild mushroom and goats cheese pithiver, succulent squab pigeon, rich chocolate tart and mirabelle souffleé.

Be warned, Drakes will spoil you rotten.

Drakes has rooms from £100. Details: Drakes of Brighton, 01273 696934, www.drakesofbrighton.com.