Day 1
My first day in Jersey kicked off by visiting the Raddison Blu hotel and began with a tour of the hotel seeing all the room types they offer. They had many room types, lots of them being sea view rooms as they are based on the waterfront by the harbour. My favourite was the panoramic suite – it had a lounge area as well as a separate bedroom. In the lounge, the walls were all glass (that could be covered with curtains) so there were views of the sea as well as the harbour from anywhere you stood in the room. They only have a few of these room types available so it is best to book them early. We then had lunch at the hotel and took some photos outside.
Next, we headed to La Mare Wine Estate for a vineyard tour and wine tasting. I had a white and rose wine. We also tried the fudge and chocolate that is made there as well as an apple brandy liquor. After, we got the minibus back to our hotel and our driver told us more about the island’s history and how Jersey is split into 12 sections, each one having a school a church and a pub.
We were staying at the Merton Hotel. They had a couple of restaurants as well as games rooms. They also had 2 pools and waterslides as well as a surfing machine that I would have attempted had it been open during the time we spent at the hotel.
In the evening we visited Staks restaurant on the west side of the island. It is in the perfect location to see the sunset as it is on the side of the hill. I am vegetarian and there were a few options. I got a mushroom bruschetta, a vegan burger and an ice cream!
Day 2
We were up early today and had a buffet breakfast before leaving the hotel for the day. Our first stop was the War Tunnels, I learnt so much about the island’s history during the 2nd World War. We spent around 2 hours here and then headed on to L’Horizon Hotel & Spa for a tour and lunch. This hotel is overlooking St Brelade’s Bay, if you are to go then definitely get a sea view room as it is right by the beach. We then had a buffet lunch in a private room overlooking the sea.
After lunch we had a 2-hour North Island coach Tour. Our tour guide had lived in Jersey for around 40 years so took us to all the best photo spots. We stopped off for a jersey ice cream as well as a quick stop to see a cannon that was used in the war.
Next, we walked to Bohemia (The Club Hotel) – we had a quick tour of the hotel followed by a glass of prosecco. They have an outdoor and indoor pool as well as a spa. They also had a large outside bar area that has live music on during summer. They gave us a tour of the rooms, restaurant, spa and kitchen. In the kitchen, they have a chef’s table that can be booked so you can watch them cooking.
Shortly after, we did a walking tour of St Helier with Jersey Uncovered. We started it at the Club Hotel and walked to the restaurant we were going to in the evening. We learnt about the buildings and the history of the town - there are lots of details on the building that you wouldn’t notice unless you looked closely, so this tour pointed out all the small details.
We went to the Quayside restaurant, hosted by Visit Jersey. I got an avocado and melon salad, followed by mushroom penne pasta and then a coconut Jersey ice cream. The food was really good and what completed the night for me was sitting outside on the terrace that overlooks the harbour. It was my favourite restaurant of the trip, we even met the owner.
Day 3 – Last day!
Today we had breakfast before checking out of The Merton Hotel. We began with a quick tour of the Grand Hotel. They showed us a couple of room types as well as the spa. They had a lovely terrace bar outside next to the beach. They said that there host live music in the summer. They also had lots of sea-view rooms with balconies. They have events rooms that can be hired out and they also cater for weddings.
Our next stop was the Greenhills Hotel. This one was more in the countryside, but it was in my top 2 hotels. It was smaller than the other ones that we had been to and a lot quieter. It was surrounded by trees and had a small outside pool as well as a restaurant/bar area and outdoor seating. I thoroughly enjoyed the drive to the hotel as it was very scenic and relaxing taking in the sites of the countryside.
Our last stop as a group was at St Aubin’s Harbour – here we had a bit of time to explore so a few of us went for a drink by the harbour and to the Crab Shack at St Brelade’s Bay for lunch. The weather was very hot, we sat on a table in the sun just a few steps up from the beach. We then went down to the beach until our taxi arrived.
We spent 2 nights in Jersey so if I do go again, I will go for longer so it is more relaxed! It is the perfect destination if you are looking for a few days away or are not wanting to fly as there are direct ferries from Poole. I thought it was similar to Cornwall. It does have a lot of French aspects with many road/school/shop names being in French. The plants are also very different as it is a couple of degrees hotter all year round so they have lots of palm trees around the island.
