Jersey Island Break: The Club Hotel and Spa

I hadn’t even finished my coffee when the captain announced it was time to land! Just 30 minutes earlier, we had boarded our plane at Gatwick, and now below an island is starting to appear. It has the familiar boxy lines of British hedgerows and green patches but it is surrounded by lots and lots of blue! The Modern family is spending a long weekend in Jersey, the biggest of the Channel Islands. We’re guests of The Club Hotel and Spa, and we can’t wait.

I’ve always wanted to visit the Channel Isles. Jersey is the most southern of these Isles, and is 100 miles south of mainland UK and 14 miles from France. You can get to St Malo via ferry in ½ hour (very tempting, but we are only here for the weekend and I want to explore as much of Jersey as I can). To give some perspective, the ferry to Portsmouth is 4 and ½ hours.

After much discussion and googling, we discovered Jersey is not part of the UK or Great Britain. Officially, it is the Bailiwick of Jersey, and is a British Crown Dependency. This means it has its own judicial and financial systems (based on pound sterling) but the UK has an obligation to defend it.

The Jersey airport is tiny compared to Gatwick. I wasn’t sure if we were going to go through passport control (we didn’t) and we quickly picked up our bags and headed to Hertz to pick up our rental car. Hubby and I debated the need to rent a car. The Liberty bus service is great, albeit you will need to do a bit of planning, and the island is only 9 by 5 miles so you can easily take taxis. In the end we decided to go for it — we wanted the freedom to discover little secret bays and out-of-the-way places, and the Class C car we rented was only £140 for the weekend. I was pleased we were able to get our 2 big bags in the boot.

In just 15 minutes we were in St Helier, Jersey’s capital and the location of The Club Hotel and Spa. Jersey’s investment sector is evident in the downtown area, with shiny buildings mixing with independent and high street shops with some Norman architecture thrown in. My 15-year old remarked it felt like it had a bit of a Cornwall and Lisbon vibes! We definitely felt like we were somewhere exotic and on holiday!

 

 

 

The Club Hotel and Spa

In the heart of St Helier is The Club Hotel and Spa, one of the best hotels on the island. It is also home to Bohemia, the Michelin-starred restaurant by Steve Smith, and a top rated Spa. Those 3 things alone are enough to make me very excited. And because it’s a small luxury boutique hotel with only 46 rooms, it means the public areas aren’t overcrowded and it has a very private feel. That, coupled with the exoticness of Jersey and being only a short 30-minute flight away from London.

We were in adjacent Executive Suite rooms and were very pleased to find chic and modern décor, a huge bathroom and a very comfortable bed! All very high-end: Portable Bang and Olufsen telephone; floor to ceiling windows that open to balustrade with views over St Helier; a fully stocked bar; slippers (you can take these home); robes; laptop safe (more hotels should have these). There was also a huge bathroom with tub, shower, his and hers sinks, Elemis products and a power shower. Coffee making facilities with lots of tea choices including Earl Grey and Mint.

 

 

 

 

Turn down service

In the evening, the hotel features a turn down service, where they bring you a bottle of water and homemade shortbread. This was a very welcome treat.

My only niggle was the over keen cleaning staff, who woke us up on our first morning. (Yes, we should have put up the Do Not Disturb signs).

 

 

 

 

Honesty Bar

In case you want to get a night-cap, there is an “Honesty” bar where you can help yourself to a beer, glass of wine or G&T. There are loads of books and CD collection. It’s a nice place to relax.

 

 

Breakfast

Breakfast is one of our favourite parts of any stay. At The Club, there is a nice buffet breakfast with fresh pastries, fresh fruit, meats, cheeses, breads, muesli cereals, yogurts (with Jersey milk) and fresh fruit juices. You can also order ala carte from the menu for items like Sour Dough toast with crushed avocado, chili, lime and poached egg, Belgian waffles with yogurt and blueberries, and of course the Jersey version of a full English breakfast, made with local ingredients.

 

 

The Outdoor Pool

Very relaxing patio area around a pool with a waterfall. Loads of sun loungers, plus it’s right next to the Honesty Bar. 😄 So you could get a drink there and relax, which we saw several people doing.

 

 

 

The Club Spa

As if a luxury boutique hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant weren’t enough, many call the The Club Spa the star of the show!  As hotel guests you can use many of the facilities for free, including the indoor salt water pool and thermal suite which features a salt cabin, herbal steam room and experience shower.

There are 5 treatment rooms (including one for couples) and a Rasul Mud Treatment room for two (one of their favourite and most popular treatments). They offer a range of treatments, including Darphin, Decleor and the Ayavedic Shankara treatments. 

 

 

 

 

A Foodie Destination

Jersey is also a huge foodie destination. In addition to Jersey Royals (their unique taste develops from the rich island minerals) and Jersey cows (creamy milk and succulent beef), seafood (oysters). There are loads of restaurants, including of course one of Jersey’s only Michelin-starred restaurants, Bohemia!

 

 

Bohemia Restaurant

Bohemia is located on the lower level of the hotel, with a separate outside entrance. This is THE place to be in St Helier. We got the kids room service and they picked out a Friends Box Set to watch as hubby and I went downstairs on a date night. Bohemia has been voted one of the top 20 most romantic restaurants. How exciting!

Bohemia’s executive chef is Steve Smith, who has held a Michelin star for over 15 years since the age of 24. His menu focus heavily on local ingredients, including the famous jersey Royal Potato and fresh scallops and oysters.

There were lots of tasting menus to choose from, including a Prestige Tasting Menu (9 courses), a Classic Menu (3 courses) and a Taste of Jersey Tasting menu.

We decided on the six course “Surprise” menu: You tell the chef of any food allergies or restrictions – and they surprise and delight you! I love it when someone decides for me.  Not only was it amazing, but good value too at  £59. For 6 courses!

 

 

 

Out and About in Jersey

The Club Hotel and Spa is located in St Helier, Jersey’s capitol. That makes it an ideal location to be poised to explore the Island! Just a short walk away is Liberation Square, which has a marina, lots of shops and restaurants and the Jersey Museum.

Read: 18 Things to do in Jersey with teens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Watch our video: The Modern Family goes to Jersey!

 

 

 

IF YOU GO

The Club & Spa Green Street St Helier JE, JE2 4UH +44 1534 876500 https://www.theclubjersey.com/

Bohemia Restaurant Green Street St Helier JE, JE2 4UH 01534 880588 https://www.bohemiajersey.com/

Jersey Seafaris +44 7829 772222 http://www.jerseyseafaris.com  info@jerseyseafaris.com

Troubadour 7 Caledonia Pl, St Helier, Jersey JE1 4HF, Jersey

JB’s Smokehouse 4 Wharf Street, St. Helier, Jersey +44 (0)1534 888115 https://jbsbrewhouse.com

Mark Jordan at the Beach La Plage, La Route de la Haule, A1, St Peter JE3 7YD http://www.markjordanatthebeach.com

El Tico Beach Cantina Grande Route des Mielles, Jersey JE3 7FN, Jersey +44 1534 482009 http://www.elticojersey.com/home

Surfyard Surf School, Shop and Hire Grande Route des Mielles, St. Ouen, Jersey, JE3 7FN https://thesurfyard.com/surf-school-jersey-surfyard/

Gunsite Café  La Route de la Haule, Jersey JE3 7YD, United Kingdom +44 1534 735806

The Hungry Man  La Brecque du Nord Rozel JE, JE3 5BN, Jersey +44 1534 863227 https://www.facebook.com/thehungrymanjersey/

Visit Jersey, your first port of call when researching what to do! https://www.jersey.com/

 

 

 

Disclosure: We were guests of The Club & Spa. All opinions are my own.