Walpole Bay Hotel & Museum

what a fantastic hotel, i was bowled over by the place, the staff are very polite and helpful, the room we was shown was 105, and was very well appointed, very warm and very cleans was the rest of the hotel. although it was end of october, and not too many guests, we was treated with the most pleasing manners and attention. 
the owner Jane was a pleasure to chat with, and i found very interesting. i would recommend this fab hotel to anyone i know without hesitation. the food was fantastic, both the evening meal and the superb breakfast.
i will return again soon as both myself and my wife thought it was great, and we travel in the uk a lot, this was one of the nicest places we have stayed outside of a 5 star hotel. 
well done to all at this fab resting place

Quirky should not be synonymous with tatty. Clearly seen better days but full of interesting memorabilia. The museum pieces are interesting but not worth the fuss. The food was poor & the selection very small. Our soup was incredibly salty to the point of being almost inedible. The area is run down and not tourist friendly. Unless you have good reason to be in the area, this is one to avoid.

All right, so it's seen better days and the charming, eccentric owner clutters the place with genuine period pieces as well as naff old tat, but this is a wonderful place overlooking the sea in Margate.

If you want to experience gentile poverty, this is the place to come for a pot of shabby chic. It’s not that the owners are lazy or slovenly – just skint.

With 2 stars and a modest tariff, they are hardly promising the height of luxury

Anyone who dislikes the place should be condemned to spend the rest of their natural in solitary confinement in a Premier Inn.

I'm completely besotted by this place. I took my beloved here for a weekend away last Easter. A bizarre choice perhaps, since Margate is more known for being Tracey Emin's old stomping ground than an ideal locale for a romantic mucky weekend, but one which I ended up being smitten by.

Stepping into the Walpole Bay is like being transported back in time. Other reviews I read online before booking said it looked like a museum, which it does. It's even got a museum inside it, charting the hotel's history and famous former guests.

There's an opulent dining room with twenties-style décor, an antique cage lift, a grandiose ballroom and a gentleman's lounge. Have afternoon tea and scones on a Sunday, and then retire to your tiny sea-front balcony to sun yourself and watch the bowling on the green in front of the hotel, venture outside for a stroll along the beach and then come back and collapse in the amazing antique four-poster beds. Very sedate and civilised- this isn't a place to come if you want a hardcore party, but if you want to relax and hide from the fast-paced capital, it's heaven.

The Bishop family, who run the hotel, are fab at their jobs, and it shows. Friendly, personal service, including checking train times home for us, booking us taxis and even arranging alternative veggie menu options for my fussy beau when the one they had listed wasn't quite his cup of tea. The only thing to note is how quiet the hotel was when we stayed - and the lack of other restaurants nearby - when I was there, we ate in the hotel dining room both nights, and stayed in the bar gabbing and drinking on our lonesomes until the early hours. Since I'm antisocial at the best of times (and felt like the lady of the manor having the entire bar to myself), this was fine by me - but for others who need a bit more of a 'buzz' it might be disappointing.

Another plus is the price. When I stayed it was only £70/night for a double room, which I would happily pay again. There aren't many other hotels of the same calibre in Margate (which is why any celebs that come to perform at the nearby Winter Gardens venue usually end up staying here, as evidenced by the collages of famous faces in picture-frames in the downstairs lounge!), and with that in mind they could get away with a much higher price tag, so it's even more admirable that they keep the rates reasonable.

Built in 1914, extended in 1927 and restored and kept to it’s former glory by the Bishop family.

It hosts a restaurant, function rooms and hotel suites, all in the original period.

Throughout the hotel are antiques and memorabilia from the past century.

It has been used as a filming location for Film & TV.

The Walpole Bay Hotel is an interesting blend of sophisticated old world charm, mixed with slightly run down, nostalgic feel. ie. it’s a bit run down but has character.

We stayed there in the middle of summer and it’s got a lovely view over the bowling green and the ocean (if you look out the right angle). The rooms are somewhat oldish, however are quite fun (4 poster bed, sitting room) and reasonable quality.

Breakfasts are good, and the owners have high standards of service. I probably won’t stay there again but it was a reasonable place in Margate area.