There is no such thing as the typical seaside town. Some are millionaires' playgrounds, others centres of simple, olde-worlde charm. Some are loved by surfers, others best enjoyed from a deck chair, and while many are foodies' delights, some traditional towns are all about candy floss and chips.
It is from here they also produce their podcast Tales from Wisteria Lane – chatty reviews of television programmes. There is a broad range of housing in Whitstable, from two-bedroom flats in a modern block to high-spec townhouses in Victorian streets. Scruffy a few years ago, many of these have been revamped with dormers and loft extensions.
Visit in high summer and the streets are filled with shoppers packed into FatFace and Jack Wills or spilling out of the Zinc Cafe and other fashionable restaurants. Perhaps that's a good thing because it prevents the village from becoming overrun by tourists and hen parties. Its natural 'tribe' is outdoorsy families who enjoy sailing and other water sports and art.
Now the former fishing village is one of the most desirable places to live in Wales, attracting the likes of Bonnie Tyler, who has an impressive house behind high hedges on the front, and Robert Pugh, who played Craster in Game of Thrones. If you need a drink after that then drop into Southgate Social Club – also known as the 'bucket of blood' from the days when it was popular with trawler fishermen. Ask to see their picture of Michael Douglas pulling a pint when he was there with Ms Zeta-Jones. Mumbles has some of the best schools in the area, notably the comprehensives at Bishopston and Olchfa.There is an air of mystery about Solva.
There is no lack of things to do here the year round, with football, rowing and sailing clubs all thriving. There are coffee mornings and community cinema once a month. The town certainly has natural beauty. To one side there is a towering headland guarding a little rocky bay overlooked by a 13th-century chapel. In the middle is a sheltered harbour and to the west there is another green headland.
'One of Appledore's biggest draws is that there is plenty to do all year round, which gives it a stronger sense of community than its more touristy neighbours,' says Tom Folland of Strutt and Parker, Exeter. 'It has its own literary festival, a world championship crabbing contest and its own regatta.'