vallierojas: Art beside the seaside: Kent reinvents itself

The east Kent coast is now one of Britain's most fashionable places to holiday, with stylish B&Bs, Michelin-starred food and cutting-edge art, from Whitstable to Folkestone

So is it all Whitstable's fault? Can we pinpoint the current revival of the Kent coast back to the late 1990s, when fishermen's cottages up and down Island Wall were reclaimed and repainted by DFLs (the Down-From-Londons), and boutiques selling objets began to pop up along Harbour Street?

Perhaps. But arts-led developments are deep-rooted along this stretch of coast: in Margate, where the kernel for the Turner Contemporary gallery can be traced right back to 1994; in Folkestone, where the Creative Foundation, led by entrepreneur Roger De Haan, was taking hold at the turn of the millennium; and across many smaller coastal towns and villages, from Broadstairs to Dungeness, where artists have settled because of the quality of the light, following the late Derek Jarman, who moved there in the mid-1980s.

Yet it's indisputable that in the past decade this spirit of change has quickened, and dispersed, unleashing a plethora of art projects, stylish B&Bs, foodie corners and kitsch attractions.

"In the five years I've been living here, there's a new, exciting energy about the place," says Marina O'Loughlin, Metro food critic and co-author of the Discover Thanet guide. "There's a sense of heightened enthusiasm and possibilities even in places that were pretty depressed."

If ? as the saying goes ? regeneration begins with poetry and ends in commerce, it's worth observing, too, that much of what makes this coast special has long been there: beaches to rival those in Cornwall or Devon (or even, in the case of Botany Bay, the Algarve), miles of White Cliffs, Margate's enigmatic Shell Grotto, a sparkling marina in Ramsgate, the bleak beauty of Dungeness (the only place in the UK classified as a desert), Folkestone's Coastal Park, Deal's ancient conservation area.

What's next for the Kent coast? Folkestone to become the new Brighton? The renaissance of Dover, still largely depressed? A greater migration still of city types, armed with creative ideas and disposable income, to every town connected via High Speed 1? And lest we forget, other "cool" happenings in the lesser-known resorts this summer include festivals in both Herne Bay (hernebayfestival.co.uk, 20-28 August) and Sandwich (sandwichfestival.org.uk, 21-29 August), a Venetian Fete in Hythe (venetian-fete.com, 17 August), and cinema in the grounds of both Walmer Castle and Richborough Roman Fort (17 August and 4 September, tickets at whereisthenomad.com).

Here's the best of what to see and do around the coast:

Whitstable

Skip the peeling Hotel Continental, with its functional bedrooms and inflated prices, and head to The Front Rooms (01227 282132, thefrontrooms.co.uk, doubles from �110), an icily cool boutique B&B with attached contemporary art gallery.

The town has arty connections galore (the sixth biennale festival is in 2012, whitstablebiennale.com), so start your exploration at the Horsebridge Centre (horsebridge-centre.org.uk) ? and don't miss picking up an irreverent badge or postcard from artist Sadie Hennessy's beach hut gallery (sadiehennessy.co.uk).

Whitstable boasts dozens of decent eateries but avoid the average fare at the tourist-only Oyster Company (01227 276856, whitstableoystercompany.com) and book early for one of these: The Sportsman, the famous Michelin-starred beachside pub in Seasalter (01227 273370, thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk), tiny but perfect Wheelers (01227 273311), whose pea-green parlour holds just four tables (BYO wine), or praised newcomer Salt Marsh (01227 272955, salt-marsh.com).

Margate

Who'd have guessed at just how successful the Turner Contemporary (turnercontemporary.org) would be for the town? Only six weeks in and they'd hit two-thirds of their annual target (150,000) for visitors: our tip is to combine your visit with a locally sourced dinner (�18 two courses, �23 three, every Friday/Saturday until 10pm) in the cafe, where you can watch the sun set over the Harbour Arm.

Galleries and vintage stores now pepper the old town, in particular King Street ? my fave is Etcetera (etcetera-online.co.uk). And for somewhere to stay, the gorgeous "rough luxe" decor of The Reading Rooms (01843 225166, thereadingroomsmargate.co.uk, doubles from �150), in nearby Hawley Square, has rightly been heaped with praise since it opened in 2009. If its three rooms are booked, try the Walpole Bay Hotel in Cliftonville (01843 221703, walpolebayhotel.co.uk, doubles from �85).

Margate is fast becoming a food destination: there's Michelin-starred modern Indian cooking at Ambrette (01843 231504, theambrette.co.uk), and the wonderful Lifeboat pub (thelifeboat-margate.com) serves real ales and Broadstairs pies. BeBeached cafe (bebeached.co.uk) at the end of the pier is a great spot for a sundowner. Don't miss the town's longstanding, pre-hipster attractions, such as the Shell Grotto (shellgrotto.co.uk) and nearby RG Scott's antiques emporium (scottsmargate.co.uk). To embrace the town's contemporary identity, make for Blink Margate, a huge live collaboration between musicians and 100 local people on 27 August (blinkmargate.org).

Deal

Deal, like Whitstable, has long been a destination for those in the know, with a sizable artistic and gay community (legendary resident Charles Hawtrey's plaque adorns a house on Middle Street). Its rebuilt pier-end glass cafe won a Riba award for architecture in 2009 (although my advice is to eat elsewhere), and the Astor Theatre, also revived in 2009 (theastor.org) hosts arthouse cinema, live music and surreal seaside variety shows like the acclaimed Private Widdle Social Club (privatewiddlesocialclub.co.uk).

The granny's parlour feel of the Black Douglas cafe (blackdouglas.co.uk), run by descendants of Oscar Wilde's lover, Bosie, is a magnet for the town's most bohemian denizens, especially on Thursday to Saturday evenings, when it serves pizza and wine, often accompanied by live music or readings. Top tip, however, is the semi-clandestine Dining Club, taken over in July by Gary Rhodes-endorsed chef Scott Roberts (BYO wine, five-course set menus at �27.50, apply for membership at thediningclub.net).

Deal even boasts one of the world's Top 10 B&Bs in Number One (01304 364459, numberonebandb.co.uk, doubles from �75), according to Tripadvisor. There's plenty of live music in the town's pubs, especially on Sunday afternoons: local heroes Smugglers Records host their first festival 2-4 September in nearby Little Mongeham (smugglersrecords.com).

Ramsgate

Ramsgate is the most foodie of the Thanet towns, and with its royal marina and water-facing alfresco cafes, flirts successfully with that semi-mythical beast: continental cafe culture. For Regency glamour, plus unparalleled views over the harbour, book a veranda room at the Royal Harbour Hotel (01843 591514, royalharbourhotel.co.uk, doubles from �98). Top dining tips include the much-acclaimed Eddie Gilbert's, above a fishmonger's on King Street (01843 852123, eddiegilberts.com), and the arguably more glamorous Age & Sons (01843 851515, ageandsons.co.uk), a three-storey conversion in a courtyard behind the seafront, with all-day deli, cocktail bar and upstairs restaurant specialising in local fish.

In recent years Ramsgate has clambered on board the arts bandwagon, and this year's second annual "Summer Squall" (ramsgatearts.org) runs from 26-29 August: highlights include an installation in Ramsgate Harbour which will bring a 65-year-old steam tug back to life through sound, and the 1950s 22-seat Vintage Mobile Cinema.

Broadstairs

"This is a community thing," says charismatic self-styled "Queen of Broadstairs" Jilly Sharpe about her hit boutique hotel Belvidere Place (01843 579 850, belvidereplace.co.uk, doubles from �120), as we discuss the ins and outs of running a B&B. And the dark, moody, art-filled interior, with its well-heeled, grown-up community of guests and locals (Jilly hosts bespoke arts events too) splendidly juxtaposes the town's more twee charms of secondhand bookshops and polite, curving bay. In fact, while the hotel has injected a much-needed dose of hip, it's worth remembering that Broadstairs boasts one of the liveliest festival calendars along the Kent coast (Folk Week ends 12 August, broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk, and the Food Festival runs from 30 September to 2 October, visitthanet.co.uk).

Avoid the tourist restaurants along Albion Street and book dinner at the reliable Peen's (01843 861289); for daytime coffee and cake, it's worth seeking out the quirky Festival Of Britain-themed Oscar's Festival Cafe (oscarsfestivalcafe.co.uk, formerly the Oscar Road Cafe).

Folkestone

Folkestone is the town which will see the most change in the coming years. It's less than an hour on the high-speed train from St Pancras, and large enough to cultivate Brighton-sized areas of cool. Much of its revival is owed to the De Haan family (founders of Saga holidays) whose Creative Foundation has rebooted the steep-cobbled Creative Quarter around Tontine Street and The Old High Street with affordable rents in previously boarded-up shops (see a list of galleries, cafes and shops on creativefoundation.org) ? and funded the Riba-award-winning Quarterhouse arts centre (quarterhouse.co.uk). Folkestone is not as hyped as Margate, and attracts a steady flow of students to its University Centre, part of Canterbury Christ Church University. Its second Triennial is, alongside the Turner, this summer's must-visit (folkestonetriennial.org.uk ends 25 September).

The town's change of fortune seems underlined by the recent opening of ex-Ramsay chef Mark Sargeant's iconic glass Rocksalt restaurant (01303) 212070, rocksaltfolkestone.co.uk) in the harbour (it also boasts four stylish rooms at �75-85 a night), and the more casual Smokehouse fish and chips cafe (thesmokehousefolkestone.co.uk).

Stephen Emms