Holiday Suggestions Please

[hc4361]

I intend renting a self catering house or apartment in the UK next year for a family holiday including two older relatives who are not as fit as they were.

Suggestions for an 'upmarket' seaside location with a bustling town, maybe a harbour that is fairly level for gentle walks will be welcome. Plenty of pubs, cafes and restaurants are essential and ideally a good public transport network for visiting local attractions, nearby towns etc.

Looking forward to researching your ideas

[Rockrose]

Whilst not directly seaside its 15 minutes from it with good transport links, steam train, lots of good pubs in and around - several good seaside towns.
Historical Holt - beautiful bustling town.

[Rockrose]

Bangor Northern Ireland lovel town with harbour good transport links.
Bournemouth is another one I loved and of course Brighton.

[sunny-dave]

https://www.roughguides.com/special-features/britains-30-best-seaside-towns/

I'd pick Southwold, Shanklin and Salcombe from the list above.

[sunny-dave]

I agree about Holt - lovely place.

[melv16]

Although I was only there for one day, I found Falmouth ticked all the boxes.

[tiggerblue10]

I've stayed at a See View cottage in Cornwall a couple of times. Cornwall is beautiful and the Lost Gardens of Heligan and Eden Project are a must see.

[EDDIE51]

Southwold for me as well.

[hc4361]

Lots for me to follow up now. Thanks all

[LadyCG]

St Ives - we go every year. Traditional pubs, seafood restaurants and shops galore.

[hc4361]

Isn't that very hilly, LadyCG?

[hereIam]

Rhos on Sea in N. Wales ticks all those boxes.

[theshedman]

Yeh St Ives is very hilly. Been there couple of times, nice area but not flat.

[hc4361]

Thanks, shedman. My memory isn't playing tricks on me then - I remember going a few years ago and it is a lovely place, but everywhere is either up or down :)

[Buenchico]

Southwold would meet your requirements quite well. It's definitely 'upmarket'. (Beach huts in Southwold sell for up to £120,000 each). However it's not 'snooty' (like Aldeburgh is). It's a bustling market town, with some fine pubs and good restaurants and is often described (e.g. in the 'Sunday supplements') as Britain's most beautiful seaside resort. Walking within the town itself is entirely flat. The most direct route from the town centre to the beach involves using either some steps or a moderate slope but you can get there via an almost imperceptible slope by walking parallel to the sea for a bit.

The only downside to Southwold might be the public transport situation. You'd need to take the bus to Halesworth (which is a very pleasant town in itself) to access main transport links (such as the Ipswich to Lowestoft rail line) and there are no evening buses (or, as far as I'm aware, on Sundays either).

An alternative would be Whitstable. It's an absolute delight, with plenty of independent shops, loads of friendly pubs and some great restaurants. The walking is almost entirely flat, including between the town centre and the sea. Whitstable is so close to Canterbury (which is packed with tourist attractions) that it actually comes under Canterbury City Council. There's a decent bus service between the two (including in the evenings). Whitstable is on the London to Ramsgate rail line, enabling you to get there easily and to explore the Kent coast.

[237SJ]

Chichester is nice

[Baldric]

Whitstable seems to tick most of your boxes.

https://www.beautifulenglandphotos.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/background-fishing-boats-whitstable-harbour-whitstable-2.jpg
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/11/14/12/357D3B9500000578-3934366-image-a-14_1479126633195.jpg

[Maydup]

Hythe or Dymchurch are also is options, although I have to admit they are mit what I would describe as upmarket they are not down market either. Just gentle little places on the coast with easy access to places like Sissinghurst, Canterbury, Rye, or using and the delightful Steam Railway, Dungeness.

[Canary42]

Great Yarmouth (Norfolk) is totally flat, a bit down-market though.

Having myself just got back from a day on the Isle of Wight at Cowes Week, I have to add Yarmouth (IOW) which is more up-market, also flat (in the central tourist part), has a harbour, a pier (more of a jetty really), several walks, a castle, only a few p,c,r (it's quite a tiny town centre) and good public transport - buses on the island - and trains at the other end of the island (old Tube stock electric, and heritage steam), car/passenger ferry to Lymington. IOW gets very busy during school holidays.