The Kent coast is, undeniably, having a moment. A fresh influx of London runaways, young professionals and a whole host of creative types has added investment, innovation and an ever-increasing list of things to do, see and eat to its famous sea-battered white chalk cliffs and vast swathes of sandy beaches – giving England’s south eastern seaside a second heyday.
While you’ll find charming spots and mesmerising sunsets all the way from Dungeness to Deal, my favourite coastal towns offer this and a lot more. Along the way you’ll find rustic oyster bars and pocket-sized seafood restaurants, grand Victorian architecture and quirky accommodation, craft beer and cafe culture, independent boutiques and exciting new galleries, plus a 1930s tidal pool and Britain’s oldest amusement park. Make no mistake, the British seaside is back in a big way.
Folkestone
This beautiful marina town has garnered a lot of buzz lately thanks to its entirely unique Creative Quarter, home to a community of more than a hundred artists and designers within its cobblestoned heart.
There’s a steady stream of millennial ex-Londoners, lured by affordable rent and a lifestyle by the sea, who are setting up restaurants, bars and galleries, and Folkestone is now the most rapidly regenerating town on the Kentish coast. Stroll around pastel-hued studios and tiny galleries, visit quirky boutiques, and quench your thirst with cocktails at cute Bathtub & Gun.
Folkestone is now the most rapidly regenerating town on the Kentish coast
The best beds in town are found at Rocksalt, which is also the hit restaurant of the moment, with beautifully prepared seafood and an outdoor terrace in the summer months.
“Living and working in Folkestone for the last six years has given me the opportunity to watch the town change both commercially and artistically through the regeneration of the Old High Street and Creative Quarter,” says Jack Nimmons, operations manager at Rocksalt. “Be sure to visit the newly-restored Harbour Arm, originally the railway terminal for the Folkestone to Boulogne ferry and the departure point for soldiers on their way to the western front. It now houses various pop-up street food stalls, craft beer and cocktail bars, regular live music through the summer, and even a champagne bar in the refurbished lighthouse.”
Broadstairs
Bookended by seven sandy beaches and bays, the small but perfectly formed seaside town of Broadstairs is almost painfully quaint, with 1950s ice-cream parlours like Morelli’s Gelato, primary-hued beach huts, Victorian-era B&Bs and poky antique shops.
The town also functions as a living shrine to Charles Dickens, who holidayed here throughout the 1850s and 1860s. Visit the Dickens House Museum to get the full story, and duck into Bleak House for a cream tea. This clifftop guesthouse, originally called Fort House, is reputedly the Bleak House Dickens had in mind when he wrote his 1853 novel. It is certainly where he wrote David Copperfield.
Wyatt & Jones does a mean Sunday roast and Samworth & Mee exemplary seafood, but all the current buzz is about Stark, chef Ben Crittenden’s small but superlative eatery with a set six-course menu for £45. Spend the night at the Royal Albion, an elegant townhouse hotel with views over Viking Bay.
Whitstable
As the closest of the Kent resort towns to London, picturesque little Whitstable is prime day tripper territory, but foodies know to stay overnight. Wander the pebble beach, lined with pastel beach huts, to work up an appetite before oysters at Wheeler’s Oyster Bar, which has been serving seafood to hungry holidaymakers since 1856.
Whitstable is prime day tripper territory, but foodies know to stay overnight
You’ll need to book in advance in order to snag a table for a tasting menu at the Michelin-starred Sportsman, some of Britain’s most remarkable food in an unassuming pub.
Whitstable is also excellent antique browsing turf, with the monthly Whitstable Castle Vintage, Retro & Antique fair offering a unique way to see the castle. Bed down at Hotel Continental, the only beachfront hotel in town.
Margate
With grand architecture, beautiful beaches, a destination art gallery and a burgeoning culinary scene, Margate is perhaps the most talked-about town in Kent, in part because it spent the 1980s and 1990s serving as the butt of jokes about dreary, dilapidated British seaside towns.
Instrumental in restoring the town’s lustre, Turner Contemporary gallery showcases the work of everyone from local legend Tracey Emin to up-and-coming British artist Michael Armitage, plus sketches and paintings by the English romanticist JMW Turner, who maintained that, “the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all of Europe”.
Gallery and seafood cafe Hantverk & Found is a must, with local artwork on display (including window mosaics by local artist Sprankenstein), and thrillingly good seafood dishes prepared by Kate de Syllas.
The cultural offering in the town is growing steadily, enhanced by the new generation of creatives who are making Margate their home
Britain’s oldest theme park, Dreamland, has recently undergone a stylish overhaul and, with retro rides, kitsch decor and beautifully landscaped gardens, it’s an Instagrammer’s delight.
The sun terrace of the Walpole Bay Hotel is the best spot in town for a cream tea, and atmospheric public spaces come complete with vintage chaise longues, leather chesterfields, art deco lighting and a trellis-gated 1927 Otis lift.
“The cultural offering in the town is growing steadily, enhanced by the new generation of creatives who are making Margate their home, encouraging craft brewers, wineries, eateries, cafes and even wellbeing clinics,” says Jane Bishop, owner of the Walpole Bay Hotel. “But don’t miss the beautiful Walpole Bay tidal pool, which dates back to the 1930s. We have guests who swim there throughout the winter.”
Sandwich
This picturesque cinque port town holds boundless appeal for history buffs, with narrow medieval streets and some of the best-preserved half-timber buildings in Britain.
The Town Trails take you past Norman churches and along the old town walls, while a river trip upstream brings you to the Roman fort of Richborough, where there’s also a seal colony worth visiting. Wildlife nuts will want to visit the Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory as well.
Back in town, sample French-inspired dining upstairs at Le Bistro, then explore the grounds of the Salutation, the most stylish boutique hotel in town and home to one of the loveliest private botanical gardens in Kent.
For more Kent hotels and coastal hideaways, visit trivago.co.uk
