Fort Road Hotel

Sometimes the most ordinary names are attached to the most extraordinary hotels. The 18th-century building that houses the Fort Road Hotel is charming enough, but it’s this hotel’s ties with the Margate arts-and-culture scene that make it what it is. Right across the road from the beach and from the Turner Contemporary gallery, this 14-room boutique hotel is owned by art-world insiders, and their taste in lodging is impeccable.

The building’s renovation was an extremely thorough one, and the façade is more or less all that remains of the original structure. This left the designers some freedom with the interiors, and the result is stylish and warm, appropriate to the context but not overly bound by tradition. Every detail seems carefully chosen, and every object is impeccably sourced; subtle as it is, it makes a powerful impression.

An impressive collection of contemporary art adds depth to the experience; of particular note are works by Margate local Tracey Emin. Nor are the culinary arts neglected — the hotel’s 35-seat restaurant is helmed by chef Daisy Cecil, who serves Mediterranean-accented seasonal British fare inspired the work of the pathbreaking food writers Jane Grigson and Elizabeth David.