There are lots of very nice, small boutique hotels in Brighton, which is a very popular weekend getaway for Londoners. Brighton has an alternative vibe, and this is reflected in the decor of may of these hotels. These are some of many options:

http://www.kemptownhousebrighton.com/
http://www.mrandmrssmith.com/destinations/united-kingdom/brighton/hotels
http://www.brightonwave.co.uk/brighton-hotel.htm
http://www.hotel-una.co.uk/nc/rooms/all.html
http://www.myhotels.com/my-hotel-brighton/index.html#
http://www.hotelnineteen.co.uk/king.htm

A good solid option is Hotel Du Vin – a smart chain of contemporary but comfortable hotels. The hotel is right in the heart of the old town, seconds away from the seafront.
http://www.hotelduvin.com/hotels/brighton/brighton.aspx

Really, there's hundreds of decent options in Brighton, I'm rather surprised you haven't found anything!

Note that, being such a popular weekend place, most hotels demand two night minimum stay at the weekend AND hike their prices. Midweek is usually much more reasonable.

As for parking, this is a real issue in Brighton as so many of the hotels are in regency townhouses which obviously weren't built with cars in mind. Public car parks are very expensive, but a cheaper option is to rent a private parking space. This map shows parking options with prices – the blue spaces are private spaces rented out by the day by their owners:
http://en.parkopedia.co.uk/parking/brighton/

Hi Bigblue,

I can't help you with hotels in Brighton - i haven't lived near there for years and never stayed there, but can think of a couple of better options nearer to Brighton and Arundel than the Marriot in Portsmouth:

1. the Millstream in Bosham [pronounced Bozum] :http://millstreamhotel.com/

very nice hotel in a lovely place.

2. The Norfolk Arms in Arundel - http://www.norfolkarmshotel.com/norfolk-hotel.htm

another good place to look is http://www.sawdays.co.uk/ - you have to log in, but it doesn't cost anything to do so.

PS - just saw Kate's reply - lots of good ideas there.

when you are ready to think about the Cornwall leg of your trip, please come back - it's where I live and would be very pleased to help you plan, if you'd like me to.

kate has give you terrific info/advice. My thoughts are since you'll have a car, what stay IN Brighton or Portsmouth? You can stay in the countryside and not have a parking issue.

Someplace like the Millstream or here: http://www.burphamcountryhouse.com/index.html

Can I ask if you have driven in the UK before? Are you sure you want to dive off a transatlantic flight and dive on to the M 25? Would a break be wiser?

Bosham is a very nice village with Roman ruins nearby.

Hotels du Vin are nice; the one in Brighton has excellent food. It is well-located for the Pavilion, the sea front, Kemptown, and both the Laines and the Lanes (inquire locally). I have been visiting Brighton for a long time and love it.

I too would try to figure out other ways to get to Brighton and Arundel and would only have a car when I was ready to leave. You can get the Gatwick Express bus to Gatwick, napping all the way, then grab a quick train to Brighton. I am pretty sure Arundel by train or bus would not be a problem, and there are other places like Lewes and Chichester nearby that are worth visiting.

Thanks to all for the great responses so far. A little more about us might address some of the suggestions made. We are a couple in our mid-seventies and I am physically unable to lift or carry cases. So, trains are out. We are accustomed over the years to both driving on the left and to getting off overnight flights and driving reasonable distances. This past September we flew into Dublin from SFO and drove to Belfast on arrival without incident..

I've looked already at some of the suggestions made in Brighton and ruled them out for various reasons. Some of them, including hotel du Vin are pricier than my parameters and one of them would not, according to their website, accept a Saturday checking. As we will be staying three nights they might be willing to waive that restriction (they obviously have a two-night minimum on the weekend).

So, now I must go and look at the other places you've been kind enough to suggest.

Annhig, thanks for your generous offer. Good friends of ous recently spent a week at LittleTolmennor Barn near Breage and loved it so we've booked ourselves in there for a week. We'll be doing day trips with an emphasis on gardens and old homes. We are also Doc Martin fans so will be visiting Port Isaac. And, I love toy trains so we'll be going to Mevagissey.

Cheers,
BigBlue

FYI, although Millstream looks quite appealing, its posted tariffs are usd249 during the week and usd281at the weekend. This is quite a bit more than we had planned to spend.

I am sure the drive will be fine then. Though the N1 out of Dublin and the M 25 are like a muddy stream compared to the Amazon so be ready for a different type of driving.

Janisj, Burpham looks very promising, thanks. I'm out of town right now but will vet them more carefully when I get home.

Havana128, thanks, I'm quite familiar with the M25 car park. I used the Dublin-Belfast trip as a recent example of our travels.

Bigblue - is this it?

http://www.littletolmennorbarn.co.uk/index.html

looks like a nice place!

bigblue - sorry about the Millstream being so expensive. i looked at this month's prices so i suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that it's website is showing higher prices in September than in November.

however I did look at the same period on booking.com and found they were offering B&B for £130/night which I think is more within your budget. They also showed what looked like some other nice choices in Chichester too.

Annhig, yep, that's the barn. Our friends loved it.

Thanks for the tip on booking.com.

if you like toy trains, there is a miniature train much closer to Helston than Mevagissey, though you might have a problem finding it; it's in the garden of a tea shop in a tiny village somewhere just north of the road from Helston to Penzance.

sorry, i've forgotten the name of the village but I'll do some hunting round and see if I can find it; alternatively your hosts at Little Tolmennor Barn may know what I'm thinking about.

Supah'

Ta very much