Sandgate The parish church of St Pauls nestles below the impressive glass structure and Sydney opera house style events building that is the home of Saga. Sandgate village is an attractive and thriving blend of the boutique and the traditional with some excellent restaurants and pubs serving fine foods and real ale. The village centre is a short 5-minute walk down the hill where you can browse the eclectic mix of unique shops for trinkets, designer clothes or antiques. Some hostelries have sea-front terraces where you can dine alfresco and watch the setting sun play on the water.

Still a hidden gem, there are no commercial water sports here yet. This is not to say water sports don’t happen! Sandgate is home to the Folkestone Rowing Club, so whilst you sit on the beach you can observe the rowers practicing through the week for their weekend competitions. Many people bring their sea kayaks or inflatables and just ‘mess about’ on the water and this creates a family community feel along the beach from one end of Sandgate at The Mermaid café on the promenade below the Leas Cliff Hall all the way to Bar Vasa at the other end.

And of course, Sandgate is the home of 'Dave' the dolphin whose main swimming route can be seen from the apartment. Not a tame dolphin but very friendly all the same, ‘Dave’ made her home here almost two years ago and sometimes chooses to swim close to shore around people and boats alike. To find out more about ‘Dave’ you can visit giving a history of how she settled here and watch video footage of her activities.