The village lies between farm land and a nature reserve to the west and the English Channel to the east. It has a fine sandy beach, popular with bathers and wind surfers alike.

Greatstone is centered around Dunes Road, extending, generally parallel to the coast, to Clark Road to the north, adjacent to Littlestone. To the south it extends to the south end of Leonard Road, adjacent to Lydd-on-Sea. (see Greatstone Map)

Nearly all its properties are residential with a few shops, local pubs, restaurants, holiday homes and two holiday parks.

Prior to the 1920s there was hardly anything to Greatstone at all. In the 1920s the area was predominantly covered by sand dunes and consisted of just a few properties mainly used as holiday homes. There was widespread development in the 1960s and 1970s, however, leading to the sizable community it is today.