Kent Getaways

HOTEL OVERVIEW

You know what caught me off guard about Kent Getaways? I was expecting another cookie-cutter holiday park situation when I pulled up to Birchington Vale, but this place actually has some serious character. It’s tucked away on Shottendene Road in Westgate-on-Sea, and honestly, the location works in ways you wouldn’t expect from looking at a map. You’re technically in a holiday park setting, but Kent Getaways has carved out this boutique vibe that feels completely separate from the typical caravan park crowd.

The whole setup is refreshingly unpretentious – they don’t bother with official star ratings because, well, they don’t really fit into those standard hotel boxes anyway. What they do have is this genuine attention to detail that you notice in small ways. The rooms have this lived-in comfort that’s hard to fake, with proper local touches rather than generic seaside décor. I mean, you can tell someone actually thought about what travelers need instead of just checking boxes. The bathrooms are surprisingly well-appointed (always a relief in these converted holiday properties), and the beds are properly comfortable – not that thin mattress nonsense you sometimes get at quirky places. Parking is straightforward, which is more than you can say for most of Westgate, and check-in was refreshingly human rather than corporate efficient.

What really makes this place work is how it sits in the landscape. You’re close enough to Westgate’s seafront to walk there easily, but far enough back to avoid the summer madness when the day-trippers descend. The morning quiet is lovely – you get proper birdsong rather than traffic noise, which is rare for anywhere accessible in East Kent these days. It’s also perfectly positioned if you want to explore beyond the obvious spots. Birchington’s just down the road with its decent pubs and that surprisingly good high street, and you can reach Canterbury or even hop over to the continent without the hassle of staying right in the thick of things. The 8.9 rating makes sense when you experience it – it’s not trying to be flashy, but everything works the way it should, and the staff clearly know their regulars by name. Honestly, it feels like the kind of place that gets discovered by word of mouth rather than flashy marketing, which probably explains why it maintains that authentic feel rather than getting too polished for its own good.