Whitstable (2025)

My boyfriend celebrated his 30th birthday in November and to celebrate I booked a couple of nights away in Whitstable. His birthday was on the Friday, however we had to be back on Saturday for his big birthday lunch, so we arrived on Thursday evening and stayed until the Saturday morning, taking the Friday off to celebrate.  I had never been to Whitstable but a couple of friends had visited the previous January and enjoyed it, so I thought I’d take a leaf out of their book.

Thursday

Both of us were working on the Thursday and whilst we’d initially planned to drive over at lunchtime and spend the afternoon working from Whitstable, our weeks had been very hectic so we ended up leaving just before 7pm. The drive was 1h45, which was perfect as the Airbnb host was desperate to watch the final episode of The Traitors at 9pm. Therefore, we had a speedy house tour and then settled in and enjoyed some dinner. My boyfriend had already bought some dinner for us and I’d packed wine and dessert so we sorted ourselves out fairly easily (despite having only a microwave and kettle to work with) and then I channelled my Tetris brain to fit the three-tiered homemade cake I’d baked earlier that afternoon in the mini-fridge.

Friday

I awoke early on the Friday to set up the living room with balloons, a birthday banner, and presents, as I've done for many of my loved ones this year. Alongside the trip to Whitstable, I had gotten my boyfriend various small gifts, including mini Lego figures of us, homemade cookies and cake, a crocheted cactus, a crocheted book sleeve, his favourite crisps, a homemade birthday card with all of his favourite things, and vouchers for more homemade treats. I loved watching him open all of his gifts and seeing his reactions to each of them. 

Then, our Airbnb host delivered a hamper filled with breakfast foods, including fresh pecan pastries, carrot cake, yoghurt with lemon curd, granola, strawberries and blueberries, orange juice, and coffee. Since the weather was mild (despite it being November), we actually enjoyed our breakfast spread outside, which was a wonderful surprise and the breakfast hamper was absolutely delicious. 

Our Airbnb was only a 12-minute walk to the beach, which was very convenient, so following breakfast we headed over to Whitstable beach, walking along it until we reached the Harbour Market. It had become cloudy by this point, but we still spotted some swimmers, and even some sauna-goers! We debated doing either of the two but quickly decided against it and instead headed towards the High Street, which was filled with souvenir shops. We spent a lot of time popping into each of the shops and buying little trinkets and souvenirs to take home with us. 

Eventually, lunch time rolled around and we were in the market for oysters and fish and chips, both of which were offered at Whitstable Oyster Company. I’ve never been a huge fan of oysters, but I thought “when in Rome”, so we ordered half a dozen. I was advised to chew the oysters slightly and was very pleasantly surprised by the taste; for the first time ever I really enjoyed the oyster and was excited to have another! My boyfriend had anticipated having five to himself but unfortunately that dream was shattered before his very eyes. Whilst I still think they just taste like the sea, I was a fan - that was until my lips started tingling and I realised I may be allergic to them. Regardless, the show must go on so we enjoyed our fish and chips but passed on dessert since we had various sweet treats at home (including cake!). 

Before heading home, we passed a shop selling a very plushy highland cow, which we bought for as a little housewarming present, and then we ambled back along the beach since the sun had made an appearance and the clouds were parting. The highland cow drew the attention of dogs and humans alike, which was very entertaining.

Once we arrived back at the Airbnb, I settled down for a tea and cookie whilst my boyfriend napped and we spent the evening enjoying cake and watching 50 First Dates together. It was a very relaxing birthday and we had a wonderful day by the beach. 

Saturday

After a small lie-in, we enjoyed the breakfast hamper prepared by the Airbnb host, which included orange juice, almond croissants, blueberry sponge cake, blueberries and raspberries with granola, yoghurt with compote, and coffee. Although we couldn’t finish it all, we made a valiant effort and once we were satisfied, we tidied up and showered, before packing up the car and driving back to London. Despite it being early November, the skies were blue, making the autumnal colours on the drive back pop out even more, which was beautiful.

Even though we visited Whitstable during its low season, we still had a wonderful time eating oysters, souvenir shopping, and celebrating my boyfriend’s 30th birthday!