Discover Jersey

Ferry me across the water

By Janine Pulford

With the Port of Poole now welcoming luxury cruise liners, the thought of a trip across the Channel becomes more alluring. But you don’t need the expense of a liner to get you to new destinations. Dorset is fortunate to have its own ferry service that will transport you within a few hours and for a reasonable cost, to the beautiful islands of Guernsey or Jersey. I was recently fortunate to take a 4-night break with Condor Ferries to Jersey and it is surprising what you can fit into a short break.

MONDAY: Day 1 – a relaxing way to travel

Our trip, with the car, started at the port of Poole. Once boarded, and after sailing through the harbour, a solitary dolphin joined Condor Liberation to see us off across the Channel. We relaxed in the Horizon Lounge with a coffee, admiring the view. Later, we chose dinner from the Casquettes self-service restaurant, and tucked into vegetarian chilli with chips. The passage was calm and the ferry offered everything we needed including newspapers and duty free.

It only took four hours to reach Guernsey, where some passengers got off and others embarked. An hour later, we arrived in Jersey and checked into Hotel de France in Saint Helier. We cannot speak highly enough of this hotel. It offers decent parking, a health club, Ayush Wellness Spa, hair salon and immaculate gardens. The hotel has two restaurants: the reasonably priced Garden Restaurant, and Saffrons for fine dining with an Indian accent. Breakfast is served in the Orangery. Our room was extremely spacious and luxurious affording stunning views across the capital and out to sea. It also had a private balcony.

Our room

Hotel de France spa pool

Garden Restaurant

We took a swim in a warm, blue-lit spa pool before indulging in an evening meal in the Garden Restaurant. Our mains of risotto primavera and spaghetti Bolognese were tasty and filling. With eight menus to choose from, including an all day menu until 6pm, and dinner from 6pm- 9.30pm, there are many healthy options as well as a high calorie ones such as afternoon tea with scones, jam and delicious clotted cream.

TUESDAY: Day 2 – an unexpected trip to the zoo

Breakfast at the hotel was impossible to resist. It was self-service with everything from a full English, croissants, toast and muffins to smoked salmon and cheese, fresh fruit, yoghurt and cereal. You could eat as much as you liked and drinks were plentiful too. It set us up for the day and certainly helped with boosting our energy levels.

We had a trip booked to The Minquiers, a cluster of nearby islands, with Jersey Seafaris and set off in the car to St Catherine’s to join the tour. Unfortunately, due to forecast, it was cancelled. Instead we were offered a trip to Ecrehaus islands the following day, which we took without hesitation.

It left us with unexpected time on our hands, so we went to nearby Jersey Zoo. Founded by Gerald Durrell in 1959, it breeds a range of endangered species to help save them from extinction and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust provides a strong educational role.

Asian Small Clawed Otter

We knew it was going to rain for a few hours but this didn’t put us off and allowed us to see exotic birds acrobatically spreading their wings to catch the rain drops on their feathers. Other animals were not so excited about getting wet and went indoors until the rain stopped, especially the gorillas and orang-utans, which we observed close-up as they languished in their indoor ‘rest and play’ areas. But as soon as the sun came out, so did they, and it was lovely to see them making the most of the hot weather in safe surroundings. The animal enclosures in the park are large and the range of habitats is varied. There are also keeper talks to help you learn about the animals and the wider conservation work of Durrell.

Gorilla

Flamingo

Orang-utan

We had been to the zoo many years ago, but its charm endures, and has recently been revived with the much-loved comedy TV drama The Durrells, which highlighted Gerald’s unusual upbringing on Corfu. With over 1,000 wild animals to look at, our day was easily filled.

WEDNESDAY: Day 3 – thrilling seafari

It only took 15 minutes from Jersey to reach Ecrehaus – a picturesque outcrop of islands and a safe haven for wildlife. The seals took some spotting because they wore combats (not really), but they were well-camouflaged; terns, gannets and gulls were much easier to see and those nesting on the islands were unbelievably noisy. Every care is taken by Jersey Seafaris not to disturb the wildlife, so we observed from a distance. Ecrehaus is a beautiful and unspoilt destination and to my relief, there was not one item of single use plastic in sight. Seafaris also go over to France for an evening meal, however, you do need to be fairly mobile to get safely on and off the rib, and it’s advisable to wrap up warm.

That evening we returned to Hotel de France for another leisurely swim before dinner.

THURSDAY: Day 4 – St Helier: shopaholic’s paradise

Following another first class breakfast, it was time to check out the shops and walk off some of those calories. Even so, we decided take the hotel’s free minibus service into the town to get the best from the day. What a shopaholics’ paradise. Pedestrianised streets are numerous, and Liberty Wharf and the markets are covered, so you can literally shop until you drop, come rain or shine. There are tons of places to choose from for coffee, lunch, snacks and evening meals.

As you can imagine, the streets are bustling with people and packed with stores with many familiar names amongst them. There is no VAT to pay on Jersey so there are excellent savings to be made on certain items.

The fresh food and flower market is vibrant, and there is a fresh fish market too, which we didn’t have time to visit.

We did, however, make a point of going to Liberty Wharf, a shopping arcade in a restored Victorian building which offers an eclectic mix of retailers, coffee houses and restaurants.

My husband was also able to take respite from my inbuilt desire to shop by walking the short distance to the marina to look at the boats (as men do), leaving me to browse in peace and quiet (as ladies do). If we had thought to part company earlier, he would have also visited the Occupation Tapestry and Maritime Museum at New North Quay, one of the several Jersey Heritage sites. He loves history, whilst I love shopping.

Although we were tired after our day in St Helier, we had already decided to eat at an Indian Restaurant in St Aubin’s that evening. We hadn’t booked and were surprised to find it jam-packed, but luckily they could squeeze two more hungry customers in.

Strung with twinkling nights, St Aubin’s bay could easily be a romantic setting in a novel - now there’s an idea.

FRIDAY: Day 5 – homeward bound

By the time we had got up and filled up on another healthy breakfast, it was late. With our bags packed, we set off for the ferry port. The trip to Poole took us through the eye of a storm and the Channel was almost flat calm. Condor Liberation is a superb vessel and with great visibility in the Horizon Lounge, you feel very connected with what is going on at sea. There is also a duty free shop, where you can buy alcohol, tobacco and perfumes at discount prices. Most of all, the method of travel is leisurely because you can get up and walk around whilst moving at speed to your destination.

Jersey cows, St Helier

If you haven’t yet been to the Channel Islands, a four-day break is an ideal way to discover them. We only scraped the surface of Jersey – a little island with a big history. There are sandy beaches generally within a 15-minute drive from wherever you are, German war tunnels, castles, museums and much more, so we will be going back. We also want to visit The Minquiers, Herm Island, Alderney and Sark. The Channel Islands are definite away-staycations because they are British and though governed independently, there is no passport needed if you are a British citizen. However you do need photo ID to board the ferry, so a passport is ideal.

Vegan meal, St Helier

READER OFFER

Condor Ferries has teamed up with MAGS4DORSET to offer readers a special discount this summer.

Book a return trip with your car to Jersey or Guernsey on any Condor sailing from Poole or Portsmouth and receive a 10% reduction off published fares.

The offer applies to all bookings made between 1 and 21 August for travel up to 30 September 2019.

Simply log onto www.condorferries.co.uk and enter promotion code M4DOFFER in the ‘Your details’ section when booking to receive the discount.