I came back from Jersey last night and it feels like I’ve been away for ages! We left on Friday afternoon and even though it lashed down the whole Saturday, the whole experience was absolutely brilliant and I definitely want to go back and explore it even more. I can’t believe how short the flight is to somewhere so enriched with natural beauty.
Jersey is an island shaped by the sea and is the largest of the Channel Islands. The last time I was there was when I was 11 and it was the first place I have ever been to on a plane! My uncle moved there in the 80’s and he told me that there was only 60,000 people living there at the time. There is now around 120,000!
We flew from Gatwick and rented a car at the airport. There is a great bus service which caters for the majority of the island, but I think Jersey is as good to discover by car. Depends on your preference and how much alcohol consumption you will be doing!!
This is my third trip with Radisson Blu and this time, I was focusing on a trip for couples. The beautiful Radisson Blu Jersey is in St.Helier, close to the town/beach etc, but my absolute favourite aspect of the hotel was the view from our Panorama Room. Look at this!
That’s the 16th century Elizabeth Castle across the water and it was so relaxing and romantic seeing the tide come in and out, all so silently. There was a strong wind on the Friday we arrived, but it was super calm and quiet in the room. Which I loved! It was so cosy. We were greeted with this lovely presentation of fruit and prosecco. A lovely touch from the hotel and the perfect room for an anniversary/birthday/mini honeymoon weekend away. A Stylecation we’ll call it!
We went straight out and drove to Gorey for a late lunch. Two things I really wanted to do when visiting Jersey island- 1: Fill me with all the seafood. 2: D something on the water!
We got oysters at a restaurant on the pier…and you know they’re a aphrodisiac right?! 😉
We came back to the room for an evening in (that wind was getting stronger and stronger!) which had the most beautiful light coming through. I don’t know if any of you remember, but I went on the design trip last year with Radisson Blu, it was an insight into the whole ethos of the company and I’m pretty sure I met every single PR manager and GM from around the world who worked for the hotel group. Not only was everyone truly delightful and there was a genuine great energy about the company, but they were very passionate about about great, dynamic design. Well I think their hotel in Jersey was a great example of that. They work with a slew of global design talent to create iconic buildings and contemporary interiors. And the cleanliness too- it seemed brand new. (Or as my mother would say, “you could eat your dinner off the floor”) !!
This outdoor area of the hotel overlooking the harbour is fabulous and perfect for drinks before heading into The Waterfront for dinner.
We decided to go downstairs for breakfast the next morning and WHAT an impressive spread. The attention to detail! Especially loved this salmon…
One thing I would like to mention and which I have noticed after now staying in 6 Radisson Blu Hotels the last two years is….Yes, the accommodation you’re in is the same group but what you’re getting in each hotel is something very personal and local to the area it’s in. Like this at breakfast- Jersey Milk of course!
That whole Saturday was stormy so I was super limited to where I could go, BUT I had to go to El Tico, no matter what! It’s in Grande Route des Mielles
on the West side of the island. A gorgeous restaurant and there is a Surf School there too, which I would definitely have loved to experienced if the weather was better!
We then drove back to St.Helier to discover it as much we could. I was told the the best coffee in town was Bean Around the World. It was so good! Nice cosy spot to sit in the window and shelter from the rain too!
The Central Market in St Helier is across the way and is lovely to have a walk around and maybe get a cupcake from Flour. Head down the road to Don Street Deli which is owned by Ormer Restaurant (next door). This would be my No.1 spot for dinner and cocktails .The interior was beautiful!
Also popped down to NO.10 which would be a good option for a night out too…
I passed by this gorgeous hair salon called The Parlour which wasn’t open because it was having it’s opening that night! Would LOVE to have had experienced it. Maybe next time! This image is from Lauren the owners Instagram which is here .The interior is just heavenly. Perfect location for a blow dry before a special night out.
Some other gorgeous fairly secret spots (the best ones) for nightlife are Project 52 and The Blind Pig.
Shopping wise, I came across this gorgeous little independent store called Amelie. Popped into the Jo Malone store too, which is always sublime. This was in Voisins, which had a lot of well known brands all in one spot.
This store was I Love Pebble which had this cute little set up outside!
We headed back to the hotel for dinner and ate this wonderful spread looking out over Elizabeth Castle and the harbour with a glass of red. Perfect!
The next morning we did the same, with breakfast! This picture doesn’t do it justice. It was so special!
As you can see from the light, the storm passed and the sun came out of the Sunday morning! I thought a boat trip would be so good to do if a couple went away for the weekend. I booked a trip with Jersey Seafaris to Ecrehous island which left from St.Catherines Bay. It was absolutely brilliant!! We saw dolphins a few minutes after we left the pier and they swam along side us the whole way! It was dreamy! I’ll stop with the exclamation marks now 🙂 There’s zero filter on these photos- the water was actually like this. I met a few French families over from Normandy having a picnic 🙂
After the boat trip we went down to Gorey again and went into the castle. The view from the top is great!
We went back down to the town and had a crab sandwich…
We didn’t have that much time left, so we went to St. Brelade’s Beach and chilled on the beach for a while. There’s lots of watersports going on here and the walk down to this cafe is lovely. So many people were cycling down here and it’s something I’d definitely do next time I go!
We got ice- creams at this cafe before going back to the hotel for a quick swim in the pool before we left for the airport. Wish I had time for a massage! Grabbed a coffee outside The Waterfront Restaurant at the hotel before we left. The sun was shining, there was subtle, easy listening entertainment and a lovely atmosphere!
Thank you Radisson Blu for a fantastic weekend away! A follower left a comment under an Instagram post of my boat trip yesterday and said “Who knew Jersey could be so nice”. I know! Exactly! I find we don’t know this about so many places in the U.K.- I’m 100% happy to discover and explore more of it and bring you along on my adventures!