Inside the beautiful beach huts you can hire for the day at ‘Essex’s best kept secret’

A TINY island just an hour from London is being called “Essex’s best kept secret” – and you can even rent your own beautiful beach hut for the day.

Mersea Island is home to just 7,000 people but thousands more visit in the summer season to enjoy West Mersea Beach.

And you can now hire two of the fanciest pastel-hued beach huts if you want a treat while there.

The Little Beach Houses Mersea, owned by Kate Frankl, can be booked for the day by tourists.

The two huts can fit up to eight people each, and you can choose between a baby-blue or lilac one.

Each hut is fully equipped with a kitchen-ette, as well as sun loungers and beach furniture from Harrods, no less.

They also come with beach toys, board games, dog bowls and treats, as well as original artworks by Margate’s Margo McDaid, and Dave Buonaguidi from Hackney, East London.

Each hut also comes with its own reserved parking, as well as access to the toilet and shower block at West Mersea Holiday Park.

Don’t worry about refreshments either – there are facilities to make tea, coffee and hot chocolate inside, or you can head to the nearby seaside cafe which serves tea and cake.

Kate said: “I wanted to create something less about chintz and more modern in style, to encourage a new generation of beach hut lovers to come here.

“Our huts are super- Instagrammable and I think that’s why we’ve been inundated with reservations this year.

“We believe that every day spent at the beach should be special, and that’s why we’ve created a unique and stylish beach experience for our guests.”

You can even book extra activities such as seafood deliveries, paddleboarding lessons and an afternoon tea delivery, at an extra cost.

But you’ll have to be quick – the huts are already 80 per cent booked for this summer.

Kate added: “We’ve been super- overwhelmed with the response so far and have had so many people choosing to celebrate their special occasions with us.”

The huts can be rented out between April and October, and prices start from £65 a day.

Just one word of warning – when planning a trip to Mersea Island, make sure to check the tide before travelling.

The only way to visit is across the Strood causeway, which you cannot access during high tide.

To get to Mersea Island, you can drive or catch a train from London Liverpool Street to Colchester, then take a bus or taxi.

• To book a hut, see