It was Charles Dickens' favourite holiday spot, and combines beautiful sandy beaches with old-world charm.
And now Broadstairs in Kent can add another accolade to its list, having been named this year's top seaside town property hotspot.
In the annual survey compiled by property website Zoopla, it has been revealed that property values in Broadstairs have risen 10.45 per cent in the past year to an average of £313,813.
Broadstairs in Kent has been named as the seaside town with the highest house price rises
Pictured: The top 10 seaside towns with the biggest growth in property prices
It has knocked its perhaps better-known neighbour Margate off the number one slot.
Margate has dropped to fifth place in this year's survey, with price rises of 6.49 per cent in the past year.
Also in the top five located along the south east and south west shorelines are Walton-on-the Naze in Essex, Sidmouth in Devon and Penzance in Cornwall.
Blyth in Northumberland - where the television drama Vera is filmed - bucks the trend as the only location in Northern England to make the top 10 seaside locations.
By contrast, the west coastline is home to many of the weakest performing house prices among seaside towns.
These include the traditional seaside town of Blackpool, where the average price of a property is £120,239.
Top of the list of the most affordable coastal towns is Saltcoats in Scotland, where average values stand at £100,761.
House prices in Walton-on-the-Naze have risen by 9.43% on average in the past year
Average values in Penzance in Cornwall have risen 6.99% on average in the past 12 months
| Ranking | Seaside Town | Change in Property Value Since June 2016 (%) | June 2017 Average Property Value | 2016 Ranking | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broadstairs, Kent | 10.45 | £313,813 | New entry | |||
| 2 | Walton-On-The-Naze, Essex | 9.43 | £231,410 | 3 | |||
| 3 | Sidmouth, Devon | 7.51 | £388,331 | New entry | |||
| 4 | Penzance, Cornwall | 6.99 | £262,089 | New entry | |||
| 5 | Margate, Kent | 6.86 | £217,988 | 1 | |||
| 6 | Falmouth, Cornwall | 6.49 | £338,756 | New entry | |||
| 7 | Clacton-On-Sea, Essex | 5.88 | £218,125 | New entry | |||
| 8 | Blyth, Northumberland | 5.64 | £130,566 | New entry | |||
| 9 | Newquay, Cornwall | 5.12 | £257,182 | New entry | |||
| 10 | Southend-On-Sea, Essex | 4.89 | £288,424 | New entry | |||
| Source: Zoopla | |||||||
Margate in Kent has dropped to fifth place in the annual survey, having topped the list last year
| Ranking | Seaside Town | June 2017 Average Property Value | 2016 Ranking | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salcombe, Devon | £635,435 | 1 | ||||||
| 2 | Aldeburgh, Suffolk | £517,517 | 2 | ||||||
| 3 | Southwold, Suffolk | £455,983 | 3 | ||||||
| 4 | Lyme Regis, Dorset | £417,562 | 4 | ||||||
| 5 | Port Isaac, Cornwall | £388,620 | 7 | ||||||
| 6 | Sidmouth, Devon | £388,331 | 8 | ||||||
| 7 | Brighton, East Sussex | £378,495 | 5 | ||||||
| 8 | Woolacombe, Devon | £361,880 | 9 | ||||||
| 9 | North Berwick, East Lothian | £361,540 | 6 | ||||||
| 10 | Swanage, Dorset | £361,046 | 10 | ||||||
| Source: Zoopla |
The most expensive seaside properties can be found in Salcombe in Devon, where average values stand at £635,435.
It is followed by two areas in Suffolk, with Aldeburgh taking the second slot and Southwold in third place.
Sidmouth in Devon has some of the highest house prices among British coastal towns
| Ranking | Seaside Town | June 2017 Average Property Value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saltcoats, North Ayrshire | £110,761 |
| 2 | Blackpool, Lancashire | £120,239 |
| 3 | Cleethorpes | £130,323 |
| 4 | Kilchattan Bay | £130,380 |
| 5 | Blyth, Northumberland | £130,566 |
| 6 | Girvan, South Ayrshire | £135,409 |
| 7 | Saltburn-by-the-Sea, North Yorkshire | £137,030 |
| 8 | Rhyl, Denbighshire | £137,626 |
| 9 | Dunoon, Argyll & Bute | £140,620 |
| 10 | Morecombe, Lancashire | £141,653 |
Novelist Charles Dickens holidayed at Bleak House in Broadstairs in the 1850s and 1860s. It is where he wrote David Copperfield.
The coastal town celebrates the writer every year with a Dickens Festival in June, which includes costumed characters, plays and beach outings.
Lawrence Hall, a Zoopla spokesman, said: 'With Broadstairs' Dickensian history and proximity to London, it's easy to see why it tops the list of this year's best performing seaside hotspots.
'It's also positive to see that eight of the 10 top towns are new entrants - the likes of Blyth and Southend-On-Sea have enjoyed multi-million pound investments recently, helping increase their desirability.
'Other new entries such as Clacton-on-Sea, Newquay and Penzance will also benefit from further investment soon, with large regeneration, new housing and tourism projects in the pipeline.'
Properties for sale in Broadstairs
1. Four-bedroom semi-detached house for £285,000
This family home is currently on the market for £285,000 via estate agents Miles & Barr
This extended property comes with plenty of off-street parking and a spacious garden at the back
There is a second reception on the ground level, which is currently being used as a fourth bedroom.
2. Five-bedroom semi-detached house for £495,000
This period property has an asking price of £495,000 via estate agents Springer Homes
This five-bedroom period property boasts many original features, including working fireplaces and wood-paneled walls.
It is a short distance from the town centre and the seafront.
3. Two-bedroom flat for £179,995
This flat has an asking price of £179,000 and the sale is being handled via estate agents TMS
This modern apartment has two flats boasts an 18 ft living area and two generous double bedrooms.
The block has both stairs and a lift, as well as a communal security entrance door.