1 Week rental in Kent/Sussex or France - any personal recommendation

[pupuce]

Hi guys,

My brother, his wife and their 1 YO are looking for a charming place to stay (from a Wedn. to a Wedn) either in the South East of England or in the South of France.... anyone has got any personal recommendation ? They don't want a club type holiday.

Thanks

I've just come back from a week in W. Sussex (thanks to those who suggested holiday activities before I went, btw!).

We (family of 4) stayed in a lovely 3 bedroom cottage in a village called West Ashling, just outside Chichester.

I found it on the web, www.hillscottage.com and highly recommend it. Cottage, hosts, village, etc, all charming!

It looks like a good possibility. Thanks I'll let him know.
Did you find a babysitter there ?

No, didn't try, sorry.

Hi Pupuce,
How about where I live, Deal in Kent. I was born here so I am biased, but it is a really lovely seaside town, the best definitely around this coast. We have a pebble beach, but theirs miles of it, it never gets crowded, lots and lots of nice pubs, good shops, etc. Also we are only 6 miles to Dover, so if they bring their passports they can easily go over to France for the day, its a 75min crossing from Dover to Calais, or 35mins through the tunnel. The weather here at the moment is fab, around 31 degees, and today we could see the cliffs of France across the channel!

We've just been to Deal for the day - and liked it so much we're planning to go back for a week! Is the beach safe for swimming? It was high tide when we were there, and we couldn't tell.

We thought Deal and Sandwich were just lovely.

I'm definitely going to try Deal for a day out soon. Thanks for the recommendation.

For charm, Broadstairs is a possiblity. Regency houses clustered round a small sandy bay. Just beautiful. Enough attractions to make it a typical English seaside town ( small fair plus donkey on the beach), but not too many to disguise the character of the place. Also has the best Italian ice cream parlours in Kent IMO, a strong Charles Dickens connecton plus easy access to France.

Can get busy - but bustling more than huge crowds due to the town's small size. Quieter bays on either side so you can get away from the main thrust of activity.

Hi Copper,
The tide is quite stong at Deal, but if its a nice still day swimming is ok, but watch little ones as some parts shelve. We do have a good leisure pool called Tides, its in one of the local parks near Deal Castle.