Last Updated on October 28, 2023
A room with a view at The Biarritz
If you love Cornwall’s beaches, cliffs and countryside but hate the holiday crowds, Jersey might just be the perfect alternative. The largest of the Channel Isles, it’s still only five miles long and nine wide. Although part of the British Isles, it’s closer to France than to the UK – just 14 miles from Normandy – and has its own Government. People who visit from the UK mainland tend to return year after year. It’s easy to reach by air or by ferry from Poole or Portsmouth – and you won’t need a passport to visit. For those who despair of the additional complexity that Brexit has imposed on European travel, it’s the perfect getaway.
St Brelade’s Bay, on the south side of the island, is an excellent example of the kind of beach that springs to mind when someone says ‘seaside’. It’s sandy, with windbreaks and deckchairs to hire and with a ‘borrow a bucket’ scheme that you’ll find all around the island – so those who want to build their own castle have no excuse. The bay is lined with hotels and restaurants and surrounded by cliffs. You’ll find an ice cream and refreshment hut at the quieter end where the hotel is located. And, winding steps will take you up the hill to The Biarritz. As they say, arguably the best view in Jersey…
The hotel really benefits from being a hundred yards or so up the hill from the beach. Although when I visited in June it was in no way overcrowded, on Friday night there were small parties and beach barbecues on the sands. Up on the stunning terrace of the hotel, it was peaceful and relaxing – quieter than my own London home. The perfect place to spend an evening reading a book.
The Biarritz is a hotel where having a room with a balcony is a real advantage simply because the views are just perfect. But, even if you don’t have your own private space there are two terraces – one on a level with the dining room and one on the floor above – equipped with tables, parasols, chairs and cushions downstairs and with recliners upstairs. This isn’t the sort of place where you’ll have to battle with beach towels at dawn – since most of the rooms have a balcony the terraces are usually quiet.
The rooms themselves are spotlessly clean. Mine had a large walk-in shower, plenty of thick, fluffy and luxurious towels and a set of complimentary toiletries. Slippers in the wardrobe waiting to be used, a hairdryer, iron, fridge and tv, free fast wifi and a kettle with tea and coffee provided made this an easy place to settle in. There was plenty of storage space and the room was decorated in clean, neutral colours with just a few quirky pieces of artwork on the walls. A large desk/dressing table wrapped itself around one corner. The bed was large, comfy and nicely made up with fresh, white cotton bed linen.
While my own room was a superior double, I did get the chance to check out some of the other spaces. Unusually the hotel has single rooms – one even has a balcony. They are cosy and perfectly well-equipped for a solo traveller. And, the standard doubles are on the generous side – especially if you book one with a balcony. The rooms can be set up with double or twin beds and there are a few rooms on the ground floor which have better accessibility for guests with mobility issues, though none are wheelchair friendly. There are family rooms/suites that can accommodate two adults and two children and if you don’t want that view out to sea, you’ll find the cheapest options are ‘inland’ rooms which look out over the pretty countryside. There’s parking available for guests and visitors too, though I found there was plenty to do on foot, or by using the public bus service. There’s also a large lounge area and the hotel runs special evenings with guest speakers.
On the terrace, at dining room level you can enjoy an al-fresco lunch from a short menu, or indulge in a drink or two from the cafe. Until recently, the hotel was unlicensed but now there’s a limited offering of alcoholic drinks available from the cafe. At the time of writing there’s also no corkage so you can always take your own favourite tipple along.
Breakfast at The Biarritz is served buffet style with a wide range of hot and cold options so you can have a cooked breakfast if you like or just a pot of yoghurt and some fruit if you want to be healthy. There’s a small cook station too, where one day you might find omelettes being made to order and another day pancakes to go with the crispy bacon from the buffet or to eat with syrup!
On two evenings of the week, The Biarritz serves a carvery-style dinner – I had a lovely plate of roast turkey with potatoes, gravy and cabbage and could have had fish pie or roast lamb if I’d preferred. And, there were were a selection of cold desserts – profiteroles, chocolate mousse and more. On Sundays, there’s a buffet-style supper and on other nights guests can pick from a set menu that is provided in the morning – with two courses for £35 or one for £25. The food is well prepared and nicely presented, best suited if you want to enjoy the kind of dishes you might have at home – albeit cooked somewhat better and without the need for any washing up!
The lunch menu is bistro style – burgers, chicken and fish goujons, wraps and sandwiches. All are very reasonably priced and may be enjoyed while sitting out on the beautiful terrace. And of course, the best way to finish your lunch is to walk off a few calories by going down the steps to the beach hut and ordering yourself an ice cream sundae!
If you don’t want to eat in the hotel but prefer not to travel far, the beach is lined with bars and restaurants. I’m a big fan of trying local food so the Oyster Box was my own choice – where I feasted on Jersey oysters with a mignonette dressing, so fresh they might just have been harvested a few hours earlier.
Buses run regularly, stopping a few yards from the hotel entrance. It’s about 10 minutes by bus to St Aubin with its pretty harbour and collection of quirky shops, restaurants and bars. And, as I discovered, once you want to move on from St Aubin, it’s not hard to walk into St Helier, the capital of Jersey – the route takes you all along the beach on a promenade path that runs parallel with the road. You’ll walk past a few of Jersey’s famous towers and there are plenty of little cafes and bars along the route to stop for a coffee. Once you are in St Helier of course there’s lots to see and do.
I took the ‘ferry’ to Elizabeth Castle. At certain times of the day, you can walk there across the sands, but once the tide comes up you’ll need to make use of the amphibious ferry which in our case drove out across the sands to the Castle entrance but floated back a few hours later!
It’s a fun experience where you can learn a lot about the history of Jersey – the site dates back to around 550 A.D. when St Helier is thought to have lived there. The castle itself is named after Elizabeth I – construction started in the 16th century when she was in power. It remained a working castle, defending Jersey and the mainland for 400 years. It was relinquished by the British government to the States of Jersey in 1923. The States then opened it to the public as a museum. It’s been a museum ever since, apart from during the German occupation of the Channel Isles during the second world war, when it was modernised with guns, bunkers and battlements and went back to being a working military base (for the Germans!).
When the war ended, it was restored and reopened as a museum. But, forget rooms lined with display cabinets and dark corridors leading to yet another exhibition, Elizabeth Castle is somewhere you’ll want to explore – climbing the battlements or learning more about the history from the various ‘residents’ who guide visitors through time.
If you prefer to get out into the countryside, then The Biarritz is a perfect starting point. Walk along to the far end of St Brelade’s Bay and then up to the church, turn left and follow the path for a walk that really satisfies the soul, out across the headland to Beauport and Corbiere lighthouse. I’m not a serious hiker but comfortably managed the 3-mile walk, despite the rocky terrain, and was rewarded with some truly stunning views out to sea.
Those fitter than me might climb down to Beauport Beach – a beautiful deserted cove – and perhaps enjoy a packed lunch (which the hotel will provide on request). Or, make your way across the headland until you reach Corbiere lighthouse, where there’s a restaurant with a terrace looking over the water towards France.
It’s a good place to gather your strength for the walk back or wait for a bus for the easy route! If you want to continue on, St Ouen’s Bay is (literally) around the corner and you can walk from there along the coast through Les Mielles nature reserve up to the Channel Islands Military Museum. And, the island has a network of walking routes which you can access by bus if you want to go further afield.
What makes the Biarritz so special, apart from the wonderful location, is that at the end of a day exploring you will come back to a calm and peaceful setting. During my stay, I couldn’t hear any noise from other guests – despite the hotel being close to sold out. There was no noise from the road and, since the hotel is set on the hill looking down to St Brelade’s Bay, none from the beach on the other side. What could be better than a setting with beautiful views that is genuinely quiet enough to relax?
For more information about The Biarritz Hotel, please check their website
St. Brelade’s Bay,
Jersey JE3 8EA,
Channel Islands
Flights to Jersey take around an hour from London Heathrow. Flights are available to Jersey from various UK airports
I stayed in Jersey as a guest of The Biarritz Hotel
For more about Jersey, check the Visit Jersey Tourism Site
