What to do in Margate, Kent

Jess, aged 13, says: Over the holidays, our family visited two places on the Kent coast - Margate and Broadstairs. We had a lovely time visiting the beaches, exploring shops, and visiting local attractions, and we would have loved to stay for longer and visit Ramsgate and Whitstable nearby. Please watch the video below of our favourite things to do in Margate...

[kad_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHvTLeZ9R54" width=200 height=100 ]

 

Robert, aged 10, writes: The Walpole Bay Hotel was a quirky old fashioned establishment where we stayed our last two nights of our holiday to Kent. This brilliant hotel, built in 1914, was bought by the Bishop Family who have kept nearly everything the same from when they purchased it, even the exceptionally old 1927 lift (which we all loved to go in). On top of being a hotel, the second floor was a museum displaying an assortment of old objects from typewriters to vacuum cleaners plus the walls of the first and third floors were covered in paintings like a gallery.

[caption id="attachment_2127" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Our favourite parts of the hotel: the quirky museum, artwork by Tracey Emin, and the amazing 1927 lift[/caption]

The rooms were extremely comfortable and spacious and the food that we tried was really nice. The WIFI didn’t really work in our room but apart from that it was a fantastic place to stay.

Jess writes: The reason we visited Margate in the first place was to go to Dreamland, an old-fashioned amusement park full of rides and retro arcade games. We spent over half a day there, and loved all of the activities. As it was Christmas time, the park was called the "Frosted Fairground", and was full of lovely little additions. We loved it when some fake carollers came up to Robert and started singing songs, and the member of staff leading them told him to shut the door in their faces!

[caption id="attachment_2119" align="alignnone" width="1200"] It was funny when fake carol singers came up to Robert, and he was told to shut the door in their faces![/caption]

I enjoyed the fact that not all of the rides were for thrill seekers, which meant that the whole family could go on them together (although mum decided to sit out for the wooden roller coaster!). I loved the ferris wheel, the large slides, and the bumper cars, which mum says were the best she's been on. However, my favourite rides were (obviously) the really fast ones, such as the UK's oldest roller coaster and "Kiss Me Quick" (although I felt uncomfortable to be sitting next to my brother on that one)...

[caption id="attachment_2129" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Some of our favourite parts of Dreamland - we loved the retro rides, arcade games, and food[/caption]

There is also a roller skating rink and lots of arcade games, which ended in Robert winning quite a good prize with his 300 tickets - a minions pencil case! There was a lot of choice for food, which was all pretty good value, and I especially enjoyed my Nutella crepe for lunch. As there is too much to talk about here, Robert has written a separate post all about it.

[caption id="attachment_2131" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We watched a video about balloons and washing hands at the Turner Contemporary![/caption]

We all absolutely loved the Turner Contemporary, which is full of contemporary and historic art. Our family doesn't often visit art museums as we sometimes find it boring to look at pictures and paintings, but this was different. Lots of the art on display was either interactive or political, which really interested me and mum. The theme of the main exhibition was called "Risk", and we saw everything from videos of people jumping into tornadoes, to performance art starring Yoko Ono. We tried to find our way out of a maze, watched a video about a prison social experiment, saw a see-through trampoline, and watched a soporific video about balloons and washing hands while sitting in an inflatable dinghy! The exhibition is on until January 17.

[caption id="attachment_2132" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We loved going round and round on the spinny chairs![/caption]

It really was an insightful, fascinating and exciting afternoon, and I definitely recommend a visit. It is also great for children, as there is an interactive area where you are inspired to make crazy pieces of art (Robert and mum had a go), and really cool chairs which spun round (I probably stayed on these for far too long)...These were created by Thomas Heatherwick who was the man behind the Olympic cauldron.

It is also free!

Sarah says: The old town in Margate was full of quirky shops (many of them vintage or retro), tearooms and narrow streets which were full of history.

[caption id="attachment_2125" align="alignnone" width="1200"] We stumbled upon a house from Tudor times while having a walk![/caption]

We really enjoyed walking around, though we were sorry that the gorgeous looking Tudor House was closed (it was funny to see this historic building randomly situated on a street!). We may have to come back another time for more sweets, scones or just a mooch about.

Jess writes: We loved all the beautiful beaches near Margate. The Kent Coast is full of gorgeous bays and shores, and we adored Botany Bay in Broadstairs and the Margate Main Sands (we also had a lovely walk near our hotel, which was right on the beach in Cliftonville).

The sea was absolutely stunning, and Robert and I collected lots of fascinating shells. The chalk cliffs are exquisite and imposing, and we discovered that Turner remarked that“…the skies over Thanet are the loveliest in all Europe”. The unique quality of light in this part of Kent drew Turner back time and again.

[caption id="attachment_2123" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Margate Main Sands was beautiful, and the light was stunning[/caption]

In the summer, the beaches are full of swings and deck chairs, but it was lovely to run around the beaches without any disturbance as it was so picturesque and tranquil.

Robert says: The pantomime adaptation of Aladdin we saw at the Theatre Royal was great (oh yes it was!). It had everything from funny jokes, crazy versions of well known songs and a man dressed as a woman. I loved watching the show as it had a great story to it and all the actors were great. Some of the puns they used were hilarious and the cast interacted with the audience a lot which I liked. It was great fun - and the theatre puts on shows throughout the year, so do check what's coming up. 

Jess writes: Overall, we had a wonderful time visiting Margate - the beaches were lovely, the atmosphere was charming, and it felt as if we had been whisked back in time. We loved visiting the sweet shops and seeing crazy tea rooms, and thought that Dreamland and the Turner Contemporary were brilliant. It is perfect for families, and we had a really enjoyable and relaxing time.

Disclaimer: Visit Kent helped to organise our trip and made suggestions for where to go. We stayed two nights at the Walpole Bay hotel in interconnecting rooms (a family suite) on a discounted media rate. The room rate for the suite is £115 a night including breakfast, and you can find out about the prices here.

READ ROBERT'S POST ON DREAMLAND - RIDES AND MORE!

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Gorgeous Jamaica - loving Beaches Negril

I had never been to the Caribbean and not imagined that the chance would come my way. But Jamaica, beautiful, stunning Jamaica, took my breath away, and now I crave the chance to go back. Hopefully one day, I will.

[caption id="attachment_750" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Jess on the gorgeous beach[/caption]

If that sounds a bit over the top, well, it's justified. Jessica and I were only in Jamaica, in the Negril resort, for four days in mid December. However, despite the rainy British weather since our return, we can still feel the recuperative effects.

But let me take you back to the wonderful day (seriously!) when Jessica and I were invited to the Beaches Resort. The idea, of course, was that we lucky people would sample the delights of this special place and then report back. I have to admit that it wasn't the most onerous task I have ever been given.

The resort had just been voted top hotel for families in the Caribbean in Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards as well as being put in the top 25 all-inclusive resorts in the world. We had never stayed in an all-inclusive resort and were extremely curious about what to expect. Could it really be as good as all that?

We flew from Gatwick to Montego Bay which took 10 hours, the longest flight Jessica has ever taken. But even that didn't seem to matter. I genuinely think it was worth it, and of course, even more so if you are staying for longer.

You can watch Jessica's video for details of some of the many things we did there, but please read below for more detail.

Beaches Negril is around an hour and a half from Montego Bay (transfers are included). There is something strange about flying to a different country and hardly seeing any of it - most people who come to Beaches spend their time in the resort, which has more than enough to entertain the whole family - so I was pleased that we did get out a little, to visit a school. But more of that fascinating trip in another post.

Firstly I need to tell you about the resort. It is stunning, located on the widest stretch of Negril's seven mile white sand beach. The sea is glorious, clear, blue, and warm. We even saw fish darting around our feet when we took a swim.

[caption id="attachment_752" align="aligncenter" width="940"] We had never seen a bar like this one before![/caption]

Inside the huge resort (12 acres on the Long Bay Beach front, and eight on the garden side) there are two lovely swimming pools, a lazy river (such fun) and pirate water slides, plus an incredible array of restaurants, from buffet style and Tex Mex to Italian (you can slimb out of the pool, order your pizza and garlic bread and be buzzed when they are ready) and fine dining. We particularly enjoyed Kimonos, the Japanese restaurant, where your food is cooked in front of you, and the Parisian cafe, where I had rather too many rum truffles.

We were completely overwhelmed by the fact that all of this was included, as were the drinks. You don't have to carry any money with you - you just ask whatever you want and it's given to you. On one evening there was also an amazing chocolate buffet, with fondue, chocolate martinis and more. Honestly, it's a bit like magic.

Jessica threw herself into all of this with gusto, especially when it came to the (non-alcoholic) cocktails. I have never been to a place where you finish your drink, are immediately offered another, and it seems really stupid to refuse!

[caption id="attachment_753" align="aligncenter" width="940"] Jess and I both loved the food - and the many restaurants![/caption]

Beaches is set up for families, so there is a Kids club, which operates all day, and a nursery with qualified staff. There is even a programme for teens and I have to say that everyone I saw there looked happy - I don't think you could get bored here.

Kids of all ages (um, and adults) will love the (supervised) Xbox Lounge. It's probably the first one of these I've ever seen which has enough screens for everyone. Mind you, I enjoyed the basketball game outside even more (and you can see me playing it in our video, above), and I also loved playing crazy golf (probably because I won).

The resort has a tie-up with Sesame Street, and there are activities and even parades with Sesame Street characters. This will obviously suit young children more, but even we could see that it was great fun.

[caption id="attachment_755" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The spa offers treatments for mums, dads and kids![/caption]

We had "mommy and me" facials, and I felt obliged to try out a massage, which was absolutely brilliant. Due to my always painful shoulders and neck, I have a high standard when it comes to these. I wasn't disappointed.

We loved swimming, the sun (of course there are more than enough sun loungers, as well as balls to play with in the pools) and the excursions. We saw and held starfish and sea urchins when we went on a glass bottom boat, and Jess swam in a cave when she went on a fabulous catamaran cruise.

We were also blown away by the Silver Birds steel band which entertained us one evening. The music - which included a Michael Jackson tribute among a huge range of songs - and dancing were fabulous. Who knew a steel band could be so entertaining?

[caption id="attachment_757" align="aligncenter" width="940"] The wonderful Silver Birds were the most fantastic steel band[/caption]

I feel like I'm making you jealous, and I'm not trying to. In fact, each time we mention Jamaica in our house, Robert tells us to stop (he would have loved it, and I feel awful about that), and my husband laughs. You see, it was just sensational.

The only negatives of course are nothing at all to do with the resort, or what we did (the staff couldn't have been friendlier, the place more enjoyable). But I know you will want to know how much it cost, and it's not cheap. A friend of mine asked me if I thought it was worth it, but that's an impossible question to answer. If you have this kind of money and want to spend it on a holiday where you can relax and the whole family are guaranteed to enjoy themselves, then yes it is. And blimey, I am desperate to return!

Jessica and I stayed in a Negril Honeymoon Beachfront Grande Luxe Concierge Room

Disclosure note: this post was brought to you with assistance from Beaches, who offered us this holiday as part of a bloggers' trip. The opinions, photos, videos and everything else are all ours!

Seven nights staying at Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, on a Luxury Included® (all-inclusive) basis costs from £1,989 per adult and £1,075 per child. A family of four costs from £6,129. Return flights, resort transfers, tips, gourmet speciality dining, premium branded alcohol and soft drinks, and watersports are all included in the price. For further information or to make a booking, contact your local travel agent, call Beaches Resorts on 0800 597 0002 or email sales@beachesresorts.co.uk. Excursions on the island are bookable through Island Routes Caribbean Adventures (www.islandroutes.co.uk). Price is based on travel on selected dates in May/June 2014. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT BEACHES RESORTS AND PARTICULARLY BEACHES NEGRIL, PLEASE VISIT THEIR WEBSITE.

If you liked this video, please take a look at our (rather shaky) video of our trip to Paris!

We're sharing this post and its glorious memories with the Time Traveller linky over at Mari's world. Zip over to enjoy more great travelling posts.

 

Gorgeous Jamaica

I had never been to the Caribbean and not imagined that the chance would come my way. But Jamaica, beautiful, stunning Jamaica, took my breath away, and now I crave the chance to go back. Hopefully one day, I will.

If that sounds a bit over the top, well, it's justified. Jessica and I were only in Jamaica, in the Negril resort, for four days in mid December. However, despite the rainy British weather since our return, we can still feel the recuperative effects.

But let me take you back to the wonderful day (seriously!) when Jessica and I were invited to the Beaches Resort. The idea, of course, was that we lucky people would sample the delights of this special place and then report back. I have to admit that it wasn't the most onerous task I have ever been given.

The resort had just been voted top hotel for families in the Caribbean in Tripadvisor's Traveller's Choice Awards as well as being put in the top 25 all-inclusive resorts in the world. We had never stayed in an all-inclusive resort and were extremely curious about what to expect. Could it really be as good as all that?

Read more »