An Orwell prize-nominated investigative journalist, Kate lives in Portugal and covers news, travel rules, tourist taxes and visas.
In the most expensive UK seaside town, you’ll pay a whopping £215 per night, on average, for a hotel.
That was Salcombe in Devon. But there are also some brilliant bargains in the 118 seaside towns we checked hotel prices for. These are taken from our UK seaside town survey of almost 4,000 Which? members, who made around 9,000 trips to British seaside towns.
We’ve gathered the prices of every favourite destination in our list to see where in the UK you’ll pay less for a seaside break.
All of our budget seaside town recommendations cost no more than £100 on average for an overnight stay, and got an approval score of at least 70% in our latest UK beach towns survey. They all offer beaches and seafronts scoring at least three stars out of five, and usually more. And every single one also scored at least four stars out of five for value for money.
Read on for the best, cheap beach towns the UK has to offer.
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| Town | Score | Average hotel room price | Beaches | Seafront |
| Tenby | 78% | £100 | ||
| Whitby | 77% | £94 | ||
| Whitley Bay | 72% | £82 | ||
| Stonehaven | 75% | £90 | ||
| Llandudno | 74% | £85 | ||
| Frinton-On-Sea | 73% | £95 | ||
| Filey | 73% | £100 | ||
| Lytham St Annes | 72% | £95 |
Wales holds gold for the best cheap beach town in the UK, with the technicoloured town of Tenby.
This historic harbour town, found in Pembrokeshire, ranked eighth overall in our survey. That’s outstanding, given its average nightly cost is £100 (the most expensive town in our survey, Salcombe, costs more than double that). It also scored five stars for the quality of accommodation.
Tenby is also one of only three beach towns in the entire survey that scored full marks for its beaches and seafront.
The town’s Welsh name, Dinbych-y-Pysgod, translates charmingly to ‘Little Fortress of the Fish’ – a foreshadowing of its five-star food and drink rating, too.
Read more: Is your local beach safe for swimming?
We found two contenders for the best cheap beach town in the north of England. Whitby, in Yorkshire was ranked highest overall by Which? members, with an excellent 77% satisfaction score.
While Whitby’s accommodation received a perfect five-star rating, an overnight stay is, on average, just £94. Readers gave its seafront an excellent four-star rating, with three stars for the beaches themselves.
Head a couple of hours further north along the coast and you’ll find Whitley Bay, which also scored an impressive 72%. Whitley Bay is even cheaper (by £12 on average per night) than Whitby, and got full marks for its seafront. Its beaches and general scenery got excellent four-star ratings too.
You won’t be disappointed with meals out either. Park View, which runs adjacent to the seafront, is bursting with diverse, top-rated cuisine – you can find everything from tapas to tacos, Sunday roasts and Persian food. The seafront also offers plenty of choices. For award-winning fish and chips in magnificent surroundings, head to Trenchers inside Spanish City Plaza, a beautifully restored Edwardian Baroque theatre. Or, head to Hinnies for down-to-earth Geordie comfort food.
Plus, if you can’t resist a day trip to the UK’s best seaside town, Bamburgh, you’ll be happy to hear Whitley Bay is just a 50-minute train journey away.
Essex offers southern England’s top cheap beach. Frinton-On-Sea scored 73%, and four stars for its beaches and seafront – a mile-long row of pastel Victorian beach huts that face a stretch of golden sand. Apart from a vast stripe of lush green lawn buffering the beach from the roads, there's little else here, which is part of the attraction. Small wonder Frinton got the full five stars for peace and quiet.
Consider packing a picnic if you want to sunbathe all afternoon. There aren’t any food and drink options along the esplanade, so you’ll need to head across the greensward and into the town for refreshments – about a 5-10 minute walk.
If you’re booking a cottage this summer, make sure you do it with a top-rated cottage holiday provider.
Head towards Aberdeen for Scotland’s best cheap seaside town, Stonehaven – it’s certainly worth the journey, with a 75% score and overnight stays costing on average £90 per night.
Its seafront scores four stars, and its beaches three. The town stands apart for its staggering coastal scenery, a highlight of which is the medieval ruins of Dunnottar Castle, perched along the grassy headland. You’ll be spoilt for choice for beachside wanders after dinner – something you’ll need to factor in, given that the town scored five stars for its plentiful cafés and restaurants.
Stonehaven is primarily a pebble-and-shingle beach, with plenty of rock pools and other geological features to marvel at. If you fancy something slightly more comfy, you could also pull up a lounger at Stonehaven’s seawater lido. The Art Deco, Olympic-sized pool is heated and open from late May to September, meaning you’ll have a plan B if Scottish summertime doesn’t quite deliver a sunny day.
Planning a UK beach holiday? Read our full guide to the best seaside towns in the UK.
