Margate, Rye, Whitstable… the holy trinity of hour-and-a-bit-on-the-train destinations, perfect getaways for when you want to swap your grey London flatshare for a quick dose of life by the sea. All lovely of course, but all of them beginning to become victims of their own popularity, swamped with day-tripping city-dwellers clamouring for a table at Sargasso or The Sportsman. Where next then, for those wanting an actual escape from the capital, without bringing half of Hackney with them?

Enter Folkestone, the latest British seaside outpost to make eyes at your Instagram stories. As with the destinations mentioned above, this corner of Kentish coastline is a stone’s throw from St. Pancras (less than an hour to Folkestone Central when you get the train with Southeastern) and boasts an appealing combo of artsy, bohemian cultural scene with a clutch of forward-looking food and drink destinations. And the sea of course. Always the sea.

The reason for our visit is the newly built Shoreline development on the western end of the Folkestone seafront, a sleek new collection of purpose-built apartments (yours from £395,000 if you’re eyeing a more permanent relocation) of which a handful have been set aside as holiday lets. Now when we say ‘seafront’, we really mean it - the front door of your home away from home opens directly onto the shingle, with the ocean a short dash away if you’re feeling brave. It was the dead of winter when we visited, so bravery was in short supply, but when the warmer weather arrives, you could be diving into the waves within seconds of leaving the house.

This is why Folkestone should be your next cosy seaside getaway