KENT, SURREY & SUSSEX - England 2012 and the Best of Wales - page 253

Where to Stay
Hotel Continental This neat, rather French-style hotel is part of the growing
Oyster Company empire and sits alone on the seafront. There are 23 rooms, some
with iron balconies overlooking the sea. There are also eight converted fishermen's
huts on the beach; they are on two floors, done in dark wood with green painted
shutters. The Anderson Hut is perfect for families, sleeping four adults and two chil-
dren. The airy bistro serves a decent menu, and the bar is big and sunny.
29 Beach Walk, Whitstable, Kent CT5 2BP. www.hotelcontinental.co.uk. & 01227/280280. Fax
01227/284114. 31 units. £70-£145 double; £100-£175 huts. Rates include English breakfast. MC, V. Free
parking. Amenities: Restaurant; bar. In room: TV, hair dryer, free Wi-Fi.
The Reading Rooms This Georgian townhouse is divided into three large rooms,
each occupying an entire floor and overlooking a tree-lined square. The feel is aerie,
fairytale luxury with oak floors, candelabra, hand-carved super-king beds, and lots of
white, from original plasterwork to linens. It's a B&B, although breakfast arrives as
room service. The sea is a stroll away.
31 Hawley Square, Margate, Kent CT9 1PH. www.thereadingroomsmargate.co.uk. & 01843/225166.
Fax [phone] units. £135-£180 double. Rates include English breakfast. AE, MC, V. Free over-
night parking; £2 daily. Amenities: Room service. In room: TV/DVD, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).
Walpole Bay Hotel This Margate institution that was opened in 1914, extended
in 1927, and is now being brought back to its old grandeur. The entire hotel is a living
museum; it was owned by the same family until 1995 when the present owners took
over. It sits above the sea in the Cliftonville area of Margate. There's a flower-
bedecked covered veranda, a snooker room, a 1920s' ballroom with its original sprung
maple dance floor… and the original Otis elevators. The restaurant (with terrace) has
splendid local plaice and sea bass (main courses £8.95-£17) as well as Sunday lun-
cheons, accompanied by a pianist on a 1908 pianola. There are also cream teas. Oh,
and the rooms are neatly Edwardian in feel.
Fifth Ave., Cliftonville, Margate, Kent CT9 2JJ. www.walpolebayhotel.co.uk. & 01843/221703. Fax
01843/297399. 3 units. £65-£125 double. Rates include English Breakfast. AE, MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities: Restaurant; 2 bars, snooker room. In room: TV/DVD, hair dryer, Wi-Fi (free).

6

DOVER'S WHITE CLIFFS & MORE
76 miles SE of London; 84 miles NE of Brighton
The White Cliffs of Dover, captured in the World War II song by Dame Vera Lynn,
are truly one of Britain's iconic images. Unfortunately, you have to be at sea (probably
on a ferry heading from France) to appreciate them. Dover was a seaside resort back
in Victorian times but today is mostly known as a port. It's on (and in) the cliffs that
you'll find the town's main attraction, Dover Castle. Beneath its medieval might is
a warren of wartime tunnels. Five miles to the north is the fishing port of Deal, and
8 miles south is Folkestone, another port but also a traditional beach resort.
Essentials
GETTING THERE Trains run about every 30 minutes from London's St. Pancras
Station (Southeastern, costing about £35 one-way), and there are two trains an hour