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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To book a holiday in Margate?

64 replies

VerbenaGirl · 17/01/2017 21:54

Was lacking inspiration for our hols this year... Budget quite tight, husband won't fly, kids don't travel well... Then remember hearing that Margate was on the up... Any thoughts and/or experiences?

OP posts:

Thread gallery

DriveInSaturday · 18/01/2017 08:26

I don't agree that Whitstable would be better with young children if you want a beach. Whitstable's beach is pebbly and slopes steeply. You can't make sandcastles, it's painful to walk down to the sea barefoot and it gets deep quickly. Margate has a big sandy beach which shelves gently, is swept every day and patrolled by proactive lifeguards. There is also a small children's funfair on the beach.

I think Whitstable is more interesting for its high street - it's a charming and (now) well-heeled place.

Margate has tried hard to gentrify, but it's too big for a quick fix and, as a pp has said, the new Westwood centre hasn't helped the high street. You could make it a base and visit the other nearby towns as suggested.

ginghamstarfish · 18/01/2017 09:32

Agree with PPs - stay in Broadstairs which is lovely, then day trips to Margate/Ramsgate etc.

HemlockStarglimmer · 18/01/2017 10:22

There's an awesome animal park called Wildwood near Herne Bay. And Quex Park in Birchington has things to do for kids, indoors and out.

Francescasayer · 18/01/2017 10:45

Hi! Margate is fantastic, but so are Broadstairs and Ramsgate (Collectively known as the Isle of Thanet) and all very close to each other. Kids can choose from 15 sandy beaches and bays. Thanet has more blue flags beaches than any other district in the country, so you won't find a better range of beaches all within a few miles of eachother. There's also Quex Park which is an amazing museum for kids, The Ramsgate Wartime Tunnels are amazing too and consistently rated highly on tripadvisor. Lots of traffic free walking and cycling and an amazing programme of events. www.visitthanet.co.uk is the best source for info.

MummyToThree479 · 18/01/2017 10:53

My grandma lives in Broadstairs and we go and stay for 1 week with the dc each year

Broadstairs- is lovely and the sandy beach is nice. And you must try Morellis ice cream parlour!

Margate- my dc enjoyed dreamland, the beach is sand and is nice but on a sunny day get there early as it does get packed.
I enjoy a walk round the old town and I recommend the cupcake cafe & GB pizza and the shell grotto is worth a look

Ramsgate- Is ok if you stick to the harbour area

Whitstable- I love but it is like London on sea! And do remember the beach is pebble

Near by if you have a car? You could visit; Dover Castle, Deal castle, Canterbury and I highly recommend wingham wildlife park it is so much better than Howletts.

I would stay in Broadstairs OR stay in Margate but use it as a base don't plan on spending your whole holiday only in Margate as you may struggle for things to do. There is a premier inn attached to a brewers fayre right next to Margate staton

Passthecake30 · 18/01/2017 13:36

There's also a raf museum halfway between broadstairs and birchington that is worth a shot.

the pool in margate has a soft play and you can get a ticket to do both for a discount (but not on bday party days so worth checking first)

mowgelijeffs · 18/01/2017 13:40

Hi, I live in Westgate.
Interesting hearing outsiders opinions on my town.
I've lived here for 4 years now with my husband. There are loads of really interesting shops, cafes and studios in Margate now.
The sunsets here are spectacular.
To eat in Margate I reccommend GB pizza and Cheesy Tiger.
There are really nice beaches in the area.
There are nice people in the area.
Like all seaside towns there are some less attractive elements to some parts of Margate.
If you're into healthy living, music, art and the sunshine then I would recommend coming here.
By the way, I think it's nicer then Broadstairs.

mowgelijeffs · 18/01/2017 13:41

Oh and my house is sometimes available on air bnb. It's a 4 bedroom beautiful house. By the sea(end of my road) a driveway, bikes, garden(massive) bbq.. The lot.

nickyplustwo · 18/01/2017 14:01

I grew up in Ramsgate and still live in Kent. The old town part of Margate has improved immeasurably and now there's the Turner, Dreamland and lots of nice places to eat, in addition to the main sands. It has a nice, arty vibe now. The town centre itself is still very run down, so best avoided. Broadstairs is worth a visit, as is the Harbour area of Ramsgate. All the bays in between (Viking, Botany, Stone, Joss Bay) are really good and have had blue flags (so not the turd-sightings of yesteryear!). You're close to Whitstable (stony beaches but a lovely town), Canterbury and Deal. Lots of stuff to do. You could have a trip to France for the day to tick the 'foreign holiday' box! I think anywhere in Thanet would make a good base for a UK beach holiday that's not as packed with tourists as Cornwall or Dorset - made even better if you get good weather!

Christmasnoooooooooooo · 18/01/2017 15:10

I have just come back to thread to see if herne bay had mentioned yet . I grew up there many many many years ago. I am amazed it has not mention early as the best thing about herne bay was the carnival.

Original poster

VerbenaGirl · 18/01/2017 21:40

Thank you lovely ladies. This has given me lots of good ideas.... I think we're going to go for it (checking out places to stay in Margate and beyond). Off to AirBNB now!

OP posts:

AnneElliott · 18/01/2017 21:44

I'd go to birchington/Minnis Bay rather than Margate. I do think Margate is still a bit grim, but you could do a day trip there from Birchington.

LotsoNumbers · 18/01/2017 23:47

I'm pretty sure you don't have to pay for the whole day for dreamland, I think they changed it to paying for tokens. There are a few animal parks that have been mentioned, there's Wildwood which has native British animals and a few others(first place I saw a real live weasel!), Wingham which has exotic animals including penguins, tigers, chimps, bears etc and howletts which has elephants, gorillas, and lots of more exotic animals. Howletts sister park is port lympne which has a safari experience and is near Hythe, about an hours drive from margate

MrsBlennerhassett · 18/01/2017 23:49

I love Margate!! Very trendy. Great gallery and Dreamland is lots of fun! ake sure to go to the Shell Grotto. Its also near lots of other interesting and beautiful places you can easily drive to or get the bus or train to so i doubt youd get bored.

roseshippy · 19/01/2017 00:40

i wouldn't book a holiday at the seaside in England, weather might be shit.

BillSykesDog · 19/01/2017 01:31

Margate is fucking awful. Went last November. It's really dirty, grim and run down, very clearly a very deprived area. Full of shops which have been closed for ages and are covered in filth. Loads of drunks and drug addicts, human faeces outside the station. Lots of nice places around it, but Margate is a hole.

There is a very small area around the Turner which is just okay, nothing else. It's basically only nice in comparison with the rest of Margate but is just normal in comparison with other towns.

We went because we read publicity on how fab the 'old town' was and the Turner Gallery. Admittedly the Turner turned out to be shut, but that would only take half a day. We were very disappointed that we'd been sucked in by the publicity because the place is a massive shithole.

Please don't do it. If I'd booked my only holiday in a year and went there I would be absolutely heartbroken. Maybe one of the caravan parks just outside would be nice as a base to go to other places in the area? But Margate itself is awful.

mowgelijeffs · 19/01/2017 09:05

Billsykes dog. Sorry you didn't like my town.
It's being compared to Hackney at the minute... There's lots going on in Cliftonville just up the road. Many londeners moving down here for a better quality of life.
Only last month we went to a super club in an art studio where we were surrounded by artists, designers, musicians, holistic experts, mothers, fathers, tourists....
Maybe you didn't know where to look or your head is wrongly orientated if you kept finding "shit" on the ground. It's a shame because you will have missed the sea views.
I walk there daily and don't find it very often.

mowgelijeffs · 19/01/2017 09:05

Verbena send me a message if you want any tips

BillSykesDog · 19/01/2017 09:16

I didn't 'find' shit on the ground. I watched a drunk pull down their trousers and shit outside the station.

It's a really horrible place. I'm not going to tell someone to take their only holiday and spend their hard earned money somewhere truly grim just because someone's a bit touchy about where they live.

Anyway, OP, these are some of the pics I took on my last visit, judge for yourself.

BillSykesDog · 19/01/2017 09:34

SparkleShinyGlitter · 19/01/2017 09:40

Here is a couple of pictures from when I stayed at my friends holiday flat in Margate

mowgelijeffs · 19/01/2017 09:41

Here's some of my own

mowgelijeffs · 19/01/2017 09:44

Some more

Upanddownroundandround · 19/01/2017 09:45

We do day trips there and love it. We usually go to Westgate bay instead though. It has a lovely sand beach, one cafe and toilets. All you need.

Floralnomad · 19/01/2017 09:47

Actually the Turner is probably a 2 hour trip , it's quite small , as I said previously I visit Westgate regularly to walk the dog and go to the cafe on the promenade when it's open but I recognise everything that has been described by bill about Margate itself , and with respect mowgli I wouldn't take my summer holiday in Hackney either . The point is if the weather is good there are lovely beaches and Kent as a whole offers lots of other fantastic things to entertain if it's not wall to wall sunshine . Margate does have a few very good boutique B&Bs / hotels though and it is improving .

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