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here’s no getting away from the fact that this tiny town on the Kent coast has romance in spades. Where else could you dine on fresh oysters, chill out on a stunning pebbly beach, have a joint windsurfing lesson, check into a pretty little beach house and still not blow the budget?

This bijou Kent coastal town has become a Mecca for Metropolitan types in search of salty sea breezes but with wonderful street names like Squeeze Gut Alley and higgledy-piggledy clapboard houses around every corner, it’s steeped in the past.

You just have to visit Wheelers Oyster Bar, established in 1856 to soak up a bit of history and with a half dozen Whitstable oysters for a fiver, it’s great value for money too. For more of those famous aphrodisiacs visit during the Whitstable Oyster Festival, usually the last weekend in July with much music and entertainment thrown in for free.

Whistable has a thriving arts scene and there’s no charge for viewing the incredible landscape photography at the The Loupe Gallery and many others on Harbour Street.

After a scenic walk on the beach, head to the Old Neptune pub right on the pebbles for a pint of local beer (this is the home of the hop) or a glass of wine (Biddenden Vineyards is just a drive away) where there’s live music on Friday, Saturday and Sunday on the house plus extraordinary sunsets.