• Close-up of various purple and red flowers with tall grasses and a house with a sloped roof in the background under a clear blue sky.

  • Luxury holiday home with hot tub to rent in East Sussex.

  • One of the finest holiday rentals in Sussex

  • Bedroom with wooden bedframe, pink bedspread, pillows, bedside tables with lamps, and large window overlooking garden.

  • Cooking in style: the kitchen at The Grain Store

  • Laid-back luxury: holiday rental in Lewes.

  • Anni Townend, Creator of The Grain Store Lewes. Image credit: Suki Dhanda.

Welcome to

THE GRAIN STORE LEWES

Abstract wavy lines on a white background

A unique place in the heart of the South Downs

Experience the ultimate immersion in nature for creativity, comfort, and connection in a beautifully inviting setting.

The Grain Store offers luxury holiday accommodation in Sussex and an inspiring space to bring people together. Nestled in the South Downs National Park, it’s created for memorable stays with family and friends, romantic breaks and solo retreats, as well as leadership gatherings, workshops and networking events.

Light-filled contemporary interiors and wide-open views bring the outside in, while the South Downs Way leads straight from the door. Gather around the table, put on your walking boots, enjoy a woodland sauna, indulge in private dining, yoga or massage, and experience an escape from the everyday entirely at your own pace.

Luxury holiday accommodation in Sussex

  • The Grain Store

    Stays that spark joy.

    Three beautiful bedrooms sleeping up to six, generous open-plan living, a private garden and hot tub with big skies and the rolling downlands on your doorstep.

    Cook together. Stay up late. Sleep deeply. Walk for miles. Soak in the hot tub. Head to the sauna.

  • The Studio

    Your own private retreat.

    Tucked alongside The Grain Store, The Studio is a beautifully designed, self-contained hideaway with a mezzanine king bedroom, deep bath, walk-in shower, kitchenette, living space and private garden.

    Perfect for romantic breaks, solo stays or a few uninterrupted days to read, write and switch off.

Coming with a bigger group? Book The Grain Store and The Studio together to sleep up to eight.

Time well spent

Not every escape needs an itinerary.

Sometimes you want to disappear à deux. Sometimes you need a few days entirely on your own. And sometimes you need the kind of quiet that allows an idea to finally make itself heard.

  • Romantic breaks

    Switch off the phones, open something good and enjoy the rare luxury of quality time together.

  • Solo escapes

    No compromises. No timetable. A few glorious days to walk, read, think, explore, or simply reconnect with yourself.

  • The Writer's Studio

    A private place to shut the door on distraction and give your writing the time and attention it deserves.

A paraglider with a yellow and blue canopy flying over rolling green fields and farmland.

Adventures in the South Downs

You don't have to go far in search of adventure. You're already deep in the Downs.

Walk directly out onto chalk paths that wind through lush hills and valleys; run, cycle or kayak through the Sussex countryside, or go paragliding for epic views.

Historic Lewes is close by for independent shops, good food, and a delicious dose of eccentricity. Brighton, Glyndebourne, Charleston, and Sussex vineyards, gardens and the coast are all within easy reach. The difficult bit is deciding whether to go exploring or stay exactly where you are.

Space for fresh thinking

The Grain Store isn't only somewhere to get away from work. Sometimes it's somewhere to come and do it rather differently.

Away from meeting rooms, noise and digital distractions, the combination of nature, light and flexible space creates a refreshing setting for people to come together with purpose.

  • Elderly woman in glasses sitting at a desk with a laptop, looking sideways, in front of dark window shutters.

    Leadership & Team Retreats

    For founders and leadership teams who need room for strategy, honest conversation, fresh perspectives and clearer decisions.

  • Workshops & Retreats

    A welcoming setting for coaches, facilitators, practitioners and organisations bringing people together to learn, reflect, create and grow.

  • Indoor view of a living room with a person sitting on a couch playing video games with a controller, a bowl of snacks, camera, and gadgets on the coffee table. A videographer is filming from the outside through glass doors with lighting equipment set up.

    Filming & Photoshoots

    Striking architecture, natural textures, abundant light and the Sussex landscape conspire to make one highly photogenic location.

A woman with dark hair and earrings sitting with her eyes closed in The South Dows Sauna at The Grain Store Lewes, wearing a plaid towel on her head and a striped tank top.

Wellbeing comes naturally

Walk. Stretch. Breathe. Get warm. Cool off. Slow down. Relax.

Book a Finnish-style session at South Downs Sauna at The Grain Store, arrange private yoga or massage, sink into the hot tub.

Discover how the landscape changes with the seasons, from meadows scattered with poppies and ox-eye daisies and fields of ripening wheat in summer to the autumn show of reds and golds, big blue skies and white hills on frosty winter mornings and the bluebells that herald the first signs of spring. Each brings its own kind of restorative beauty.

No punishing programmes. No bootcamp. Just simple ways to feel better while you're here.

The breakfast table at The Grain Store Lewes is set with bowls of granola, strawberries, croissants, a jar of orange juice, cups of coffee, and bread, with a checkered napkin and silverware.

Farm to fork

Because getting away should taste good too.

We're proud to have brilliant local growers, producers and chefs around us and even prouder to call them friends and share the bounty with our guests. Stay in and enjoy a seasonal feast made by our private chef, or order something wonderful from one of our favourite local food makers. Discover Sussex wines. Visit a vineyard. Take a cookery workshop. Or stock the kitchen with excellent local ingredients and claim all the credit yourself.

Coolstays logo with a turquoise house icon and black text
"Kip" logo with tagline "small places with soul" in pink lettering on a black background.
"Get Nature Positive" text with a leaf and circle symbol below.
Green South Downs bronze award logo featuring a leaf and wavy lines symbolizing nature and sustainability.
Anni, the owner of The Grain Store Lewes, wearing sunglasses, a black turtleneck sweater, and jeans, stands outside The Grain Store Lewes.

Simple. Functional. Beautiful.

Those three words have guided creator, Anni Townend, since she first had the dream to transform a redundant agricultural building into The Grain Store.

Today, The Grain Store remains true to that original idea: simple, thoughtful design, a deep connection to its surroundings - with a heartfelt wish people leave feeling centred and energised.