Broadstairs Highlights

Situated in Kent, the Garden of England, Broadstairs is a beautiful seaside town full of old-fashioned charm and well deserving of its title as Thanet’s “jewel in the crown”.  It’s so tranquil that visitors easily wind down and relax and many return time and again.

We're lucky to have seven family-friendly sandy bays that have gained Blue Flag and Seaside Awards recognising their high quality.  The stunning beaches with colourful beach huts provide a sanctuary for guests to spend their holiday enjoying the sea, rockpools, coastal walks, surfing, beach cafes or even a nap on the beach!  There are children’s activities on the main beach, Viking Bay, in the summertime including a bouncy giraffe, carousel and trampolines.

Away from the beautiful bays, there are plenty of other activities to keep you amused including mini golf, a quaint 111 seat independent cinema showing current and historical films, small amusement arcade, boutique shops and ice cream parlours.  For those who like eating out, the town has many restaurants, tea rooms, gastropubs and microbreweries with new ones opening regularly, a special treat is a visit to Morelli’s the town’s historic ice cream parlour.

For those guests who prefer to shop in larger stores, Westwood Cross is an out of town shopping centre on the Ramsgate/Broadstairs border.  It's easy to get there by bus and you'll find Marks & Spencer, Next, WH Smith, Primark and many other chain stores.  Also in this area there are entertainment facilities including Vue Cinema, ten pin bowling and large restaurants.

Broadstairs is renowned for holding lots of events throughout the year with many of these taking place at Victoria Gardens which is just a short stroll away from Sea Glimpses. These include stunning firework displays across Viking Bay and bandstand concerts during the summer, Dickens Week in June which celebrates Charles Dickens love of Broadstairs, Folk Week and the Water Gala in August, Food Festival in autumn and the Blues Bash in February.  In the summer there's an Open Top bus running to Ramsgate which is really lovely on a sunny day.

The Dickens House Museum in located in the cottage which Charles Dickens' stayed in and provided him with the inspiration for the home of Betsey Trotwood in his book David Copperfield.  The Museum, located on The Parade overlooking the seafront still retains the same style as it did in Dickens time. 

The Crampton Tower Museum celebrates another famous Victorian, Thomas Crampton, who was born in Broadstairs.  He was an engineer who trained with Marc Isambard Brunel and is remembered as a designer of locomotives and railways but also was involved in gas, water works and the submarine telegraph cable.  He was the first person to lay an effective international telegraph cable under the English Channel.  This small museum situated across from Broadstairs Railway Station has some fascinating artefacts connected to Thomas Crampton.

The St Peter's Village Tour offers visitors a choice of 4 free guided walks around the historic village and churchyard of St Peter's, located on the edge of Broadstairs.  These award winning tours are fascinating and are led by volunteers dressed as historic costumed characters who will engage you with many facts and some surprises. 

For our guests with dogs, we are perfectly located being near to Louisa Bay and Dumpton Gap which are wonderful dog-friendly beaches all year round.  When the tide is out it’s lovely to take a stroll along the beach to Ramsgate.  Many of Broadstairs café’s, restaurants, shops and pubs welcome dogs too.  From 1 October to 30 April all the beaches are unrestricted making them popular with dog owners – the winter beach walks are truly invigorating.