Beach holiday ideas close to London

[Shopaholic100]

Can anyone recommend any beach destinations within 3/4 hours from London? Sandy beach preferred. I’m trying to arrange a weekend break with my friend and her family, we both have teenagers.

Any ideas?

Camber Sands, Whitstable, West Wittering. Basically the Kent/Sussex coast.

Margate - now very trendy apparently as it’s been taken over by hipsters. Teens might like that?

also Camber Sands, Botany bay (and other sandy beaches near Broadstairs), Bournemouth, West Wittering?

ha cross posted

My teens love clacton pier, and its a lovely beach, but you might prefer something a bit posher

How about Bournemouth? We’ve just travelled down to the new Forrest for a week from the north west and we did a few beach days there and we were pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. We went to sandy banks one day and it was fab…

Whitstable is nice but not sandy.

I'd think Bournemouth good for teens.

What sort of beach? Lively or quiet? What sort of level of restaurants, entertainment, watersports?

Isle of Wight. Has everything from cheap and cheerful arcade etc to fabulous seafood restaurants and surf schools. 1.5 hour fast train from Waterloo then ferry/fastcat. Or car and car ferry. Choice of beaches. Lots of wet weather choices too.

Brighton is trendy but not sandy.

Broadstairs for old world feel and good beaches but sadly it is in Thanet, so not unaffected by coastal poverty.

West Wittering for most stunning beaches and Chichester close by.

Southsea for lots going on, good swimming, lots of independent restaurants and cafes. Easy from London and cheaper than Brighton. I’d choose Southsea for teenagers, I think. They’ve Gunwharf Quays and Historic Dockyard if it pours.