Margate and the shell grotto

Advantages: one good Cafe and the Shell Grotto
Disadvantages: Dirty, Run down, dog muck, junkies

...I don't usually travel to this part of kent as its quicker for me to travel to Eastbourne, Hastings and Brighton. However i had heard lots about Margate the "Jewel Of Kent" so I thought I would give it a try. Even though Bob Geldof has recently said it was a disgrace. First things first when you drive into town it isn't nice, it has lots of run down and boarded up buildings. There is also a Primark on the sea front, real class, dream land looked more like a nightmare but i decided to look further. I parked the car near the new Turner centre which hasn't yet been completed, but I was impressed that the car park was only 60p for 2 hours, bargain it would probably £6 in Brighton. I had heard that the old town was nice so I walked around. I went to a fantastic cafe which had the best coffee I have had outside London. However there...

marietta1 03.02.2008 · Read review
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Review of Margate (England)

The Not So Grotty Grotto, Margate

Advantages: An interesting an informative day out
Disadvantages: Far too far from Reading!!

...I took time out at the weekend to visit my nephew in Margate. What a long journey it is from Reading!! I travelled by train, so I had to change at Paddington, get the tube to Victoria, and change to take a train to Margate. So what do I think of Margate? Well you don’t have to travel far from the station to the beach! It is right on top of the beach! I waited to team up with my nephew, who was being dropped off for a day out with me. There he was, rearing to go as are all 12 year olds with free entertainment on the horizon. What should we do? Well I had already surfed the net and found references to a cave and a shell grotto. Well whoopee dee!! Since it was already midday, it was a bit hot, and we didn’t fancy going onto the beach, so the cave and grotto were chosen. The Caves These were interesting. Typical of Margate...

CarolB 15.08.2003 · Read review
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Review of Margate (England)

Down to Margate (said Chas and Dave!)

Advantages: a fun day out
Disadvantages: dreamland could try harder

...Margate has got to be one of the most popular seaside towns in Kent and I have been going there since I was a little girl. Ok, so it has changed over the years. They have finally got rid of the pier that was bombed many moons ago and sadly the penny arcade (where I spent many a happy hour!) has disappeared. Not all has changed though. One of the most popular attractions in Margate is Dreamland which is small (compared to todays standards but years ago it was the bees knees!) theme park. My nan and grandad actually met on one of the rides there, The Scenic railway, and they have been married for 58 years now! Dreamland does try and put in new rides each year but I do feel that it is gradually slipping. There are rides there that I used to go one as a little girl and I don't think that they have ever been painted! Putting this aside...

flossy 02.09.2000 · Read review
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Review of Margate (England)

The truth about Marghetto

Advantages: The easy train link to London and The Margate Exodus
Disadvantages: The town itself

...I live in the Margate area. The area Garlinge where I live is probably the nice end of Margate compared to the rest. Now I'm not just saying this because I live here but Margate is a sh*t hole. It was so popular before, it used to be the mini version of Blackpool. It was good value for money, the beach was fun to visit, fun for all the family and we even had our own theme park: Dreamland. Unfortunatly, Margate has recently gone downhill. For a start, Dreamland is just a car park now. The fun famous theme park, now gone, it's just nothing. There was a zoo years ago before I was born which was cruel the way animals were kept but between losing the zoo and about 2001, the park really was wonderful. Now and then different rides were brought in and even a whole mini-golf course was made. I loved going there as a child with my mum, dad...

dazmatron616 22.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Margate (England)

The worst hotel in the UK? Possibly.

Advantages: A bed and a roof.
Disadvantages: Where do I start?

...Picture the scene. I'm going to the seaside with my sister. I can't wait to get away from the bustling city and relax, breathing in the fresh sea air while eating fish and chips. I imagine a quaint little seaside town with cobbled streets and homely B&B's run by a jolly lady with rosy cheeks. Flowery curtains and a steaming pot of tea to wake me up. Ahhh, bliss. We didn't book anywhere to stay in Margate because we imagined it would be easy to find a room. How wrong and silly we were. Upon arriving in the time warped town of Margate in Kent, a journey which took four hours to go 50 miles, we were tired and hungry. We found ourselves on the Canterbury road, a busy street leading to the seafront and lined with places to stay. We visited several B&B's all of which were full. We were getting rather desperate and faint in the 25...

MissDirect 19.08.2002 (30.10.2007) · Read review
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Review of Tyrella Hotel, Margate

An explosive Beano to margate for Del and the Boys

Advantages: Great humour, brilliant story and entertainment throughout
Disadvantages: none

...Producer: Gareth Gwenlan Director: Tony Dow Writer: John Sullivan Stars: Jason David, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Paul Barber, Kenneth MacDonald, Denis Lill, Wanda Ventham, John Challis, Gwyneth Strong, Patrick Murrey and Steven Woodcock. This 8th Christmas special was first aired on the BBC on Christmas day 1989, being the first of two special episodes made during series 6 (1989) and series 7 (1990), being released on DVD in 2000. It is an 80 minute episode, involving the Nags head ?beano? to Margate and an all character cast full of the usual Only fools banter, chaos and mayhem. ** BRIEF PLOT? Rodney, (Nicholas Lyndhurst), has finally left Trotters independent traders and is working for Cassandra?s father, Alan Perry, (Denis Lill), as a computer programmer, even though his marriage to Cassandra, (Gwyneth Strong), is...

blissman70 13.05.2009 · Read review
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Review of Only Fools And Horses - The Jolly Boys Outing (DVD)

Czech the Dogma of Margate

Advantages: Acting, story and pretty much everything else.
Disadvantages: Very hard watching in places.

...Gypo is the first ever officially sanctioned British Dogme film. I say that as to actually find a Dogme film from anywhere outside Scandanavia is rare so to get their offical permission to make one takes some doing. It is a hard hitting look at the lives of two families in Margate, one British and the other Czech refugees. How their world changes when they meet and the affect that this has on all of them. Gypo is clearly filmed on hand held cameras and written with a sure hand and an ear for dialogue. The tagline for the film is "There are three sides to every story" and that is how Gypo works. It starts by concentrating on Helen (Pauline McLynn, Father Ted), a dour middle aged woman with older teenage children, including a daughter, Kelly, with her own new born baby. Her life is grim and boring, she wants more but is stuck in...

Ailran 02.11.2006 · Read review
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Review of Gypo (DVD)

How do you say "Margate" in American?

Advantages: It's an experience, good beaches, Black Dog T-shirts, nice pizza
Disadvantages: Doesn't live up to its reputation, tacky, FAR too many tourists

...and Ulysses S. Grant) to be anything other than beautiful, peaceful and interesting? I hate to tell you this, but it?s not. In fact, stepping off the ferry in Oak Bluffs, the main image that came to mind was...well, Margate. Or indeed any other slightly grubby, slightly seedy seaside town packed with souvenir shops and Greasy Joe cafés with lino floors. Maybe the bad impression was to do with the fact that we picked the only wet day out of 21 to visit ? after all, everything looks better in sunshine, and we were assured that generally, summer in the Vineyard is pretty warm, average 26 Celsius with plenty of sun. But the peeling paint kind of ruined the traditional New England wooden buildings, and the numerous discarded packets of chips definitely indicated that even on a sunny day, Oak Bluffs wouldn?t be up to much. Basically a three-road town...

Lady-Oracle 15.05.2007 · Read review
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Review of Martha ´s Vineyard

Irish quality and price

Advantages: good value for the whole family
Disadvantages: stores tend to be small

...I first went to Primark in Ireland- It's Penneys there - but the clothes and prices are the same. I spent very little money, but got loads. I was excited to find the same store in the UK. Both my kids have had whole wardrobes of Primark clothes. Jeans are about £5, jumpers about the same, and swimsuits are now instore- adults being £5 and kids £3. Considering how fast children grow, this store is definitely worth a visit, for good quality at low prices, and a great selection. The adults clothes are also good. All our jeans come from there. If you live near Margate, the store there is right on the sea front, and has a great view upstairs - my kids love it....

nemone 12.02.2001 · Read review
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Review of Primark (Shop)

An emotional journey!

Advantages: Excellent British film
Disadvantages: none

...I tend to be a great lover of British films but for some reason when Last Orders was made in 2001 it totally escaped my notice. That is until recently when I had a few points to exchange on www.swapshop.co.uk and spotted this film in the DVD section. I duly requested the film and last night sat down to watch what I can only describe as a totally beautiful film. Last Orders was directed by Fred Schepsi and is based on the 1999 book of the same name by Graham Swift. The film stars a great crop of British actors who have certainly earned their pedigree over the last few decades. Michael Caine, Ray Winstone, Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren, Tom Courtney and David Hemmings all star in this story of a group of old men carrying out their recently departed friend?s last wishes ? to have his ashes scattered off the end of the pier at Margate. The man...

kingfisher111 02.01.2010 (03.01.2010) · Read review
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Review of Last Orders (DVD)