Staring out over the sea with pint in hand as the sun dips beyond the horizon, it'd be easy to think you were enjoying a drink on a Mediterranean island.

But in reality you'd be having a beer in what is being hailed Kent's best pub garden.

The stunning setting at the Rose in Bloom in Seasalter, near Whitstable, has been created to cater for a post-pandemic world of outdoor dining.

Landlord Steve Prigg - who has run the pub for 25 years - has invested heavily in making the garden a drinker's paradise.

A newly built pathway lined with eye-catching plants leads customers to their tables, which enjoy views over the Swale estuary, out towards Sheppey.

New furniture sits on freshly-varnished decking, with lights hanging from verandas twinkling overhead.

And if the weather turns and the heavens open, punters will still be kept dry as the pub has installed a retractable roof after securing planning permission from the council.

"It really is beautiful," said manageress Maureen Mitchell, who has worked at the pub for 19 years.

"With the Covid rules coming in, Steve knew we'd have more people wanting to eat and drink outside, so he's invested a lot in making it as nice as it can be.

"There's definitely a Mediterranean influence to it, and when the sun's shining it feels like you could be abroad.

"The feedback we've had so far has been brilliant.

"After a miserable year we're just hoping for a long, hot summer."

Pub regular Paul Hadley used a drone to take a video of the garden.

"I was driving past last week and thought I'd take a look," the plasterer said.

"I was blown away by it, to be honest, so I threw my drone up and took the video.

"It definitely has to be the best pub garden in Whitstable now, for sure."

The garden seats about 350 people.

But is it the best in Kent? Email pictures of your favourite to news@thekmgroup.co.uk

Read more: All the latest news from Whitstable