5 of the best hotels in Kent

Packed with castles, orchards and hop farms as well as a stunning coastline, Kent is the ideal weekend getaway
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Kate Lough11 January 2016

Don't dismiss Kent as a weekend destination - it's not all motorway or simply a route to the Channel Tunnel. Dubbed 'the garden of England' along with Sussex, this south east county is ripe for exploring with its stately homes and castles, orchards and hop farms. It's also got a lovely stretch of coastline, including trendy Margate, which you can reach from St Pancras in 90 minutes. Here, the Good Hotel Guide recommends five of the best places to stay in Kent in 2016.

STARBOROUGH MANOR, EDENBRIDGE

Follow a tree-lined drive to find this B&B in a Georgian house immaculately restored by Jonathan and Lynn Mathias. The three guest bedrooms are traditionally furnished. An imaginative breakfast (baked plums in cinnamon, blueberry pancakes) is served in the kitchen, with hot food cooked to order. The manor overlooks moated Starborough Castle, a neo-Gothic garden house on the site of a medieval fortress.

Doubles £140. To book call 01732 862152 or visit starboroughmanor.co.uk

A room at Starborough Manor

READ’S, FAVERSHAM

Rona and David Pitchford have run their redbrick Georgian manor as a restaurant-with-rooms for 15 years, garnering awards along the way. The welcome is warm, the six guest bedrooms traditionally styled, spacious and comfortable. After 24 years of Michelin stardom, David cooks with confidence, flair, local seasonal ingredients and produce from the kitchen garden. At dinner, dishes are listed with quirky quotations – Kentish lamb four ways, with pithy Joan Crawford, passion fruit soufflé with saucy old Pepys.

Doubles £180-£210. Lunch £28, dinner £60. To book call 01795 535344 or visit reads.com

ROMNEY BAY HOTEL, NEW ROMNEY

This mansion beside beach and golf course was built in 1928 for Hollywood actress Hedda Hopper by Clough Williams-Ellis. The setting, at the end of a private road, is otherworldly and Lisa and Clinton Lovell are delightful hosts. The 10 comfortable bedrooms have views of the Channel. A set dinner is cooked by Clinton and served by Lisa in the conservatory dining room – maybe Romney Marsh lamb, or fish landed locally. Train the telescope on France from the first-floor lounge.

Doubles £95-£164. Dinner (Tue, Wed, Fri, Sat) £45. To book call 01797 364747 or visit romneybayhousehotel.co.uk

Stunning: Romney Bay House Hotel Doug Harmon
Doug Harmon

SANDS HOTEL, MARGATE

Like the star attraction at newly reopened Dreamland, Margate’s past has been a rollercoaster ride, from original day-trip destination to slough of despond to an edgy kind of cool. It has the Turner Contemporary (opened in 2011), its funky Old Town, sandy beach – and now this smart hotel. A restored Victorian building on the seafront, it has 20 guest bedrooms with restful, muted décor, many with sea views. Ryan Tasker’s modern cooking, served in the glass-fronted Bay restaurant, draws on local Kentish produce and the sea. For instance, pan-fried cod, foraged girolles, baby onions, parsley puree, Parma ham potato croquette, white wine sauce.

Doubles £120-£200, lunch £11-£18, à la carte £35. To book call 01843 228228 or visit sandshotelmargate.co.uk

ROCKSALT, FOLKESTONE

Eurotunnel is down the road – but why go to France when you have Rocksalt? Here you can gaze out at the harbour through floor-to-ceiling glass, or eat on the balcony, fresh fish from the day boats, Kentish meat, poultry and veggie dishes. For example, thornback ray wing with fiery nduja and landcress. The four guest bedrooms have antique beds, brick walls and sea views. Josh de Haan and Michelin-starred chef Mark Sergeant, have teamed up to create an exciting venture for a resort too long in the doldrums.

Doubles £85-£115, lunch £21.50-£25, à la carte £40. To book call 01303 212070 or visit rocksaltfolkestone.co.uk

To see more hotel recommendations in Kent from the Good Hotel Guide, click here.

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