by Chris Hunter

Bonjour, je voudrais une pint of ale, s'il vous plait...

Can a French boutique hotel and an English pub exist side by side in the same building?

It might sound like a quandary for French philosphers, but it's actually a question on the minds of drinkers in West Malling - where the Joiners Arms has opened the High Street's first hotel.

The French boutique accommodation is the brainchild of pub landlords Sharon and Tony Stevens, who have transformed the upper floors of their 17th Century pub into an elegant Gallic wonderland.

The opening of No64 At The Joiners is the latest change in West Malling, whose pubs and bars have defied the nationwide downturn in the industry.

"Lots of smaller places are dying but with West Malling it's not happening," said Sharon. "It's growing - there are more people here."

Read the full story in the Kent Messenger, out now.