The very best places to stay in
South East England
South East England feels like the hinterland of a dream — soft hills rolling into ancient woodlands, lanes scented with wild thyme, and coastal edges that feel at once wild and familiar. It’s a place that encourages you to to slow down and admire quiet magic: a skylark singing above the Kent Downs, or the twinkling lights of a fishing quay at dusk in Sussex. From the Greensand Ridge to the South Downs, from the salt marsh edges of Chichester to the chalky cliffs above Dover, this region combines countryside, coast and some lovely towns.
This is no postcard-perfect brochure, though — South East is full of contradictions. Parts of it feel remote, yet you’re often just half an hour by train from London. It is steeped in history — Norman cathedrals, Tudor manor houses, ruinous castles — yet everything is constantly being rewritten: vineyards on former chalk pits, modern art installations on promenades, small-scale producers making seaweed salt or wild hedgerow tinctures. Here, a day might begin with a window seat watching wild deer in woodland, and end in a harbour tavern over fresh mackerel and Sussex sparkling wine.
We love this region because it rewards curiosity. Wander off trail and you might find an Iron Age hillfort looking out over the Ouse valley, or a tiny ruin tucked behind a pub garden. Take a back road through a fold of hills and see a skyline of beech wood meets church spire meets sheep. In a single stay you can inhale sea air, sip a new vineyard’s cuvée, and lose yourself in an unexpected medieval alley. See our Kip tips for the region, below.
Our design-led places to stay in south East England include lighthouse keepers’ cottages in atmospheric Dungeness; romantic cabins with a hot tub, dog-friendly cottages and an old railway carriage on the edge of Cambridge! All unique, and ideal bases to explore South East England… or just escape the real world for a while.
Featured stays in
South East England
Curate your South East England stay
Kip tips
FOODIE TREAT.
Book a long lunch at The Small Holding near Cranbrook — a Michelin Green Star restaurant championing hyper-seasonal produce from its own smallholding. For something seaside and salt-sprayed, The Gallivant at Camber Sands is perfect for fresh catch and crisp Sussex fizz.
SECRET KIP TIP.
Visit Eynsford in the late afternoon — a little riverside village in Kent, with a humpback bridge, quiet lanes and ancient church walls, you feel like you’re in a painting as you wander its back streets at dusk.
BEST ACTIVITY.
Walk (or cycle) a stretch of the South Downs Way — 100 miles of rolling chalk ridge and sea views. We love the section from Alfriston to Beachy Head with its epic lighthouse view, but for something quieter walk along the Greensand Ridge through woodlands. Don’t miss the Downs’ wild chalk meadows, which host wild orchids, butterflies, nesting skylarks and the hum of hidden biospheres.
ARCHITECTURE.
Petworth House is a grand 17thC masterpiece filled with Turner paintings and secret garden views over the South Downs. Or for something smaller but just as stirring, visit the Chichester Cathedral Close — its cloisters echo with centuries of history and the scent of lime trees in bloom.
WITH KIDS.
Head to Bedgebury National Pinetum, Kent — part fairy-tale forest, part adventure park. The Gruffalo Trail winds through giant conifers, there’s cycling for all ages, and a treetop rope course if they’ve still got energy left. Pack a picnic and sit by the lake.
MUST VISIT.
Dungeness, England’s otherworldly edge, with its vast shingle desert, salt-scrub, and the iconic twin lighthouses. Wander past weathered fishing huts and the wild gardens of Derek Jarman’s Prospect Cottage; pause to watch waders and terns at low tide, and tuck into scallop rolls and crab flatbreads at the Fish Shack.
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Why book a South East England holiday with
Kip Hideaways?
We endlessly research and curate the very best places to stay across the UK: all gorgeous and great value. Beautiful, unique style is a must for us but it’s the thoughtful detail and owners who really care that make our hideaways so special.
Our design-led hideaways include cabins with hot tubs, dog-friendly cottages, romantic treehouses and family-friendly houses.
