Jon_V

We will be spending time in London in late July this year. We would like to spend a few days on the coast, we like seafood and nice views; we won’t have a vehicle so we will have to use public transportation. Any recommendation of a nice area and an upscale hotel would be appreciated.

Thanks, Jon V

BigRuss

Great Britain is an island. There is "coast" in any direction. "Seafood and nice views" is so generic as to be meaningless. What do you want other than a "view"?

Dukey1

Depending on several factors, ONE area you might enjoy would be the Norfolk coast. Cromer is a smaller town which you can reach by rail from London through Norwich; someplace such as Great Yarmouth might be a bit too commercialized.

Am sure others will offer great suggestions.

Mimar

How much do you want to pay for your upscale hotel?

Rastaguytoday

There's always Brighton.

I went there once because I read it was really tacky.

Turned out to be true.

PatrickLondon

Railways developed in tandem with the seaside resort in Britain, so it might be easier for you to cross-refer the network map with www.visitengland.com, see what appeals, and come back with a shortlist of places you think you might like.

Off the top of my head, the Isle of Wight, Swanage or Bournemouth, Eastbourne if you want to see (and walk on) some white cliffs - but there are plenty of options all along the south and east coasts.

Kate

As you're happy to spend a few days somewhere, I would leave the south east coast behind - fairly flat with mostly pebble beaches - and head westwards, towards Dorset, Devon or Cornwall, where the beaches and cliffs are gorgeous.

Here's a crazy idea - why not take a look at Burgh Island, a luxury Art Deco hotel on its own little island just off the coast from Plymouth, where the likes of Agatha Christie and Noel Coward used to hang out. It takes 3 hours from Paddington to Plymouth by rail, and you can take a taxi from the station to the island, which is walkable from the mainland at low tide.

http://www.burghisland.com/about_us_1.html

flanneruk

Apart from at Padstow in Cornwall, you're likely to be disappointed if seafood is a major criterion.

Though Britain is an island, most fish caught here goes to markets in London and Paris, or straight to contracted bulk buyers. The best (and often best value) seafood is in London.

That's not to deny the odd decent fishy eating place by the sea (though the best will often have got their fish from London or Paris), a growing interest in claiming (possibly truthfully) that some fish is caught locally, and a small smattering of local marine delicacies (like crab at Cromer, samphire in lots of places and laverbread in South Wales).

But if you've got some vision of freshly-caught prawns grilling by a picturesque harbour, the Mediterranean or the Atlantic coasts of France, Spain or Portugal offer easier gastronomic pickings, are often faster and cheaper to get to - and are far more reliably suited to langorous sitting out of doors.

Kate

If you like Oysters, then Whitstable is a lovely weekend away from London, with many seafood restaurants. Pebble beach though.

bilboburgler

While the majority of fish ends up in central markets the small fisherman (that seem to have slipped under the notice of Ted Heath when negotiating) still sell the majority of their catch locally. So wherever you see boats pulled up on the shingle there will be fresh fish in the restaurants, not sure what fishermen down near London, but in Filey it is very fresh.

Jon_V

Thank you all for the info, I guess I was thinking of the coast near to London in the east, I will definitely check out all your recommendations,around $300 would be about what we would expect to to pay for a nice place.

Thank again, Jon V

PS sorry to be so "meaningless" big Russ

Gordon_R

Isle of Wight or the Channel Islands would fit the OP's brief well, though more complex and expensive to get there. I shudder to think what he will make of heading east from London and ending up in the likes of Clacton or Sarfend (didn't we have someone else a while ago who had convinced herself that the Essex coastline was a bucolic paradise?). I doubt that the selection of eels or whelks from a greasy caff qualify as good seafood.

janisj

Just a quick comment - $300 is not all that upscale. £190 will get you a nice place for sure, but not terribly posh/upscale.

For gorgeous coastline Dorset, Devon, Cornwall.