Businesses in Hastings, Rye and St Leonards take home top awards celebrating ‘the best of tourism, leisure and hospitality’

By Megan Baker
Published 19th Dec 2022, 12:23 BST
Updated 19th Dec 2022, 13:21 BST
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Three local businesses were winners at an awards ceremony celebrating ‘the best of tourism, leisure and hospitality’ across South-East England.

The Stag Inn, Vine and Country Tours and The Gallivant were all celebrated at the annual Beautiful South Tourism Awards in a ceremony at The Grand Brighton.

The Stag Inn, in All Saints' Street, Hastings, won the category to be named Pub of the Year.

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Nestled in one of the Old Town’s most historic streets, the cosy sixteenth-century pub, with its inglenook fireplace and regular live music, seamlessly mixes the traditional with the contemporary.

Vine and Country Wine Tours was also among the gold winners of the night.Vine and Country Wine Tours was also among the gold winners of the night.
Vine and Country Wine Tours was also among the gold winners of the night.

The gold award tops off an incredible year for one of Hastings’ quirky favourites as it features in the Good Food Guide 2022 and has been awarded an AA 2 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence.

Nicole Holt, licensee of The Stag Inn said: “It was such a wonderful surprise to get this award.

"Nick and I were thrilled to be just in the top three - we were a little stunned when we actually won the thing!

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"We love The Stag, and we love Hastings, it’s a great, undervalued town and we are so proud to get a mention for the Old Town!

The Stag Inn, in All Saints' Street, Hastings, won the category to be named Pub of the Year.The Stag Inn, in All Saints' Street, Hastings, won the category to be named Pub of the Year.
The Stag Inn, in All Saints' Street, Hastings, won the category to be named Pub of the Year.

"We also love our brilliant staff who have worked their socks off though some weird times over the last five years. So, Ben, Tracy, Natalie and the rest - this is for all of us.”

St Leonards company Vine and Country Wine Tours was also among the gold winners of the night, taking home the title of Experience of the Year.

The award-winning business offers bespoke vineyard tours, dining experiences and wine tasting in Sussex and Kent.

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Owners Stephanie Jones and Jamie Thompson, experts in immersive wine and food tourism, have grown their businesses from strength to strength.

The Gallivant which was the recipient of an impressive four awards.The Gallivant which was the recipient of an impressive four awards.
The Gallivant which was the recipient of an impressive four awards.

They said: "We're ecstatic and overwhelmed to have won GOLD for Experience of the Year at the Beautiful South Tourism Awards 2022/23!

"We followed our passion and vision five years ago to create Vine + Country Wine Tours and to be recognised amongst some of the best tourism businesses in the South East is an honour.”

"We are so very proud to represent this beautiful area of the country that we both love and want to share, and to be named Experience of the Year for a third time is an absolute honour - we can't wait to attend the national Visit England awards next year and, in the meantime, continue to welcome many more visitors to our fabulous tours to experience the best flavours and hidden gems here in the wonderful South East.”

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Another business that did well on the night was boutique hotel The Gallivant, on Camber Sands, which was the recipient of an impressive four awards.

The team won gold for Business Events Venue of the Year and received silver accolades in the categories of Hotel of the Year, Restaurant of the Year and Wedding Venue of the Year.

This comes in addition to the company’s win earlier this year at The Beautiful South Awards for Excellence, where it won a further four awards.

Related topics:HastingsSt LeonardsRye