Guernsey - travel review
For my best pal Vic and myself, it had been decades since we last holidayed together, when we were just 18 in fact.
So this year, our double 50th was the perfect excuse to grab a weekend away.
The opportunity to hop across the Channel to Guernsey sounded ideal and, overnight bags packed, we set off on the four-hour drive to Poole in Dorset.
We were booked with a car on Condor’s fast ferry, the Liberation.
And what a glorious way to cross one of the widest sections of the English Channel. We had recliner seats in the luxury lounge at the front of the ferry with panoramic views and our own bar.
And fast means fast – what would take a conventional ferry several hours to cross, the Liberation simply glides to the Channel Islands in just three hours, passing the beautiful isle of Alderney on the way.
Our hotel for the night was Les Rocquettes, on the outskirts of Guernsey’s main town of St Peter Port. Facilities at this lovely hotel include an indoor pool, gym, hot tub, sauna, pretty gardens and a stylish bar and restaurant.
Our spacious twin room came with a balcony, TV, wetroom and tea and coffee making facilities.
St Peter Port seafront is a 15-minute walk downhill from the hotel and we made our way through the steep, narrow streets with their smart colonial buildings and little parks. Near the top of the town is Candie Gardens, open to the public and housing the Guernsey Museum & Art Gallery.
We walked along Les Cotils, a narrow lane high above St Peter Port and with splendid views of the harbour below.
The town has plenty of bars and restaurants, many with sea-faring names – The Hook, The Crow’s Nest, The Boathouse.
Hungry after our long day, we managed to grab a table at The Boathouse, a harbour-side bar/restaurant with outside seating and good food.
Our ferry the following day wasn’t until 8pm so we had the whole day to explore this pretty island, but not before a dip in the hotel pool and a sumptuous breakfast.
We followed this with a couple of hours browsing St Peter Port’s seaside market.
On certain Sundays between May and August the town’s seafront is closed to traffic and transforms into a sea of market stalls and al fresco dining. On our visit, the theme was ‘locally grown’ and run by TasteGuernsey.
The second largest of the Channel Islands, Guernsey covers just 30 square miles but is a treasure trove of military history, museums, contrasting coasts and quiet little villages.
We drove south west to Petit Bot Bay with plenty of rock pools to explore and a kiosk which serves drinks, snacks and ice creams. The bay is watched over by Le Petit Bot Tower, a mini museum and one of 15 loophole towers built around the island between 1778 and 1779 to protect some of the most vulnerable beaches from potential invasion.
Our next stop was The Little Chapel in the centre of the island. This work of art was a labour of love built by Brother Déodat, who started creating it in 1914.
His plan was to create a miniature version of the famous grotto and basilica at Lourdes in France. The tiny chapel is a miniature maze of mosaic walls and small shrines and is well worth a visit.
Continuing north, the coast becomes calmer with wide rocky beaches, a stark contrast to the coves and cliffs of the south.
At the north-easternmost tip of Guernsey is Pembroke Beach, with perfect white sands and probably the safest spot on the island for swimming and family fun.
We stopped here for lunch at the rather plain looking Beach House cafe . . . but don’t be fooled by this 1970s-style eaterie.
The food is incredible, the coffee is delicious and I enjoyed the best seafood chowder ever. You can easily spend a couple of hours here and, with plenty of outside seating, is perfect for views of the beautiful bay and its calm waters.
Continuing east along the coast we discovered the hidden Beaucette Marina with its luxury yachts and boat club restaurant, a great photo opportunity.
We spent the rest of the day exploring more of St Peter Port. By now it was late afternoon and unfortunately too late to visit more of the town’s attractions of which there is an abundance. La Vallette Underground Military Museum covers all aspects of Guernsey’s military history. It is situated at the south of St Peter Port, alongside the Victorian Bathing Pools and The Guernsey Aquarium.
Our final stop was to St Peter Port’s Castle Cornet and its lighthouse. This 800-year-old castle at the mouth of the harbour houses five museums and four gardens. There are guided tours each day as well as the firing of the noon-day gun.
The castle offers a fascinating insight into hundreds of years of island history and spectacular panoramic views back towards St Peter Port and Guernsey’s sister islands.
During our stay we had spoken to several tourists who had spent a few days on Guernsey as well as island hopping to Jersey, Alderney, Sark and Herm.
In a nutshell Guernsey has pretty much everything – museums, great beaches, fabulous food and an almost Cornish charm. And for a 50th birthday mini-break it was both breathtaking and relaxing. I hope to return before my next big birthday.
