So its transformation into an upscale Ace Hotel signals that the gentrification of this seafront district — already home to other high-end hotels, interesting architecture and hip restaurants — is well on its way.
Garrykennedy, Portroe, larkins.ie, Ruby Red Irish Ale €4.20 John and Éilis Moriarty, owners of this seafront gem, are traditional musicians who can be relied on to begin the nightly live sessions – John on accordion and Éilis on flute.
Port Racine, Saint-Germain des Vaux, +33 2 3352 7531, hotel-lerguillere.com, doubles from €87 Jean-Louis Couture dreamt of owning this seafront hotel ever since childhood, and three years ago he finally bought it for his daughter, Géraldine, who has transformed a fusty old property into a chic address.
£400, +30 22420 31580, nisyros-taliotridia.com Where to eat To Kazanario On a small alley, just off the seafront, this is an old-fashioned ouzeri, which means the emphasis is on seafood meze, including that rarity, perfectly fried and tender kalamari.
2 Herne Bay Road, Tankerton, Kent, 01227 274591 JoJo's hasn't missed a beat since moving from a tiny main street restaurant to this handsome seafront building with plenty of alfresco tables.
For here on this muddy seafront, ignored by the families and tourists enjoying the late afternoon sunshine, one of the great miracles of nature is happening: the twice-annual journey undertaken by hundreds of millions of birds across the face of the globe.
Carrer Sant Isidre 98,, +34 977 74 04 03, llansola1921.com, doubles from £46 One of the charms of unsung Altafulla, on the way to Tarragona, is its preserved 18th-century fishing quarter, spread out along the seafront, but this means there are few restaurants and no hotels overlooking the sea.
High season singles £65 B&B, doubles from £85 This is right on the seafront in sleepy Budleigh.
It'd be easy to miss this place, set on the seafront by the inflatable water park, but it's well worth a visit.
Despite the disaster, one year on O'Leary has re-opened the Little Beach Boutique, this time well away from the seafront in Brighton's North Laine.
You've got this fantastic three-mile strip on the seafront, you've got great access to get in, you've got an international airport".
