The White Cliffs Hotel - Dover
High Street, St Margaret’s-At-Cliffe, Dover, Kent, CT15 6AT
+44 (0)1304 852229
www.thewhitecliffs.com
Review by Sarah Jappy
 On the morning I was due to visit the White Cliffs Hotel, I’d arranged to meet my boyfriend at 11.30am at Charing Cross. I woke up at 11.30am, in my bed in Kent, my phone having treacherously, silently died overnight. My beloved was less than impressed. A few hours (and accusations) later, we were sitting on our train to Dover. Two mini wine bottles and a sausage roll restored equanimity though, and we peered out the windows at the green countryside flashing past, in a haze of full-bellied, boozy contentment.
Things were definitely on the up, and as soon as we walked inside the White Cliffs Hotel, my heart did another little lift. Anna on reception was that perfect blend of smiles, warmth and charm that only a genuinely good egg can convey. The family-run hotel felt light and airy, with squashy armchairs by the reception area, glossy wood floors leading into the restaurant and a spotless bar area with cosy sofas. A bit like a fabulous-fisherman’s summer home, and no wonder, since the bay is just ten minutes’ walk away. An array of REN toiletries (used in the hotel’s Micro Loft spa) caught my eye, but it was time to see our boudoir, so we clambered up the stairs to a sumptuous an elegant expanse of olive, khaki and copper hues, with windows overlooking the garden and a glossy wood four-poster.
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As my partner in crime opened doors and drawers and sniffed out each corner of our new base camp, I babbled away excitedly:
“Oh my, look at that bed!”
“Aah, look at our black-and-white bathroom and sexy bath!”
“Ooh, raisin-and-chocolate-chip cookies.”
This song of praise was cut short when I sat down on our bed and realized I didn’t want to get up. The only thing that raised me from my recumbent position was the realization that it was dinner time. We spruced ourselves up in honour of the feast to come, then descended to the bar.
 We sat down with crisp G&T’s at a squashy brown leather sofa and admired the bar, dotted with bottles of Fentimans lemonade and bags of Burt’s crisps spilling out of a tuck box. Amy Winehouse and Adele mumbled away soothingly in the background and I was just about to put on one of the sailor’s hats adorning a coat rack by the door, when we were guided to our table in the hotel’s Bay Restaurant.
The meal was superb: goat’s cheese fritters with fig, pigeon with pancetta and beans, chicken with chorizo and clams, a generous cheese board and a juicy raspberry sorbet, washed down with a delicious Merlot. It was an incomparable feast. Our full English the next morning wasn’t half bad either.
A one-night stay in a double room starts from £149- £179, including dinner and bed and breakfast.
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