Guide to Kent

Whatever your budget, you can blend your Open visit with a taste of Kent.

Take a look at the golf courses nearby as well as local accomodation, places to eat and drink and attractions.

Golf Courses:

If you’re looking for a game during Open week, check out one – or more – of these beauties. Book soon as they’re all certain to be extremely busy that week.

Budget
Take your pick between lovely Lydd between Romney Marsh and St Mary’s Bay or Leeds Castle, a magical nine-hole layout near Maidstone. Lydd is a linksy/lakes hybrid – water features on 12 of the 18 holes – and there’s plenty of golfing drama to be experienced too at Leeds Castle, the course being overlooked by the impressive fortress it’s named after.

Key info: Lydd. Green fees: Mon £15; Tues-Fri £23 before 2pm & £15 after 2pm; Sat £30 until 2pm (£15 after 2pm); Sun £20 until 2pm (£15 after 2pm). Tel: 01797 320808. Leeds Castle. Green fees: Mon-Fri £9.99 for 9 holes & £18 for 18; Sat-Sun £13/£21. 2-FORE!-1: Mon-Fri. Tel: 01622 880467.

Mid-range
Walmer and Kingsdown is just down the coast from Royal St George’s and is a breathtaking clifftop layout, providing a completely different seaside encounter and experience for £50 a hit during Open week. Go inland and you can enjoy the classy par- 70 Harry Colt parkland layout of Canterbury for £48 though it’s available in 2-FORE!-1 and half-price after 4.30pm. Both offer challenging golf at a reasonable price.

Key info: Walmer & Kingsdown. Tel: 01304 373256. Canterbury. Tel: 01227 453532.

Premier
Royal St George’s links neighbours – Royal Cinque Ports and Prince’s have both staged Opens in the past and are available to play during Open week albeit at a high price. It’ll cost you £150 to tee it up at Cinque Ports (left) between July 10-17 and £600 for a teetime (up to four players), while 27-hole Final Qualifying venue Prince’s is charging £400 per fourball. You can tackle Nick Faldo’s Chart Hills (£80 Sun-Thurs and £100 Fri-Sat).

Key info: Royal Cinque Ports: Tel: 01304 374007. Prince’s: Tel: 01304 611118. Chart Hills: Tel: 01580 292222.

Where to stay:

Most local digs will be booked up by now but you just might strike lucky. If you don’t mind the extra mileage staying further afield will help you seal a better deal.

Budget
Pitch a tent at the Kingsdown International Camping Centre, four miles from Sandwich, for just £12 a night (per adult) and a tenner for children (4-18). The University of Kent in Canterbury has good self-catering rooms and is just 30 minutes away. At the time of going to press there were single en-suites for £31.25 a night. Check Canterbury Christchurch University for cancellations (£45 a night for a single room and £65 for a twin).

Key info: Kingsdown International Camping Centre. Tel: 01304 373713, www.kingsdowncamping.co.uk; University of Kent. Tel: 01227 828000. Canterbury Christchurch
University. Tel: 01227 782225. Visit www.canterbury.ac.uk/conferences www.kent.ac.uk/holidays

Mid-range
Try the historic three-star Beachbrow Hotel (top), Deal, which dates back to the 1700s. Rooms available between £52 and £59 during July. Otherwise the three-star Pegwell Bay Hotel near Ramsgate is just six miles from St George’s. A double room costs £200 a night B&B. Another convenient Open base is the three-star Royal Hotel in Deal. The neat family-run hotel is just a wedge away from the beach. A standard double room (B&B) costs £220 per night.

Key info: Beachbrow Hotel. Tel: 01304 374338, www.beachbrow-hotel.co.uk; The Pegwell Bay Hotel. Tel: 01843 599590, www.pegwellbayhotel.co.uk; The Royal Hotel. Tel: 01304 375555, www.theroyalhotel.com

Premier
Stay in a luxury Winnebago, cool airstream trailer or smart personal Podule which form the FlyTheOpen ‘village’ next door to Prince’s. Prices start from £1,400+VAT for one night only in a two-berth Podule and shoot up to just under £12,000 for a luxury sixberth trailer for the whole week. There is also nightly on-site events and entertainment while Open admission tickets are included.

Key info: Call 01749 890053, www.flytheopen.com

Eat and drink:

After a long day at The Open, these are the perfect places to unwind. Check these out and you won’t be disappointed but be sure to book a table as soon as possible.

Budget
Plenty of options round and about but you’ll probably struggle to beat Deal Hoy, Deal, which serves up a tasty menu of traditional fayre along with some dishes with a definite Spanish twist. And they’re locally sourced fresh ingredients too. All this from £4.50 up to £12 which all adds up to an absolute bargain. The King’s Head pub on the seafront at Deal is extremely popular as it serves up good food at a decent price. If you’re looking for something spicy then head for Milaad Tandoori, also in Deal.

Key info: Deal Hoy. Tel: 01304 363972; King’s Head. Tel: 01304 368194; Milaad. Tel: 01304 382333.

Mid-range
The Royal Albion, Broadstairs (price range £6.95 to £15.95) should be high on your hit list. It was a favourite haunt of author Charles Dickens, who stayed and wrote at the hotel before buying nearby Bleak House. Ditto the award-winning Harveys Fish Market and Oyster Bar in Ramsgate Harbour. The Conical Grill restaurant at the Marriott Tudor Park resort near Maidstone is also worth trying for its simple, seasonal and stylish food.

Key info: Royal Albion Hotel. Tel: 01843 868071, www.albionbroadstairs.co.uk; Harveys Fish Market & Oyster Bar. Tel: 01304 617362; Conical Grill. Tel: 01622 734334.

Premier
You’ll love the Bell Hotel Restaurant on The Quay at Sandwich, especially the local seafood, salt marsh lamb, produce from nearby farms along with a wine list from the major wine growing regions of Europe, South America, South Africa and Australasia. Expect to pay around £29 a head while the four-course meal on offer at the restaurant at Walletts Court Hotel, St Margaretsat-Cliffe (top) costs £45.

Key info: Bell Hotel. Tel: 01304 613388, www.bellhotelsandwich.co.uk/dining.aspx; Walletts Court. Tel: 01304 852424, www.wallettscourthotelspa.com

Attractions:

If you’ve got a few hours to spare away from the drama and fancy spending some time at the local attractions, here are some of the best on offer.

Budget
The Turner Contemporary in Margate offers a space for everyone to embrace their curiosity and to discover different ways of seeing, thinking and learning. The gallery offers sensational views over the North Kent coast, captures the dramatic light effects and gives visitors a unique opportunity to engage with and explore intriguing links between historical and contemporary art via a programme of temporary exhibitions, events and learning opportunities. All this enjoyment and it won’t cost you a single penny.

Key info: Tel: 01843 233000, www.turnercontemporary.org

Mid-range
Try Canterbury Cathedral and Dover Castle. The former is one of England’s oldest Christian structures; Dover Castle boasts 2,000 years of history. Enjoy a Hidden Dover Castle tour or the Secret Wartime Tunnels beneath the White Cliffs.

Key info: Canterbury Cathedral. Admission: Adult £9; Child £6; Family £18.50 – £24.50 (1 adult/3 children, 2 adults/3 children). Tel: 01227 762862, www.canterbury-cathedral.org. Dover Castle. Admission: Adults £13.90; Children £7; Family (2 adults and 3 children) £34.80, includes entry to the Tunnels. Tel: 01304 211067, www.english-heritage.org.uk/dovercastle

Premier
Leeds Castle (top, £18.50 admission) is one of England’s greatest castles – it even has its own nine-hole golf course. If you want to do something extra special then how about getting a bird’s-eye view of the Garden of England? Thurston Helicopters offer a memorable 30-minute castle tour of Kent for £345. Or jump aboard a Saturday evening Kent & East Sussex Railway return trip from Tenterden to Bodiam and enjoy a slap-up sixcourse meal at the same time (£82.50pp).

Key info: Leeds Castle. Tel: 01622 765400, www.leeds-castle.com; Thurston Helicopters. Tel: 01622 891158, www.thurstonhelis.co.uk; Kent & East Sussex Railway. Tel: 01580 765155.