WHERE TO STAY
Eight years ago the SANDS HOTEL was a derelict building when it was picked up at auction.
Now lavishly restored, all 20 bedrooms have luxurious features such as rainfall showers and blond wood echoing the beach. If you can tear yourself away from the stunning views at Bay restaurant, you’ll find delicious plump scallops and a wine list packed with local suppliers.
WHERE TO EAT
Margate has more seafood restaurants than it has hipster Londoners peering in estate agent windows. One of the best is Michelin-recommended HANTVERK & FOUND, which also boasts a little gallery. Our kids loved GB PIZZA CO’s ‘Margate-rita’ and it was the best pizza I’ve had in ages. Newly opened CAFE BARLETTA may be based in Dreamland but it’s a long way from standard amusement park fare. Over salt cod and Negronis, we almost forgot we were at the British seaside rather than on the Amalfi coast.
WHERE TO SHOP
If, like me, you forgot to bring your sandals, make a pit stop at ALBION-STORES, which stocks Mi h Jeans, Chinti & Parker and — phew! — Birkenstock. The friendly owner even showed our four-year-old how to use the record player while I had a browse. For natural skincare be sure to visit HAECKELS, where the products are made using seaweed foraged from the beach. You can also book a massage, facial or seaweed wrap in its tranquil spa. Then, if you need a café, record shop, yoga studio and hair salon all in one, CLIFFS has you covered.
WHAT TO DO
Testament to Margate’s burgeoning cultural significance, this year’s Turner Prize exhibition will be held at the beautiful TURNER CONTEMPORARY near the harbour from 28 September. Be sure to exit through the gift shop — Martin Parr coasters, anyone? Described as the ‘beating heart’ of Margate, DREAMLAND is an instagrammably kitsch riot of candy striped amusements. Hitch a ride on the big wheel for panoramic views along the Thanet coast. And, tucked away behind an unassuming door on a back street is SHELL GROTTO, an underground cave adorned with 4.7 million shells. No one knows who created it or why, but it is spookily beautiful.
Rosamund was a guest of Sands Hotel. Rooms from £130 (sandshotelmargate.co.uk). For more information, visit enjoymargate.co.uk
