Star factor
At the foot of the South Downs, the Sussex village of Alfriston is nothing short of picture-perfect. Its pretty, higgledy piggley medieval High Street is lined with lovely local shops, charming cafés and restaurants, and a choice of antique emporiums and creative ventures.
The Star is hard to miss – this handsome, historic beamed building has sat in the centre of the village since the 15th century, when it was built by the Abbot of Battle Abbey as a hostel for monks and pilgrims travelling between the Abbey and Chichester Cathedral. It may have come on a long way since then, but evidence of its colourful past remains; in the dark and cosy bar, a 'sanctuary post' stands by the original doorway. Legend states that fugitives from the law could seek sanctuary within the building’s walls by touching this post. I gave it a quick stroke, and then headed off to check in…
The hotel, which has twenty-nine luxurious bedrooms, looks small from the outside but has a tardis-ike quality as it opens out into long corridors, staircases, and a vast central courtyard garden. It was once part of Charles Forte’s hotel empire. Today it remains in the family, with mother-daughter hotel and design gurus Olga and Alex Polizzi now at the helm. It is the third property of the incredibly chic, deeply luxurious Polizzi Collection, joining stylish seaside spot Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes, Cornwall, and the bucolic bolthole that is Hotel Endsligh tucked away in folds of the Devonshire countryside.
In a world of sensory over stimulation, the Polizzi’s prefer no background music. Having arrived at The Star at lunchtime, I was met by a mixture of jolly chatter, the happy clink of glasses, and the occasional pop coming from one of the two constantly roaring open fireplaces. My shoulders dropped immediately…
Published March 2025 at British Travel Journal online. Read the full feature here
