It’s dark when we arrive at Crescent Turner in Whitstable, so the views – said by the hotel blurb to evoke JMW Turner paintings of this coastline – remain to be seen.
Inside, though, the scene is pretty enough – the lounge and bar area a tasteful shade of grey with a colour “pop” of purple cushions and the odd golden armchair, the low-ceiling suitably beamed, an open fire (unlit) at one end.
Turner has had a lot of attention recently – the blockbuster show at Tate Britain in London, Mike Leigh’s biopic – and riding on its coat-tails is this 18-room hotel, opened last October, the second of what will be a mini-chain of coastal properties (the first opened in Margate in July) from Bespoke Hotels. Set amid large gardens, it’s in a lovely location – perched high above the town on Wraik Hill – if you don’t mind being away from the action.
The cheery receptionist takes us to our room: it’s a massive space, with one wall of sparkly feature wallpaper, a great shower, White Company toiletries and glass doors on to the terrace. The only real niggle is that the smallish wall-mounted TV is a bit far away to watch from bed (first world problems). The makeover of what was already a guesthouse is smart and comfortable. Local designer Marilyn Bridgen has done her bit to ensure each room is different: number 11 has its own little balcony; number 10 is the only one with a bath.
It would be a £5 cab ride into town, but we decide to stay put and sample the hotel’s restaurant. On a Friday evening, the dining room is packed with couples and families tucking into the creations of chef Mark Kember, a local recently returned from London (where he worked at the Hilton Park Lane) who sometimes pops out from the kitchen (all tattoos and smiles) to chat to guests.
He’s a man with a passion for tropical fruit with savoury stuff, it seems – oysters come with thin slices of mango, red chilli and crispy basil; scallops with butternut squash and papaya puree. Both starters and mains – sea bass with sweet potato hash brown and kale and hake with chickpea, borlotti bean and chorizo cassoulet – are tasty and well-presented, though not cheap (both mains are £19). It’s aiming to be a dining destination in its own right and non-guest business is picking up, says restaurant manager Jaz, another local with plenty of tips on what to do in the area.
Next morning those views appear through the mist – the town, the oyster beds and out to sea, with the Isle of Sheppey in the distance. Squint and in the right light it’s almost like a Turner painting. But at breakfast the teething problems I’d been trying to ignore show themselves. There’s the odd crash of crockery (one, admittedly, due to a fellow guest catching his jacket on the vase on our table) and a request for granulated sugar for cereal was met with the smiling waiter offering to crush the sugar cubes himself.
Rubbish weather gives us an excuse not to go on a walk, so we potter around town, browsing secondhand shops and chi-chi independent stores. And, this being Whitstable, we find ourselves sitting at the bar of the Royal Native Oyster Stores supping ale and slurping bivalves. Unlike scruffier Margate and Ramsgate, just along the coast, Whitstable is already up and come. Sometimes called Islington-on-sea, it is rammed with DFLs (Down From Londons) as soon as the sun shines, one shop assistant tells me.
The long pebbly beach is lined with cute beach huts. The hotel has one you can rent by the day (if you’ve a spare £150), and you can arrange to have lunch or dinner there.
Some people might prefer a base in town (it’s a longish walk to the hotel, along some busy roads), but I like retreating up the hill. Cosy and somehow comforting – and the inevitable start-up hiccups more than made up for by the friendliness of the staff – Crescent Turner is sure to be a hit with the DFLs, and many more besides.
• Accommodation was provided by the Crescent Turner, Wraik Hill, Whitstable, Kent, 01227 263506, crescentturner.co.uk; doubles from £82 a night B&B
Ask a local
Helen King, artist
Eat
The Beach Café (3 Beach Walk), seconds from the beach at the start of Tankerton Slopes, does great homemade breakfasts and lunches, and has a supper club once a month. Dogs are welcome too.
Drink
Windy Corner Stores & Cafe (100 Nelson Road) is quite hidden so mainly used by locals. It’s just a road back from the beach, and serves the best hot chocolate. It also sells fresh bread and local produce and puts on events for kids.
See
Whitstable Castle has beautiful gardens, a pirate-inspired wooden playground for the kids and a lovely tearoom. There are regular craft fairs and other events, and you can even get married there.
Do
For a lovely bike ride, the Crab and Winkle Way is a seven-mile, almost traffic-free cycling trail all the way to Canterbury through pretty countryside.
