Honeysuckle Cottage

Free, unrestricted parking can usually be found on the surrounding residential streets, including Nelson Road and Cornwallis Circle, with no time limit or charge. A few streets nearby do carry restrictions — Harbour Street, Island Wall, Waterloo Road, Marine Terrace and Middle Wall are limited to one hour or permit holders only during the day, and Railway Avenue is permit holders only, though these are generally free to park on before 8am and after 6pm.

For a guaranteed spot, Gorrell Tank Car Park, just a short walk away, is open 24 hours a day and has 258 spaces. It's pay and display, with rates from around £3 per hour for stays of up to three hours, roughly £7 for a full day, or £35 for a week. Alternatively, the Co-op Whitstable Car Park on Canterbury Road can be booked in advance through the JustPark app or website, from £2.20 per hour or £24 per month, which can be a handy way to guarantee a space without needing change or a ticket machine.

There is no coffee machine at the property, but luckily, there are so many good ones nearby. A short walk from King Edward Street, Grain & Hearth on Oxford Street pairs excellent coffee with freshly baked pastries and bread, while just along the same street, Blueprint Cooks & Books blends a calm café with a bookshop. For a longstanding local favourite, Le Petit Café is well loved, and The Whitstable Coffee Company is another popular choice among locals and visitors alike, and it's well worth wandering down to Harbour Street too, where The Larder does excellent coffee alongside grilled cheese sourdough sandwiches.

There's plenty to enjoy on foot from King Edward Street. The harbour is well worth a wander, with its working fishing boats, the Harbour Market's arts and crafts stalls, and fresh oysters or fish and chips right by the water. The beach and Tankerton Slopes make for an easy stroll, with crabbing off the harbour wall or groynes a firm favourite with children (nets and bait are sold at the harbour shops). For something a little different, boat trips run out to the seal colony and the old wartime sea forts, which tend to go down well with adults and children alike. Back in town, the High Street's independent shops, bookshops and galleries are perfect for a slower afternoon, alongside cafés and pubs to rest your feet after a busy day exploring everything Whitstable has to offer.