For more information and to book please visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or let us arrange your whole trip, by calling +44 (0)20 8987 4312 or from the USA dial 1 866 610 3867.
From the chalky cliffs, sandy bays and flint fisherman’s cottages of its coast to the windmills and weather-boarded houses of the wild weald and downlands, Kent’s landscapes are both bountiful and varied. Its towns and topography have inspired authors from Geoffrey Chaucer and Charles Dickens to John Buchan; and historic leaders from Churchill to Henry VIII have escaped to relax at the county’s full deck of stately homes and Blue Flag strands. And if that all sounds a bit worthy, there’s plenty of boutique shopping, antiques hunting, spa pampering, wine-tasting and outdoors adventures to be had, too…
Kent’s position at the top of the hop charts means there are more than a few home-county brews to wrap your lips around: one of the best-known is Spitfire ale, produced by Britain’s oldest brewery, Shepherd Neame. Pop into the Brewery Shop in Faversham and you’ll also find Whitstable Bay Organic Ale, and Bishop’s Finger, made entirely with Kentish ingredients: perfect with a ploughman’s lunch of Wealden cheese.
… visiting Canterbury Cathedral to gawp at its splendid Gothic interiors; or spending a 1940s-style day on the beach; or spotting some of Kent’s distinctive oast houses and windmills; or eating native oysters from Whitstable; or dropping in on mediaeval villages such as Chilham, or Cranbrook with its picture-perfect weatherboard houses.
Our round-up of the hippest hideaways and romantic boutique hotels in Kent
A boutique hotel in Royal Tunbridge Wells that provides exhausted urbanites with a welcome rest, without severing their city-style umbilical cords; The Brew House Hotel is a sleek little bolthole that's perfect for weekends both lazy and enlivening.
Planes, trains, automobiles, or maybe even helicopter – we tell you the best way to go.
June–September The Pantiles Summer Jazz Season in Tunbridge Wells’ sees free jazz sessions every Thursday evening at the Corn Exchange. June The Broadstairs Dickens Festival celebrates the seaside town's favourite holidaymaker with readings and events. July Slurp down plenty of those slippery little aphrodisiacs at the Whitstable Oyster Festival. November Guy Fawkes is remembered with a bang at Leeds Castle with music and fireworks displays on the 7th, 8th and 9th.
This eatery is popular with locals and tourists alike and is a great place to come for a quick bite. Sip an Enid Blyton-esque Luscombe organic drink (fizzy elderflower, raspberry lemonade or ginger beer are all tasty thirst-quenchers) over a green olive or tomato ciabatta sandwich stuffed with brie and apple, or Black Pig ham and herb filling. Round things off (your waistline certainly) with a pavement-sized slab of home-made cake.
83 Beach Street, Deal, CT14 6JB
Forget castles and coastlines, sweet-tooths visiting Deal must put a trip to Miretti at the very top of their itinerary. The family-run Italian pasticceria serves up beautiful treats so pretty and delicate, it’s almost a shame to eat them. But don’t hold back, the bigné (choux pastry buns), baci di dama or ‘lady’s kisses’ and Amaretti are delicious, morei-sh and indulgent. You can also buy freshly baked bread here on Saturday mornings.
125 High Street, Deal, CT14 6BB
This adorably tiny tea room and café in Broadstairs is a bit like a sit-in homage to 1940s Britain, with lashings of romantic nostalgia: floral bunting, vintage tin trinkets, retro kitchenware and pretty pastel cushions. BYOB to drink with super crab sandwiches, Kentish pork pies and piccalilly or buckets of prawns; or take high tea with individual Victoria sponges, fat wedges of fudge brownie, and darling cup cakes – all made with lashings of old-fashioned vip, vim and vigour.
15 Oscar Road, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 1QJ
You may have bought some of their ice-cream in Harrods, but we think it just doesn't taste quite the same unless it's served in a vintage pressed-glass sundae dish. This retro-fabulous 1930s ice-cream parlour and cafeteria with original cane seats and fibre-optic fountains is the real deal, and is the original birthplace of Morelli's ice-cream. Pop in after a walk along the promenade for a hot chocolate or knickerbocker glory, or get a two-scoop cone or cup to go.
14 Victoria Parade, Broadstairs, Kent CT10 1QS
This cosy and romantic little restaurant near the seafront is kitted out with friendly staff, relaxed and happy diners and a soothingly simple menu featuring fresh and comforting flavours. The award-winning eatery’s goat’s cheese soufflé starter and haddock main with poached egg and leeks come highly recommended.
81 Beach Street, Deal, CT14 6JB
Head here on a sunny day and sit in the eponymous courtyard. Linger over seafood linguine or a gargantuan salad and be sure to try the addictive, indulgent potato crisps; hot, paper-thin slivers that put Walkers to shame.
The Old Coach House, Sondes Road, Deal, Kent, CT14 7BW
Stylish Modern French restaurant in a grade-II listed building with a glowing, gold-hued bar. Michelin-noted chef Richard Phillips mans the kitchen and turns out an accomplished menu of trad-with-a-twist seasonal fare.
85 London Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1EA
Ideal for a mid-shopping lunch break, Raymond Blanc’s chain of family-friendly modern brasseries has an admirable sourcing policy and a moreish menu of traditional French classics, from omelettes and Toulouse sausages with mash to Burgundian snails and rack of Cornish lamb. On sunny days, get a table on the patio (www.brasserieblanc.com).
Five Ways, Lime Hill Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN1 1LJ
Another of Richard Phillips’ triumvirate of Kentish eateries, Hengist offers modern French cuisine against a backdrop of wooden beams, antique chairs and designer chandeliers. Go for a lavish Sunday lunch involving roast rump of long-horn beef or old spot pork loin with black pudding. Closed Mondays.
7–9 High Street, Aylesford, Kent ME20 7AX
Small, salmon pink and usually packed, Wheelers is Whitstables oldest and best-loved oyster bar; BYOB and take plenty of cash as they don't take cards and it'd be a shame to have to scrimp on another plate of those creamy native oysters.
8 High Street, Whitstable, Kent
Restaurant serving seasonal, sustainable produce, including Whitstable rock oysters, Godmersham Partridge, fresh seafood, woodland-foraged herbs and mushrooms – a real local hero.
South Quay, The Harbour, Whitstable, Kent CT5 1AB
Nice little Modern British bistro, restaurant and café tucked away off the main drag in a converted wine warehouse, with a decent lunch menu and cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Charlotte Court, Ramsgate, Kent CT11 8HE
This boutique-hotel brasserie has quietly elegant interiors and a fantastic menu of modern Europhile favourites; chef Andrew Giles uses British ingredients such as Falmouth Bay oysters, Wealdway cheese and Kentish apples. Nicely buzzing Bacchus Bar is there, too, for pre- or post-prandial imbibement: champagne cocktails a speciality.
The Brew House Hotel, 1 Warwick Park, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 5TA
The acclaimed Hotel du Vin Bistro serves simple French-influenced classics that change seasonally. Head chef Paul Nixon adds a few daily surprises, and uses the finest and freshest local produce; the main attraction, unsusprisingly, is the wine – get advice from the sommelier. The Burgundy Bar's perfect for an appetite-sharpening glass of something French and red beforehand, or a soothing whisky afterwards.
Crescent Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent
©2009 Mr & Mrs Smith
Member offer