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Poole tipped as one of the best places for UK "staycation"

7:00pm Wednesday 13th January 2010


Glamorous Poole is being tipped as one of the best places for a UK “staycation” this year.

And its reputation as the resort with the most appeal in GB is set to continue after comparisons with the best the US.

World class beaches including the internationally renowned Sandbanks, the largest natural harbour in Europe and a haven for watersports are among the attractions.

A lively bustling quayside, alfresco fine dining and one of the best programmes of free events in the UK all contribute to its unique character.

And the south coast resort has been lauded as “one of our coolest destinations” in the Mail on Sunday.

“It’s easy to forget when you live here just how lucky we are, but our visitors remind us every year,” said Bruce Grant-Braham, chairman of Poole Tourism Partnership.

“Our unique environment and fabulous facilities offer quality that is hard to beat in the UK. With such a wonderful product it’s no wonder Poole’s reputation invites comparison with world class destinations.”

The travel press has been falling over itself to compare the port and seaside town with exotic locations.

It is the Florida Keys of British beach resorts according to the Daily Mail, the California of England and “like Beverly Hills” says the Financial Times, while the Daily Express likens the Sandbanks peninsula to Miami’s South Beach.

The town’s new 2010 visitor guide, launched this week, aims to make the most of Poole’s considerable assets.

To request a copy visit pooletourism.com.


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Your Say YourDorset

poolebabe, poole says...
7:05pm Wed 13 Jan 10

They better hurry up and clear away the rubbish then!! God only knows why. Away from Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs and such, this town is a traffic nightmare and a tip. Currently I am not proud to live in Poole. It disgraces me to say it, as I was born and bred here.

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Henry Bear, Ferndown says...
8:13pm Wed 13 Jan 10

Stop over reacting, drama queen

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jboris, Boscombe says...
8:21pm Wed 13 Jan 10

Got to the Florida Keys bit then stopped reading. What is the readership you expect? the X Factor/Big Brother type? Sorry they are all watching the telly not buying the local rag. What ever happened to the local paper?

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poolemaninscotland, parkstone says...
9:12pm Wed 13 Jan 10

poolebabe wrote:
They better hurry up and clear away the rubbish then!! God only knows why. Away from Sandbanks, Canford Cliffs and such, this town is a traffic nightmare and a tip. Currently I am not proud to live in Poole. It disgraces me to say it, as I was born and bred here.
Tottaly agree. Poole council has recieved over 7000 phone calls complaining about refuse collections and we hardly had any snow. Poole has turned into the cesspit of Dorset over recent weeks and is a complete disgrace. Poole Council should hold its head in disgrace. Someone please remind me why we pay so much in council tax ?????

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All Seeing Eye, Poole says...
9:25pm Wed 13 Jan 10

All this publicity about Poole is for visitors and the rich!!
The people of Poole are being priced out of all the restaurants, bars and amenities, and to add insult to injury how many local people will be able to afford to park at Sandbanks.
Poole is becoming elitist, just look at the polo set at Sandbanks for a start.
Roll on the local elections; let’s get in some councillors who genuinely work for the people of Poole.

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Paul from Poole, Poole says...
9:58pm Wed 13 Jan 10

Totally agree with All Seeing Eye. As a renter on a decent (for Poole) wage, I am horrified at the lack of reasonably priced housing due to the housing bubble and the BTL landlords raking it in. Poole is great if you're rich or happened to buy a property at the right time, but right now, if you're Mr Average you're stuffed!!

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jeebuscripes, Westbourne says...
10:07pm Wed 13 Jan 10

Born and inbred here...

Put the rubbish in the IMAX. There are no tourists at the moment so the smell won't matter.

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ednamakepeace, Melbourne says...
12:45am Thu 14 Jan 10

For this to work the council had better hurry up and exterminate all the chavs, else any visitors will be abused or worse... Mugged.

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Was Charlie, says...
8:34am Thu 14 Jan 10

Remember "Poole, it's a beautiful place".
What's beautiful about empty shops, rubbish, beggars and drunks? They still need to visit an optician.

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KitKatPuss, Poole says...
8:50am Thu 14 Jan 10

Having been a resident in Poole for over 20 years I cannot understand why anyone would want to holiday here.

Also what really annoys me is that during the summer the buses are packed, attractions are packed and I constantly get asked about where places are by tourists.

Yes I know that they bring in important revenue but what about the residents who pay their council tax and can't even get their rubbish collected regularly! Mine was collected this morning after 4 weeks!

Agree with Was Charlie, they should have gone to Specsavers!

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MJD, HAMWORTHY says...
9:34am Thu 14 Jan 10

What assets for the locals and the persons that did the survey must have been blind. The council want to look after the locals and forget about the Grockles. Poole quay used to be packed out at the weekends and the pleasure boats never stopped. Locals used them to go to Swanage, Bournemouth, Shellbay, Isle of widget and sandbanks. Oh how i wish i could go back in time to good old beloved Poole.

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Syd Poumen, Poole says...
9:43am Thu 14 Jan 10

What a pity Poole Tourism Partnership did so little to promote Poole on the Barfleur. Had they done so, we might still have the service and attracted more French and British holidaymakers to stay in Poole.

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Lord Spring, says...
11:34am Thu 14 Jan 10

MJD wrote:
What assets for the locals and the persons that did the survey must have been blind. The council want to look after the locals and forget about the Grockles. Poole quay used to be packed out at the weekends and the pleasure boats never stopped. Locals used them to go to Swanage, Bournemouth, Shellbay, Isle of widget and sandbanks. Oh how i wish i could go back in time to good old beloved Poole.
With the colliers for the gas works ,The Shipwrights , Poole Pottery and the Ladies Walking Field, not forgetting scrumpy in the London Tavern

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Rick White, Poulner says...
11:42am Thu 14 Jan 10

Poole Tourist Board are in fantasy land if they compare their beach to South Beach Miami or the Florida Keys. They have completely lost the plot and have no concept of the real world. It seems as if the pretty pictures on their computers give them a very false impession!

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iwannamoanalot, Poole says...
11:46am Thu 14 Jan 10

Poole is not a beautiful place, its dirty, dated and litter ridden in the town centre. Parking charges are a rip off, Bournemouth did something right, they lowered their prices to attract more people...Poole is going down hill and unless our beloved councillors pull their money grabbing fingers out its gonna get worse...and rather than blaming the staff who work for the council maybe people should really think about who makes the decisions....its the **** people we vote for, they have the final say and are the biggest hurdle to jump over....and **** it...wheres all this **** snow...even thats stayed away!!!

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AKKA, Poole says...
12:24pm Thu 14 Jan 10

Rick White wrote:
Poole Tourist Board are in fantasy land if they compare their beach to South Beach Miami or the Florida Keys. They have completely lost the plot and have no concept of the real world. It seems as if the pretty pictures on their computers give them a very false impession!
Agreed! There is only one picture of Poole that you ever see in the media and that's the one on this article. Come down to Earth!
For we poor b****rs who live here, Poole is becoming Legoland without the fun.

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Rally, Bournemouth says...
1:25pm Thu 14 Jan 10

“Our unique environment and fabulous facilities offer quality that is hard to beat in the UK. With such a wonderful product it’s no wonder Poole’s reputation invites comparison with world class destinations.”

If this is even remotely true, then I dread to think what the UK's other holiday resorts are like.
Behind the thin facade of ridiculously over-priced, ostentatious houses and flats, sorry, apartments, there is nothing but an air of shabbiness about the Sandbanks peninsular.
Bruce Grant-Braham and his cohorts need to read the tale of The Emperor's New Clothes.

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Xchurch-man, Christchurch says...
1:51pm Thu 14 Jan 10

What a joke!!! I have been to both, there is no comparison. Just because there are a handful of obscenely overpriced properties inhabited by people with overinflated egos and bank balances does not make it "like Beverly Hills"!!
Total nonsense and hype for a 3rd rate tourist destination with nothing to offer.

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Adrian XX, Poole says...
2:32pm Thu 14 Jan 10

Poole town is a very ugly place and the quay is no longer bustling. The things that make Poole somewhat appealing as a destination are the beaches and the proximity of the Purbecks. However, even the beaches can be quite grim in the summer since they attract the type of people who leave cans, bottles and other litter knowing that the council has to clear it up.

The quay has been ruined by poor planning policy and third rate pubs and restaurants.

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akatek, Bournemouth says...
3:32pm Thu 14 Jan 10

Sandbanks?...Dream on!

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wayneofafcb, poole says...
3:58pm Thu 14 Jan 10

Harbour, and the shores on the Purbeck side great. Brownsea and and beaches great, Poole Park good. Some of the old town good. Rest of town a mess. Faceless concrete car parks, supermarkets, etc etc.
Can see why people would vist for long weekend. If staying for a week, Purbeck lot more attractive. Bournemouth gardens and beaches good, rest is hopeless.

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Charministanian, Charministan says...
4:53pm Thu 14 Jan 10

I really wish everyone would stop complaining and ejoy this beautiful part of the country we live in. Go up North and then see towns that have serious social issues. We live in a great place. I just wish all you middle class idiots would admit it.

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sea poole, poole says...
6:09pm Thu 14 Jan 10

Charmin... Which councillor are you in disguise?

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Richard45, Poole says...
6:28pm Thu 14 Jan 10

wherever you live there are things that aren't great, but since we moved here we've never been short of visitors and never been short of things to do. Purbecks one way, New Forest the other or the beaches on the doorstep. With the weather typically better than the rest of the country you could do worse.

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poolebabe, poole says...
6:59pm Thu 14 Jan 10

It's really sad that the majority of Poole residents agree that Poole is a dump. Poole Quay has now been wrecked by modern eyesores, that have replaced buildings, museums, other attractions and pubs with character. Such a shame. Poole used to be a beautiful place, but modernisation has ruined it for me, and lack of progress in areas where it is needed the most.
.
Poole Pottery- ruined, the aquarium-closed, penny arcade and cobbled streets-gone.
.
I think the nicest place in Poole is Poole park. That is lovely. The beaches are lovely if as a resident you can get a spot in the summer. Most of the time I go to Boscombe Beach or Hamworthy Park as the facilities are better and less crowded.
.
There is no doubt that Poole has things to offer, but as residents, lifelong residents, it's disapointing to see where our local taxes are being prioritised. The shanty part of Poole looks horrific. Where they have invested the money, they have changed the face of Poole, and not for the better, and not to benefit working class residents, but upper class visitors. Some might argue that we gain revenue from these visitors and I say go visit Devon and Cornwall and their quaint fishing towns and villages. They are packed out, full to the brim all times of the year, and why? Because people go to see the character, not concrete modern eyesores!!

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upontown, poole says...
8:34pm Thu 14 Jan 10

hehehe ROFl! Pure class.

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Maureen Arthur, Hamlet of Poole says...
9:00pm Thu 14 Jan 10

sea poole wrote:
Charmin... Which councillor are you in disguise?
knob.

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mossy 1, bournemouth says...
10:09pm Thu 14 Jan 10

Richard45 wrote:
wherever you live there are things that aren't great, but since we moved here we've never been short of visitors and never been short of things to do. Purbecks one way, New Forest the other or the beaches on the doorstep. With the weather typically better than the rest of the country you could do worse.
Purbecks,New forest,beaches, anything but stay away from Poole.My In-laws travel down regurlarly to stay either locally or with us,the only reason worth venturing into Poole;Primark,anythi
ng else decent to do,(proper shopping,restaurants
,entertainment) they go to Bournemouth or Christchurch.

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CaptColin, Sugarloaf Key Florida says...
3:13am Fri 15 Jan 10

As a person born and raised in this area and now living in the Florida Keys, I am amused at the discussion comparing Poole with Miami Beach or Key West.
Let me say that you should consider yourself fortunate to live in an area of such natural beauty. The harbour, the bay, the coastline the forest are fond memories I cherish. Yes, we have paradise here too on this beautiful island chain cradled between the emerald blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. However, high real estate costs, overcrowding and city politics are a way of life here too. Paradise is a state of mind. Loosen up, enjoy what you have. If you want a break, come to the Keys and I’ll take you fishing!

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Gordon Cann, Bournemouth says...
8:50am Fri 15 Jan 10

Poole ( Sandbanks) as a tourist town is one thing, Poole (Sandbanks) as a town in which to live is quite another.

The thought of having to drive 7 or 8 miles through a crowded conurbation to get to to the New Forest or to the Dorset countryside helps me appreciate other values

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All Seeing Eye, Poole says...
1:30pm Fri 15 Jan 10

Have some Poole councillors and planning officials of the Fraternal Brotherhood made a personal financial success out of obliterating Poole?
Just a question but I do wonder.

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MartiB, Blandford Forum says...
7:48pm Fri 15 Jan 10

ROFL who wrote this, they should be given a writing award for non fiction. I moved to Dorset 5 years ago and one of the last places I think of on a nice day is Poole. If I need to do shopping then we go to Salisbury before Poole or Bournemouth, as for Sandbank's it is the tackiest, most unsightly location I have ever visited, all these people paying millions for these homes need their heads examining. It may be nice on the 1 day of the year it is sunny, but the other 365 it will just be like any other grey miserable seascape in the UK.

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weevie, Bournemouth says...
11:32am Sun 17 Jan 10

Could someone please tell me what ROFL means?

And ..... MartiB ...... please STAY in Blandford Forum, that palace to European culture we all know it to be.

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MartiB, Blandford Forum says...
7:38am Mon 18 Jan 10

weevie wrote:
Could someone please tell me what ROFL means?

And ..... MartiB ...... please STAY in Blandford Forum, that palace to European culture we all know it to be.
I don't live in Blandford out of my own choice, but in it's defence the article is not about Blandford it is about Poole.
Your comment just re-enforces why I despise Poole and Bournemouth.
At least people in Blandford know how to use Google!

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weevie, Bournemouth says...
10:37am Mon 18 Jan 10

MartiB - Ha! You're right! I was having a bad day, my apologies.

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MAIN PICTURE: Sandbanks peninsula. Pictures: Richard Crease, taken with the assistance of Bournemouth Helicopters. Sandbanks peninsula. Picture: Richard Crease, taken with the assistance of Bournemouth Helicopters.