"When is a beach not a beach?" I asked myself as I stood on the pile of pebbles known as Brighton Beach. Admittedly, I didn't expect to find my idea of paradise in the seaside Sussex destination. I had been more than fairly warned about the lack of sand and the fact you can never really trust the weather, even on a seemingly sunny day.

However, as I watched the kiddies playing cricket with their shoes on, stumbling over rocks and wearing their winter coats, I couldn't help but hope their parents had taken them to a real beach at some stage in their lives.

As I stood shivering in the nippy wind, I decided to check out everything else Brighton had to offer. The beach might be a letdown, but the rest of Brighton is fantastic with a huge variety of cool places to visit.

Like what, I hear you ask? Well here's my list of the Top Five Fun Things To Do In Brighton (When You Realise The Beach Is A Whopping Disappointment).

The Pier

Brighton attracts eight million visitors every year and most of them flock to the famous pier with its funfair rides, arcade games, restaurants and general mayhem. It's a hot spot for both families and groups of men who are mulleted on stag weekends.

While we are eating the pier's famous fish and chips for lunch, people are starting to stagger around outside. But drunken fools in costumes aside, we have fun playing on all the arcade games and listening to the atmospheric Rat Pack music. The pier, which opened over a century ago, offers great views and even greater cinnamon donuts.

The Pavilion

This has to be the most beautiful part of Brighton. The Indian architecture of the Royal Pavilion, which was built in the early 19th century, is breathtaking and the building is surrounded by stunning gardens.

Visitors can step inside the incredible pavilion and marvel at its Oriental interior decorating. One problem we encountered was the ridiculously large groups of Italian students screaming their way through the gardens, so visiting the pavilion in the off-season would be even more pleasant.

The Museum

The Brighton Museum and Art Gallery is free to enter and offers some surprisingly great exhibits. I didn't expect much from the museum but it turned out to be fascinating.

There are loads of things to see at this museum, including a lot of exhibits about the quirky history of Brighton, an enormous collection of kooky porcelain and innovative design pieces like a giant couch in the shape of a baseball mitt.

The Aquarium

Probably not everyone's cup of tea, the Brighton Aquarium was a highlight for me. It took me back to childhood trips to Kelly Tarltons.

The aquarium opened in 1872 and although it has obviously been developed many times since then, it has held on to something magical and historical which you can feel just by walking through its antiquated fish tanks.

Unlike a lot of aquariums which put guests behind thick glass, the Brighton Aquarium lets visitors get incredibly close to the marine life. I've never been so close to stingray and sharks before - it's quite a thrill.

The Lanes

When you've had your fill of fish and chips and been on all the funfair rides and visited all of the tourist hot spots in Brighton, there's still The Lanes to explore. The Lanes is Brighton's shopping, restaurant and bar district where the tackiness of the pier and the beauty of the pavilion disappear, replaced by trendy cafes, expensive boutiques and good old fashioned British pubs. We wandered up The Lanes after a day of fun in Brighton and found a fantastic Thai restaurant where we sat back and watched Brighton's nightlife kick off. It really is the little city that never sleeps.

Check out more photos from my trip in my Flickr album.

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