St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex

For an arty seaside alternative to Margate, try St Leonards-on-Sea. From the hip seafront Zanzibar International boutique hotel you can explore the galleries at the base of Marine Court, the art deco ocean-liner-styled apartment block, and the boutiques along Norman Road, before lunch at St Clements restaurant (01424 200355, stclementsrestaurant.co.uk). The annual Coastal Currents arts festival (coastalcurrents.org.uk) runs from 28 August to the end of September: don't miss "Internal States", a caravan installation by Julia Riddiough and Kati Saqui (14-16 September, Railway Station Forecourt, and 25 September) outside the De La Warr Pavilion, in nearby Bexhill-on-Sea, which was a hit at this year's Whitstable Biennale.

• Zanzibar International hotel (01424 460109, zanzibarhotel.co.uk); doubles from £109 B&B

Aberaeron, Dyfed

Boasting some of the finest seaside Regency-style architecture in Wales, Aberaeron was built in 1805 around the estuary of the Aeron river. The Harbourmaster hotel is undoubtedly the largest and most photogenic of this attractive set of buildings, with contemporary bedrooms and a lively bar/restaurant, where you can tuck into local produce such as Welsh black fillet steaks or lobster. Then walk off the calories on the Dylan Thomas trail, or take a boat trip out of the pastel-coloured harbour, one of the few places in the UK you're (almost) guaranteed to see dolphins in the wild all year round (07795 242445, seamor.org).

• Harbourmaster hotel (01545 570755, harbour-master.com); singles from £60, doubles from £110 B&B

Morfa Nefyn & Porthdinllaen, Llyn Peninsula, Gwynedd

Fancy a pint in the most picturesque fishing hamlet in Wales? Then stroll from the village of Morfa Nefyn west along the beach and you'll discover tiny Porthdinllaen, owned by the National Trust since 1994. With views across to Yr Eifl and Snowdonia, there are only about two dozen buildings, one being the red-brick Ty Coch pub, a former vicarage right on the beach. Order the catch of the day – normally mackerel. Retire for the evening at Llys Olwen, an early-Victorian sea captain's home back in Morfa Nefyn, which offers good-value bedrooms.

• Llys Olwen (01758 720493, llysolwen.co.uk); doubles £60 B&B

Dunwich, Suffolk

Once the capital of East Anglia, and a port second only to London, Dunwich is a glorious village with fascinating history and a ruined monastery – and the Flora Tearooms (01728 648433), its beachside fish and chips cafe. Stay at the refurbished Ship Inn. The adjacent steep shingle beach invites an invigorating swim, and do stroll through the wild beauty of Dunwich Heath, the conservation area extending back from the cliffs.

• The Ship Inn (01728 648219, shipatdunwich.co.uk); doubles from £95, room only

Mevagissey, Cornwall

Cornwall at its most picture-perfect. Once the centre of the pilchard fishery, Mevagissey's white and paint-washed buildings perch on the slopes of the hills encircling the two harbours. The Wheelhouse fish restaurant and guesthouse dominates the west wharf. In its former days the hotel was a net loft – John Wesley is reported to have made his first sermon in Mevagissey there – but now it's more famous for fish and seafood: order Fowey river mussels, St Austell scallops or local crab.

• The Wheelhouse fish restaurant and guesthouse (01726 843404, wheelhouse.me.uk); doubles from £60, room only

Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland

Gulp down epic views of the sensational Stevenson bridge spanning the Tweed, or the estuary and North Sea. Wander its Georgian streets and the most complete Elizabethan fortifications anywhere; the more energetic can stretch those legs on the six-mile Lowry Trail, which starts at the town hall and ends at the pier. Splash out at 1 Sallyport, where extravagant suites with two-course dinners and breakfast cost from £150 for two.

• 1 Sallyport (01289 308827, sallyport.co.uk); doubles from £95, room only

Plockton, Ross-Shire

The name comes from the Gaelic word ploc — a lumpish promontory – but don't let its inelegance put you off. Plockton is a jewel, sheltered by mountains and the kind of place where the skirl of the pipes will soundtrack an afternoon lazing by the palm trees lining Loch Carron, a sea loch. Enjoy some decent modern art along with your 40 winks at the Plockton gallery and guesthouse, which offers views of the loch, a sculpture garden and a programme of special events. For a fish supper on the waterfront, hit the Plockton hotel (01599 544274, plocktonhotel.co.uk).

• Plockton gallery and guesthouse (01599 544442, plocktongallery.com); doubles from £80 B&B

Bradwell-on-Sea, Essex

Essex doesn't get any more remote than this. Bradwell-on-Sea perches on the edge of the under-rated Dengie Peninsula. Stay at the Green Man, a former smugglers' inn overlooking the Blackwater river, which serves simple pub grub. A grassy path, trodden by thousands of pilgrims since Roman times, will lead you to the chapel of St Peter-on-the-Wall, which dates back to 653 AD. After sheltering inside its stone interior (yes, the wind will bite even in August), follow the sea wall along the cockle spit, back to the village.

• The Green Man (01621 776226, greenmanbradwellonsea.co.uk); doubles from £60 B&B

Deal, Kent

Deal has been a fashionable second-home destination for many years now, but, with the advent of the RIBA-award-winning Jasin's Pier Cafe (01304 366820, jasinsrestaurant.com), its status as hip weekend resort is sealed. Bed down at Number One, a stylish boutique B&B in a Victorian townhouse near the beach and do as the locals do by booking a table at the newish secret hang-out the Dining Club (01304 373569, thediningclub.net; £25 per head; group membership £5 per year), a bijou Georgian house hidden in the conservation area, whose candlelit dining rooms and BYO wine policy lend it the atmosphere of a dinner party.

• Number One (01304 364459, numberonebandb.co.uk); doubles from £75 B&B

Ravenglass, Lake District

The Lake District is mobbed at this time of year but fewer visitors make it to the wilder shores of the village of Ravenglass, located where three rivers (the Esk, Mite and Irt) combine to meet the Irish Sea. "La'al Ratty", the narrow-gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway (01229 717171, ravenglass-railway.co.uk), will shuttle you to the foot of the mountains. The more sedentary may prefer to lap up the luxury at the Pennington hotel, a former coaching inn with stunning views over the estuary, whose restaurant sources vegetables, fruits and herbs from nearby Muncaster Castle's historic kitchen gardens.

• Pennington hotel (0845 450 6445, penningtonhotels.com); doubles from £80, room only