The once-naff UK seaside town that’s now so cool even MADONNA says it’s her ‘idea of heaven’
YOU’D have to be living under a rock to have not heard of Margate, often cited as one of the UK’s trendiest seaside towns.
But it became the coolest seaside town in the WORLD after singing legend Madonna recently visited – and raved about it.
It’s the second time the Vogue singer has been spotted in Margate, having visited back in October after being introduced by artist Tracy Emin, who lives in the town.
Having previously visited the Freedman Gallery and TKE Studios, she was spotted again this week at an Off Season event, a grassroots initiative.
Talking about Margate, she said: “This is my idea of heaven. Whenever I go there, I feel like I’ve entered a dream.”
She also cited the town as being “inhabited and energised by creativity”.
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As someone who used to live in the town, it comes as no surprise that Margate continues to attract world-famous stars.
The town was previously used as a filming location for the Sam Mendes film Empire of Light, which saw huge stars including Olivia Colman visit during filming.
Lily Allen filmed her Sky Atlantic series Dreamland in Margate, while Oscar winner Rami Malek was previously spotted with his former girlfriend actor Emma Corrin, set to star in the new Pride and Prejudice remake.
And Pedro Pascal was spotted visiting at an art gallery in recent months.
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Margate was one of the original Victorian seaside resorts but, like many in the UK, lost favour in the 1960s and fell into disrepair.
However in the last decade it has seen a boom in popularity.
Even during my few years living there – having left London for the town during Covid – I saw how it has grown in popularity.
My three-bed flat cost £210,000, although you could easily find one bedroom ones for £120,000. Now the average house price is nearly £300,000, according to Rightmove.
Before I moved to the town, it was in short supply of hotels to stay in, mainly with run down seaside B&Bs or home rentals being the only option.
Since then, openings have included the trendy boutique Fort Road Hotel, as well as the latest Guesthouse hotel, after success in Bath and Brighton.
When it comes to the food scene, Michelin named Margate in its ‘10 best seaside towns for food lovers in the UK & Ireland‘ last year.
Mexican restaurant High Dive was praised by the Good Food Guide, while the Italian Sargasso was name one of the UK’s best restaurants by the Times.
Sadly, Madonna didn’t reveal where she ate, but wrote: “I get to eat at my favorite Italian restaurant which I’m not giving anyone the name of because then everyone’s going to go there and it only has one table.”
It is thought that it was Bottega Caruso, in the middle of town known for its huge slabs of tiramisu.
Even when it comes to bars, there is the often lauded Sete, a tiny Parisian-esque drinking spot, as well as Guesthouse’s rooftop bar which opens in summer, and is one of the few rooftop bars in Kent.
Of course you can’t best a good pub, and both George & Heart and Rose in June are some of the coolest in town.
It is even home to one of the world’s coolest neighbourhoods, with Cliftonville named the UK’s best by Time Out.
It’s here you’ll find the historic Walpole Lido, one of the UK’s largest that is also free to visit, as well as the nearby pop up Sea Scrub sauna.
But when it comes to seaside towns, it needs fish and chips – Peter’s Fish Factory is often praised as the UK’s best – as well as arcades, which can be found lining the seafront.
And with one of Kent‘s only sandy beaches, and being home to the famous retro Dreamland theme park? I’m ready to back it taking the mantle of world’s coolest.
In the mean time, here are some other seaside towns that are booming.
And we’ve rounded up our favourite seaside towns that are less than 90 minutes from London.