Ilfracombe House Hotel, Southend-on-Sea

Advantages: Great family day-out
Disadvantages: n/a

...Southend has always been a popular place for a traditional family day out by the sea. It has award winning beaches, winning gardens, illuminations from July to November along the one mile seafront and then there is ADVENTURE ISLAND Part of the Leisureworld Scheme. Adventure Island Sunken Gardens Western Esplanade Southend-on-Sea SS1 1EE 01702-443400 Opening Times:- From 11am everday, closing between 6-8 pm Monday to Thursday Closing between 9 and 11pm Friday-Sunday Admission Free The closing times depend on the amount of people in Adventure Island. Wristbands for Unlimited Rides are priced as follows:- Supersaver Wristband £19 (for 1.2 metres and above) Tiny Tots Wristbands £14 (below 1.2 metres) All wristbands are half price from 6pm every night. If you do not want to buy a wristband, you are able... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: It is a large seaside town.
Disadvantages: It is a large seaside town.

...Southend-on-Sea is a very large Essex town at the north of the Thames estuary. I live in a smaller town about 10 miles away. While checking that my facts, especially prices, were as up to date as possible, I found that Southend is now the largest Essex town, according to its Council. I have used the seafront attractions I have listed, as well as the parks, the shopping centre, the theatres and planetarium. The social mix of people living in the area is wide, and the facilities (accommodation, food outlets, entertainment and shops), therefore, cater for most tastes and budgets. I like visiting Southend, but would not want to live there, as it has the drawbacks of most large towns, eg traffic and crime problems are greater in the centre of the town than where I live. If you are thinking of coming to the area for more than... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Good fun, lots to do, great for kids AND adults
Disadvantages: The beach

...://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/inc/plannerplacesredirect.jsp will give you your route and I'm pretty sure Southend is easily accessible! By Rail: You have two options you can use the "One" railway from London Liverpool Street into Southend Victoria or the c2c service from Fenchurch Street. I personally recommend c2c as the service is a lot faster, efficient and it's a lot more comfortable too. It takes just under an hour and c2c serve 3 what i call main bits of Southend. Southend Central, Southend East and Westcliff though Southend Central is the station for the arcades and beach. At the time of writing via the c2c line from Fenchurch to Southend a single is 8.50 and a cheap day return will set you back around 10.50! The trains are pretty frequent from Fenchurch too. A typical off-peak service consists of 4 trains per hour to Southend-on-Sea. (Do personally reccommend c2c, have used One Railway before... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful