Bournemouth - what is it like?

When you are researching Joata do look at Lymington, not far from Bournemouth with all the facilities you would need. However the High Strret is steep.

Bournemouth is a bit of a sprawling mass. The down side of it is, it's a mecca for stag and hen dos, the town is best avoided on Fridays and Saturdays when it all looks a bit feral. However, it has great beaches and so many lovely places on the doorstep, The New Forest, The Isle of Purbeck, Canford Cliffs, the unaffordable Sandbanks. For a quieter pace Christchurch is right next door, very pretty with an older demographic and further up the coast is Lymington, in between is a town called Highcliffe which is probably cheaper than Bournemouth itself, but possibly not so many flats more houses. Lymington is gorgeous, the high street is Georgian and as Nan Kate says slopes a bit, but only at the end which leads down to the quay. I don't actually live there but we have a time share so go down once a year. I think you should check on Right Move as to affordability. There are a mass of properties in the greater Bournemouth area, particularly flats, some of it's suburbs are definitely less expensive, Boscombe, Pokesdown, Littledown than say Canford Cliffs. Bournemouth also merges with Poole which may be a little cheaper.

We were there last week. Terri Bull says it all. Bournemouth is nothing to write home about but the surrounding areas are lovely.

£200k should get you a 2bed flat, easily. Best of luck.

My husband and I got cheap day return train tickets to go there last year. I remembered it from years ago as a rather nice and upmarket place but I was disappointed when we got there. We thought it was shabby and depressing.

I believe the traffic around that area is terrible too. Dorset is very nice but, if it were me, I would avoid Bournemouth itself.

I don't know if you particularly want Bournemouth/Dorset - perhaps to be near family/friends, but if you are open to other suggestions, Hastings in East Sussex is in your price bracket.

Sussex has a nice climate and lovely countryside. Hastings Old Town is particularly nice, but some people aren't so keen on the St Leonards area. Also, it was reported that there will shortly be very big inward investment there, so the area is fairly reasonably priced now but may be on the up.

I live in Bournemouth and yes, the town has changed over the years but it's still a lovely place to live. Accommodation in the town itself consist mainly of student accommodation and very expensive cliff top apartments, so people live mainly in the surrounding areas. We have very good public transport and easy access to the New Forest and lovely beaches. So don't write it off until you've had a good look around

Sorry NannyDee. It probably was rather rude of me to be critical of someone's home town. Some people are less than complimentary about where I live (though I like it) and it's a bit annoying, so I should have known better.

As with anywhere, If you've been living there a long time you generally feel quite comfortable about it and have experienced a lot of positive things about the area.

I know Bournemouth well and absolute?y love it.We take the grandchildren every year and the beaches of the Chines cannot be beaten in my opinion.The people are friendly and relaxed and the public transport system is excellent. I speak as one who doesn't even live on a bus route and so I am especially appreciative.I believe the shops are much the same as any other town of that size but I do not like shopping so I don't know.Property prices are not too bad and you should be able to afford a nice flat for your money.Having said that,I would advise having a look at Wimborne which is a very pleasant little town.

I like Bournemouth and think it is still much nicer than some seaside resorts which have got quite rundown. I do think though that it is expensive. At one time houses seemed to cost more there than in London, though I haven't checked current prices. Personally I wouldn't choose Hastings as suggested above as that has a bad reputation but I'm sure someone who knows it better will tell me I'm wrong.

Eloethan, I didn't take offence and understand what you were saying. If you arrive here on the train the area you first see when you leave the station is very busy, a bit tired looking and not particularly uplifting. Away from the town centre it's much better although the pleasure gardens and beaches are lovely. I have lived here many years and, like any where else, it has its good and bad points.?

Thank you so much for these prompt and useful replies.

Joata good luck whatever you decide to do. Overall I still think Bournemouth is a great place, as NannyDee has said, and she should know she lives there, it has a lot going for it, forgot to mention the lovely gardens that surround it and the chines. When I was there in May an amazing new cinema complex had just opened, which also houses quite a few restaurants. I think it's also worth mentioning that Bournemouth is an "all year" town, home to many language schools and a university and and what would appear to be a thriving town centre. In my opinion it doesn't have that out of season, shut up feel that some of our seaside holiday destinations sometimes exude.

We went a few years ago and it was lovely. I thought the beaches and the seafront were really nice. We visited some villages like Corfe Castle which were very pretty.

We took elderly SIL there for a few days a couple of years ago. We had forgotten how hilly it was - she struggled a lot. Otherwise, lovely place.

My brother lives in Bournemouth and my mum lived there for some years too. It has lots of pluses but the main down side for me was the volume of traffic especially in the summer and the parking.

My brother lives in a lovely area but there's no off road parking to speak of and so the roads get very congested.

Lots to do though and the beach is lovely.

The Aquarium on the seafront was great when we visited it a few years back.

The ferry crossing at Sandbanks over to Shell Bay another must do trip.

I love this part of the south coast. ?

We holidayed in Bournemouth for many years and loved it and the surrounding area. We often took a flat in Boscombe. That area has seriously gone downhill. No decent shops and a general air of seediness.
Bournemouth is much better, with good shops, excellent public transport and a wonderful beach But no doubt expensive