The Great British staycation, a trend amplified by Britain’s COVID-19 lockdowns and the demand for which has caused prices of staycation properties to soar over the last couple of years.
Accommodation in popular seaside resorts such as St Ives and Whitby actually increased by as much as 35% on average during the pandemic, according to research by consumer group Which?.
And the domestic holiday bubble shows no sign of slowing down any time soon either. Something that we can vouch for at Independent Cottages, with enquiries for bookings this coming summer looking to be up around 22% on last year.
But whilst staycations are still very much on the cards for 2023, the rising cost of living is forcing many Brits to look for ways to save money in every aspect of their lives, including travel.
Independent Cottages’ CEO Matt Fox said: ‘The cost of living crisis is continuing to encourage people to tighten their pursestrings and many will be looking for where they can get the best value for money when it comes to holidays this year. Luckily, when it comes to the seaside, we really are spoilt for choice in Britain as it’s home to so many wonderful destinations that can offer a wonderful coastal getaway for every need and budget.”
So, with people starting to think about their summer plans and May’s bonanza of bank holidays right around the corner, we wanted to find out which UK seaside resorts offer the best value for money.
And we have by analysing which coastal destinations offer the cheapest average staycation property prices as well as the cost of an ice cream and fish ‘n’ chip meal in its top-rated establishments – because, after all, no one wants a sub-par seaside experience!
The best value UK seaside destinations
1. Hythe
In first place for the best-value seaside destination is Hythe, a coastal market town on the south coast of Kent. The word Hythe, or Hithe, is an Old English word meaning haven. Surrounded by countryside and edged by the sea, the town boasts winding streets lined with independent shops to browse and a long stretch of shingle beach.
Impressively, the town scored in the top 10 for all three factors, scoring 4th overall for the average price of £111.00 per night for a holiday rental. Torbay of Hythe also serves up well-rated fish ‘n’ chips for as little as £8.70, which was the 8th cheapest price in the entire study.
2. Redcar
Redcar takes second place for the best-value UK seaside destination, a town on the North Yorkshire coast. Once famed as a fishing village, Redcar now boasts an array of restaurants, museums and galleries as well as dramatic sea cliffs, sweeping bays and eight miles of unbroken sands to enjoy.
Stretch your legs along the sandy expanse whilst enjoying an ice cream from Paccitto’s on the high street, which will only set you back £2.00, one of the cheapest prices in the study. A staycation property here will cost as little as £119.00 per night too.
3. Minehead
Rounding up the top three is Minehead, a coastal town in Somerset lying on the south bank of the Bristol Channel. It boasts a long sandy beach, an attractive harbour, and a bustling town with many independent shops, cafes and restaurants.
Enjoying the destination’s best fish ’n’ chips might not be the cheapest experience at around £11.95 from The Wheelhouse Restaurant, but it balances out with good-value ice cream and staycation accommodation at £2.00 and £119.00 respectively.
4. Westward Ho!
Westward Ho! takes fourth place for the best-value seaside destination in the UK, a picturesque coastal village in Devon. It is well-regarded for surfing and its long expanse of sand extends for around three miles. The name, which means an exclamation of surprise or delight, comes from Charles Kingsley’s book of the same name.
The village will also bring delight for its value for money with a highly-rated portion of fish ‘n’ chips costing as little as £8.95 from Atlantic Bay Fish & Chips, which actually scored the 9th cheapest price for the seaside delicacy in the entire study.
5. Ramsgate
Rounding up the top five is Ramsgate, an east Kent town that was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century. Ramsgate boasts one of the largest marinas on the English south coast and you can soak up its cosmopolitan atmosphere in one of the many waterfront bars, cafes, and restaurants.
And when it comes to value for money, Ramsgate offers the second-cheapest fish ‘n’ chips in the entire study at a steal-price of only £6.30 from the incredibly-rated Shakey Shakey Fish Bar, which even caters for coeliacs.
The best value counties for UK seaside destinations
Methodology
In order to find out which UK seaside resorts offer the best value for money, we analysed internal data to find out the average staycation property price in each resort.
We then find out the best-rated ice cream and fish ‘n’ chip establishments in each destination and found a price for a single scoop and fish ‘n’ chip meal in each.
Seaside locations where a full dataset was not available were omitted from the study.
Data is correct as of February 2023.
A full data set is available upon request.