86 THE WORLD OF HOSPITALITY
DRIFTWOOD APARTMENTS
Driftwood Apartments Broadstairs
Hotel
The World of Hospitality spoke with
experienced hoteliers, Simon and Helen
Bullock, to understand their journey of
redeveloping a Victorian property into two
luxury, self catered seaside apartments.
Driftwood Apartments is located in the
beautiful town of Broadstairs, a picturesque
coastal community nestled in the corner of
South East England. The seaside destination
boasts a rich history, including tails of
smuggling and being home to novelist
Charles Dickens. Broadstairs is not only full
of old-world seaside charm as it’s filled with
ice-cream parlours, sandy beaches and fish
and chips, it is also home to various highbrow
restaurants and stylish bars.
Current owners, Simon and Helen Bullock,
purchased the 19th Century property in 2009
which was formerly two retail shops on the
street level, comprising an art gallery and a
dolls house shop. The living accommodation
on the upper three floors consisted of two
self-contained apartments with long term
tenants. The timing of this new venture was
ideal as Simon and Helen, who had previously
worked in the hospitality industry for 15
years, had recently sold a hotel and restaurant
in Margate, a neighbouring seaside town.
Building work began almost immediately and
it was decided that the upper levels of the
property would be transformed into the self-
catered apartments. A penthouse 2-bedroom
apartment was built on the top floor with
sea views to the rear of the property
and a 4-bedroom duplex apartment was
constructed on the two floors below. Since
the building is located within a conservation
area, the street level of the property was
required to remain as shop fronts. These
spaces are currently being occupied by
Bongkers of Broadstairs and Sharps Building
Contractors.
The front elevation of the property was
removed and rebuilt in its entirety and a
new roof was also installed. The original
sash windows were overhauled and the
fireplaces were preserved to retain the
period features of the property. The building