Southend-on-Sea (England)

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

I have been visiting Southend for years now, my family owns a little caravan out in Rochford, Essex which is a short drive/bus ride away from Southend and in the summer time I also like to take my two pence pieces down to the arcades and play in the amusements like the big kid I am. :) So where abouts is Southend? Well it is situated in lovely Essex. I can't pin point exactly where it is but it is in the south-east of the country and actually, it's ...
...by train which is pretty good as it's taking you right out of polluted old London, right into "sunny" Saafend! :) How can I get to Southend? By car, though in peak-times, such as Summer Holidays, I don't recommend it. I've been there before and parking is a nightmare but a nice little route planner such as http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/inc/plannerplacesredirect.jsp will give you your route and I'm pretty sure Southend is easily accessible! ... Read review

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 ...
...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 a day trip, I would advise staying in Westcliff to the West of the town rather than the town centre, unless you want to roll back to the hotel ... Read review

Advantages: All the tourist attactions, but behind them you'll find something more
Disadvantages: Very few look beyond the seafront

I've been trying to decide whether to approach this review from the perspective of a tourist or resident (having been both at some point in my life) and then I thought I'd just tell you that for the first ten years of my life I only ever visited Southend as a day-tripper, I then lived on the outskirts of the town for the next eleven years, and have now spent twelve years again as a day-tripper. (Just realised that you could work out how old I am ...
...who has a slightly more intimate knowledge of the non-tourist side of the town, and perhaps knows of some of those hidden treasures that are off the beaten path. (I'm deliberately not adding entrance prices as they seem to change yearly which would mean that this review would quickly become outdated and therefore less useful) ---The History Of The Town--- Right lets start with a little bit about the history of Southend (as I was taught at school), ... Read review

Advantages: seaside attractions
Disadvantages: the road all the way along the seafront

We just had a day out in Southend. The weather was great for October and people were clinging to the remains of the tourist season. Southend (Sarfend to the locals) was traditionally a day out place especially for Londoners. TWo separate train lines go there, from Fenchurch Street Station and Liverpool Street Station, and drop you at separate train stations, close together in the town centre. You can then walk down the uninspiring high street to ...
...all Britain's traditional seaside resorts - times have changed and people can almost as cheaply fly out of Stansted on Ryanair etc, as go there. So it's noticable that a large proportion of Southend's seaside visitors are people who cannot so easily go abroad - there are coachloads of pensioners and disabled people. And it's good for them. The front is flat, and there are lots of places to have cups of tea, fish and chips, and ice cream. But as this ... Read review

Advantages: North + South Ends of Essex Girls
Disadvantages: Duncan Torr Prefers Kent Girls

...London. So we travelled to Southend-on-Sea on July 27th 2000 which turned out to be a nice hot day. We got there by taking junction 29 off the M25 + taking the A127 straight to Southend. There are always delays on the M25 so make allowances for this on your journey. Having reached Southend follow the signs to the Seafront for access to the beach. Parking was £2 all day which was ace. There was a great range of eateries along the sea front eg fish ...
...only took cash. We ate at one shop selling fish and chips. The food was plentiful and cheap. Only the soft drinks were a rip-off at 70p per can. The public toilets were clean and free of charge. At 4pm the tide was out. The main amusement park was Adventureland. There were plenty of pre-paid rides available. There were plenty of inexpensive snack shops eg slush puppies, chicken, candy floss, ice cream etc. The locals were very friendly and helpful. ... Read review