This is one of a number of internet cafes in the area around the station, but Electronica is…read morecertainly much more swish than most of them, and also much more of a cafe. There are a good number of computer terminals available, with people tapping away eagerly at all times of day. They also serve coffee and a range of other drinks and snacks if you need some refreshment while you type. They also sell a range of electronic goods, such as laptops and cameras.

I quite often find these kinds of shops (that unlock phones and buy or sell used electronics) a…read morelittle on the seedy side... There's often a distinct yet un-placeable sense that you're entering into an underground world when you enter one of these stores. Which is why its so pleasant not to feel any of these reservations when popping in for a nose around Café Eketconica. The staff are friendly and helpful without doing that oh so irksome hard sales pitch. The prices are (for services and sales) are also pretty reasonable, but I can't comment on whether the cash they offer for electronics is reasonable or not, as I don't tend to sell my defunct gizmos, preferring to hang onto them for nostalgias sake. My ipod nano already looks like a relic from a bygone era, and I doubt its even 10 years old! Anywho, rose tinted spectacles aside, this is still a rocking shop that should feature highly on your list of stores to sell to or buy from. Definitely better than most.

This is an independent and slightly eccentric café on the station platform in Lewes, which sells…read morecooked food and takeaway items like sandwiches. They advertise at the top of the station with a poem, and there are other station related poems posted in the window of the café. As well as teas and coffees and soft drinks they also have a full bar, which makes this station café rather better stocked than most. The food on offer is quite traditionally British if you catch my drift, e.g. The takeaway sandwiches are on bright white sliced bread, but the thing that sets this café apart is the service. It has been owned by the same couple for 20 years, and very recently was under pressure to close and be replaced by a chain. However the residents of Lewes did what they do best, stepped in and saved the café, and I'm glad they did. I went in the other morning to get a snack, and the gentleman serving me was very friendly and chatty. Just as I was about to pay, I realised I didn't have any cash on me. Rather than let me go away empty-handed he told me it was fine, I could take my items and come back and pay him another day. It is so heart warming when incidents like this happen. It is one thing to provide good service, it is another to put such a level of trust in your customer. Plus he said he liked my scarf. I went back and paid him the day after.

The Rotunda is a small round (hence the name!) cafe situated in Preston Park. In the age-old…read moretradition of park cafes, the Rotunda serves tea and coffee, cakes, ice-cream in the summer and not much more! Perhaps the odd sandwich too, but don't expect a great selection if you're looking for food at lunchtime. I would head to one of the nearby pubs instead. In the summer, the outside seating is really lovely, and the surrounding rose garden provides a pretty view. The location means that the Rotunda is heavily frequented by mothers with small children as well as elderly people. It's not the most exciting of cafes, but it does exactly what it should. I've found it a particularly handy place to get an ice-cream or a cold drink whilst sunbathing on a hot summer's day.

The Rotunda Cafe is situated in Preston park in the middle of the rose garden, as you enter the…read morepark from m the London Road entrance. The park was originally owned by a rich lord of Preston Manor so all the buildings on the land used to be part his estate. The historic value of the building can easily be seen. The park alone is a perfect haven in the middle of the busy city and has many facilities on offer including tennis courts, children play areas and a running track. So the cafe is great place to grab a bite before or after a work out, or even just a stop off during a leisurely stroll.

A really cozy and quaint tea shop…read more It's very small and full of antiques, so you wouldn't want to pull out a laptop here (no wifi anyway!) and I don't think you'd want to take away anything either -- it's really just the quintissential place to meet a friend for a nice cup of tea and some cakes or just get a quiet respite to yourself perhaps while reading a nice book. As for the tea and cakes, they were really great! I was really surprised by the delicious and flavorful (and a bit unusual) tea that I had -- called the eight butterflies or something? It's the best tea I've had in Brighton. Also their pistachio and rose cake, which I think they have on the regular, was so delicate and moorish. A definite recommend!

Lix is a simple contemporary cafe conveniently located next to the Level. Since there's really not…read moremuch around this area in the way of cafes, it can be really handy. I have often been known to head to the Level with a book on a sunny day, only to be caught out feeling a little peckish, soon after arriving. Lix to the rescue- they do good coffee and delicious pastries and breakfast items, including Almond croissants...mmm. You can sit in or takeaway and they also do more substantial cafe fare such as sandwiches and soups etc. They are open from 8am weekdays, which is handy for those in need of a caffeine boost on the way to work. Unfortunately they aren't open on the weekends- a real shame, as Lix is definitely one of the nicer cafes in the area!

I came to this cafe purely because I was too hungry to walk further, so I decided to gamble and…read morehave breaksfast here. The cafe itself is tiny, probably being able to seat about 10-15 people. I had a full english breakfast with a cappuccino, which cost me just over £5. The breakfast was a lot less greasy and cheap then most other 'fry up's' you can get. The gentlemen owner is always pretty friendly, making Lix a little bit more likeable. They also sell sandwiches and daily specials here, offering things like homemade shortcake etc. Not a bad cafe all round, not amazing either.

Like thousands of other Yelpers, I rely on coffee to help me kick-start the day and chocolate to…read morekeep me going throughout the afternoon. If I have the time and money, I'll splash out on a speciality bar from Montezumas, Green & Blacks or Valhrona. When I'm in a rush or on a tight budget however, I'll settle for a cheap and cheerful sugar rush courtesy of a Galaxy, Flake, Fruit and Nut, Dairy Milk or Cadburys Caramel. Handily, Norfolk News is a stone's throw from my office and stocks a vast range of chocolate and candy bars. It also sells Nurofen, paracetamol, cans of pop and a wide range of newspapers, broadsheets and magazines. They also stock a small range of postcards and Brighton memorabilia for tourists.

Due to its small size, and limited stock, Norfolk News is only really useful if you are interested…read morein buying a newspaper, a snack - i.e. a chocolate bar -, or a soft drink. They do have some other food items, but most of them don't look particularly appetising. One bonus is that you can now get cashback here if you spend over £5, and the service is often friendly.

Although I'm not generally a fan of shopping centres, this is one of the better ones in my…read moreexperience. Churchill Square is also rather deceptive: it's much larger inside than it appears from the frontage on Churchill Square, with 85 shops including two department stores. That, in itself, is one reason why it's a cut above many such centres, in that it was designed to have a proper 'street frontage' rather than be a completely anonymous block from the outside, as many are. The frontage has well-known High Street names such as Dixons, W H Smiths and BHS, as well as a large Borders on one corner. Besides BHS, the other anchor store is a Debenhams at the far end: the layout is essentially a sort of 'Y' shape with a circular atrium at the join, and another atrium with balconies leading on the the third 'leg' of the 'Y' to Debenhams. Other large 2-storey shops include Habitat, Zara and Next, and there's a Superdrug on the ground floor. Thanks to the two atria, the interior feels relatively light and spacious. As well as the chains, there are a few independent shops as well, but for the most part, the shopping is an entirely predictable chain-store experience. A more modern touch is the small stalls which rent space in the walkways, selling everything from delicatessen and nibbles (olives, cheeses etc), nuts, chocolate, specialist toiletries and, at Christmas time, calendars and specialist gift stalls. They're all aimed at impulse purchases, mind, so tend to be a little pricey. The food court includes the inevitable McDonald's, EAT and Spud-u-like, as well as West Cornwall Pasties, and a few Italian-styled cafes. I must confess that I've never been tempted to eat here, as there are plenty of other places in central Brighton (and why eat in a shopping centre?). There are some food stalls in the square in front of the complex, too. As Ellieb says, they generally keep the place clean and tidy, and there are large toilets with baby-changing facilities. There's a lift in the central atrium to provide step-free access to all floors. The road in front of the square functions as the main bus terminus for Brighton buses, and you can get to most of East and West Sussex from here, and there's a huge car park behind the complex as well. There are plans to redevelop and enlarge the complex, at the same time as they rebuild the Brighton Centre adjacent, in the next 10 years or so.

I love Christmas markets! Sadly, the one in Churchill Square isn't that large, there was probably…read moreonly about ten stalls here which was a little disappointing. There were a few gift stalls selling such things as jewellery, crafts and hats. However, my favourite stalls are the food ones! There was a German Bratwurst stall which I obviously had to sample from. A Belgian creperie, which I will be back to sample from. There were stalls selling French goods such as cheese and cured meat (I brought a fantastic partridge and cognac cured sausage), a Portuguese stall, stalls selling nuts, Greek baclava, olives, and fruit and veg. All the right ingredients are here for a fabulous Christmas market, it just needs to extend to include more stalls.

Beach Volley ball, beach football, beach rugby, beachminton, bouldering and ultimate frisbee on the…read morebeach! Life is a beach at this place as you can finally get a taste for beach sports in Brighton without breaking your feet on the pebbles. I came down here with 20 mates and hired out the whole thing for an hour and a half and we had an absolutely cracking time playing beach football. When its hot this place will be totally booked so you will need to plan in advance to stand any chance of getting a spot. For volleyball and football there are leagues that run throughout the whole year so you can make a weekly social by getting a team together. You HAVE to try this place out as it is great fun and will be an experience.

Staying on a health tip, Yellowave is a sports and activity centre that's located at the far end of…read moreBrighton beach near Concorde 2 and Brighton Marina. Whilst most sports centres are gloomy places with low ceilings and the lingering smell of sweat, Yellowave is a wonderful, open air affair with purpose built courts and floors made of sand. Activities wise, you can choose from volleyball, beach soccer, beach rugby, beachminton - yup, that's their phrase from badminton on the beach! - and Brazilian sport, footvolley. The non-competitive can also sign up for bouldering and frisbee. Courts are hired out for around £18-£20 per hour for groups or you can take part in classes for beginners. Parents should note, there's special classes for children aged 6 and upwards at weekends