English seaside village that was once a ‘resort for the wealthy’ is tipped to be huge next year
A TINY seaside village in the UK is set to be a hot holiday hotspot for Brits next year.
Most people heading to Kent flock to Margate, Whitstable or Folkestone for a beach break in the south.
However, one area that is often overlooked is Littlestone-on-Sea.
The tiny coastal village, in New Romney, was first established in the 1880s by politician St Robert Perks, who made it a popular seaside holiday resort for the wealthy crowds and the gentry.
This included the construction of the Littlestone Golf Club in 1888, designed by entrepreneur Henry Tubbs, followed by the Marine Parade and Grand Hotel.
Sadly this was badly damaged in both the 1930s and the 1950s by fire damage, before closing in the 1960s where it was then demolished.
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Since then, it has remained a quiet village, with locals having just a few shops, as well as some holiday lets.
And Littlestone-on-Sea is set to welcome a brand new hotel - encouraging tourists to return again.
Launched by the team behind the Gallivant Hotel in Camber Sands, they are set to open their second next year.
Rooms at the hotel will have views of France on a clear day, with an on-site spa and sauna.
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Hotel owner Harry Cragoe told the : "Our plan with Littlestone is to bring back the glamour.
"It was clearly once a very fashionable holiday destination, particularly for Londoners."
And back in 2021, plans revealed 100 new beach huts and a cafe to be installed along Littlesone, along with toilets and a car park.
Until then, the main appeal is Littlestone Beach which is primarily shingle and pebbles although has a small strip of sand when the ride is out.
Backed by a huge grass area with a playground, there are also multicoloured beach huts lining the coast.
Just off the coast of the beach is the Phoenix Caisson, a mobile port built during WWII which is now on the National Heritage List as an Ancient Scheduled Monument.
And people have raved about Reynolds ice cream, a shop next to the beach, with one calling the treats a "work of art," often piled high with entire chocolate bars on top.
To get to Littlestone, trains from London take 55 minutes to Folkestone, followed by an hour bus from there.
Right next to Littlestone is the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, popular with tourists and even has Santa Special services which have been running since 1981.
And just down the road is Dungeness, which is often called the "only desert in the UK," although this was debunked by the Met Office.
Tourists have likened it to a "forgotten film set" or something like the "end of the world".
It's even attracted some famous faces, including Ed Sheeran who bought a converted railway carriage, while the area has been used for filming by A-listers including Nicki Minaj and Pink Floyd.
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Sun Online Travel recently visited Dungeness - here is what you can expect.
And Hythe in Kent was recently named the most affordable seaside town in the UK.
