The SL Pocket Guide to Margate

Conceived by a founder of the Frieze art fairs, Fort Road is a design-led 14-roomer that opened this week in a landmark building on the seafront. Some rooms have sea views, but all have access to the guest-only roof terrace which might already be the best place in town to watch those famous Margate sunsets. Downstairs, the kitchen team using local produce in its recipes, taking inspiration from pioneering female food writers like Elizabeth David and Jane Grigson – we like the sound of the clay baked sea trout with bay leaves, or the lemon and parsley risotto and dandelion salad. 

The Reading Rooms puts a modern spin on the traditional seaside B&B. In a listed Georgian townhouse, it has just two guest rooms – each one spreading across an entire floor. The first-floor Salon has taken over the house’s original grand reception room and still has its floor-to-ceiling windows with foldout wooden shutters, while exposed wooden beams make a statement in the top-floor Attic Room. Breakfast is served at dining tables within each space – at any time of your choosing – and both rooms have walk-in showers and roll-top baths.

Carl Barat from The Libertines is now a hotelier and the hand of Pete Doherty’s old friend is all over the darkly coloured Albion Rooms. As well as seven bedrooms named after literary figures including Emily Dickinson and William Blake, the property houses a coffee shop, a couple of bars and even a recording studio.

In the middle of Margate’s Old Town, the George & Heart is a listed coaching inn with a rich history and half a dozen individually designed rooms on its top floor. All six get you into Reggie’s bar, the Zen Den treatment room and a quiet courtyard. Down below, there’s a cosy pub turning out local wine and good cocktails.

Waverley House makes a multilevel statement on the seafront. The team behind the much-loved New Street Bistro now offers all-day dining in its first-floor restaurant – or out on the terrace – while the floors above have been given over to three one-bed apartments, including an open-plan loft space.

Staying on the seafront, The Well is a two-bed Airbnb dedicated to wellness. On the top floors of an old townhouse, it’s a place to unwind in claw-foot baths (Haeckels products throughout) then tap into the honesty cocktail bar. It’s pet friendly and has even got its own sea-view yoga space.

Angela’s is best known as a seafood restaurant that recently won a Green Michelin Star. But tucked away upstairs are three sustainably created en-suite rooms with harbour views. There’s a two-night minimum policy, but on arrival you’ll get freshly baked soda bread and other treats – plus guaranteed reservations at Angela’s and its small-plates sister establishment Dory’s.