Travel
Originally published on Tuesday, 9th September 2008
Hastings & St Leonards
To one’s inner Clapham-dweller, Brighton might be the height of seaside chic. But here at UJ Towers, London-on-Sea feels a bit over these days. So why not ape this year’s creatives (not to mention William The Conqueror) and invade grubby old Hastings?
Closer in spirit to the coolest communities in London (think Broadway Market or Stoke Newington Church Street), its main thoroughfare, George Street, boasts quirky galleries, interiors shops and eateries with zeitgeisty names like Pomegranate Food & Drink House. There’s even an outpost of the Shoreditch institution, Dragon Bar, (far superior to its about-to-reopen mothership, with delicious locally-sourced food) where the town’s endless parade of musicians, artists and writers all convene to discuss the latest festival or opening.
If George Street gets a bit much, scoot over to neighbouring St Leonards’ for the Portobello-tastic Norman Road complete with Marina, a fantastic Arts Forum, late night Bar Blah, decent cafés (try Smith’s Real Food), and Michelin-rated restaurant, St Clement. And if all this is making you long for a kip, plump for either the acclaimed sea-facing Zanzibar International, with vast rooms, high ceilings and jaccuzzi baths, or the tranquil Swan House, a luxury b&b nestled in the hilly old town with its own semi-tropical rear courtyard. And as for old Bill The Conqueror? He must have been, like, soooo ahead of his time.
