Anyone been to Jersey
Discussion
Been a few times. Lovely beaches (if it's sunny!) Good walks. Good Zoo. Nice town with good shopping. Bowling, Cinema. Nice people and very little crime. Hire a car and explore or if they are old enough hire bikes.
ETA, they are just 7&3 so forget the bikes!
ETA, they are just 7&3 so forget the bikes!
Edited by cjs on Friday 19th December 18:17
My mum was actually born there so have been back a few times with my own kids. As said beaches are nice plemont bay is good but you can only reach that on low tide. St brelades is a nice area usually a few nice cars around that end ferrari's etc. Zoo as said is a good day out. Basically if the weather is good its a great place to take kids but remember its still part of the UK so the weather can be s
te! Corbiere light house is a nice place for a picnic although somebody drove an Audi TT off the top of the cliff 
there a few years ago so maybe not. If I could afford it i go every year 
te! Corbiere light house is a nice place for a picnic although somebody drove an Audi TT off the top of the cliff there a few years ago so maybe not. If I could afford it i go every year whirligig said:
I'll be watching this thread as I too fancy a family holiday there maybe at Easter - anyone got any recommendations for a family-friendly hotel?
Apologies for the bump on this one - but we're looking at going there for a few days this summer (50th anniversary of the Zoo).Anyone have any recommendations on hotels, B&Bs, etc, etc?
K
Hi
Stayed here,excellent hotel.Highly recommended and close to all you need.
http://www.seymourhotels.com/PommedOrHotel/
This is a very nice little eaterie
http://www.saltydogbistro.com/main.html
Also all the Polish laydees who work in the Hotels/bars seem to end up in the La Cala restuarant/nightclub after hours and are very good fun.Or at least they were when I was there.
Rgds
Stayed here,excellent hotel.Highly recommended and close to all you need.
http://www.seymourhotels.com/PommedOrHotel/
This is a very nice little eaterie
http://www.saltydogbistro.com/main.html
Also all the Polish laydees who work in the Hotels/bars seem to end up in the La Cala restuarant/nightclub after hours and are very good fun.Or at least they were when I was there.
Rgds
Hi
Stayed here,excellent hotel.Highly recommended and close to all you need.
http://www.seymourhotels.com/PommedOrHotel/
This is a very nice little eaterie
http://www.saltydogbistro.com/main.html
Also all the Polish laydees who work in the Hotels/bars seem to end up in the La Cala restuarant/nightclub after hours and are very good fun.Or at least they were when I was there.
Rgds
Stayed here,excellent hotel.Highly recommended and close to all you need.
http://www.seymourhotels.com/PommedOrHotel/
This is a very nice little eaterie
http://www.saltydogbistro.com/main.html
Also all the Polish laydees who work in the Hotels/bars seem to end up in the La Cala restuarant/nightclub after hours and are very good fun.Or at least they were when I was there.
Rgds
Spent every holiday as a kid there and still have family there so I tend to see the place through rose-tinted glasses but the reality is:
1. the best beaches (in the world! well maybe Cornwall comes close)- my personal favourite is Beau Port - great for snorkelling. Next is St Clements Bay - this is probably the most unpopular bay for tourists as access is not easy - residential properties line the shoreline but my aunt had a house on the beach - kids' nirvana. Loads to do, low water fishing, damming gulleys. Next would come Greve de Lecq in the north and then Plemont and then Portelet. If you're into surfing then St Ouen's without a doubt. With young children then to be fair St Brelades or Ouaisne are excellent but the accommodation particularly in St Brelades tends to be more expensive.
2. when you can't go to the beach because the weather is being typically British then things can be limited (depending on age of children) but (as already said by others in some cases):
a. the Zoo
b. Gorey Castle
c. St Elizabeth's Castle
d. Underground Hospital
e. Corbiere
The history of the island is fascinating and the last 3 above give real insight to its past.
There are a host of other 'attractions' and I'm sure they're good to varying degrees but if you're a kid then the beaches are the place to be.
Post war the island developed its tourism industry around hotels and B&B. Self-catering accommodation has been in the minority until recently with many guest houses converting to S/C. Personally I can't really recommend any accommodation although I have stayed at The Merton with my family and that was good for young children/families albeit we were there at low season. I suspect at peak it's manic. The only other time we had a family holiday there with 3 children under the age of 8 was when we borrowed a friend's cottage. Self-catering is the way to go.
My personal view is that Jersey can deliver the perfect young family holiday providing the weather holds up - but at a price. I really don't think it's a cheap option and if you want guaranteed sunny/warm weather then you're probably better off heading to Turkey....but Jersey is gorgeous (rose-tinted glasses on again
1. the best beaches (in the world! well maybe Cornwall comes close)- my personal favourite is Beau Port - great for snorkelling. Next is St Clements Bay - this is probably the most unpopular bay for tourists as access is not easy - residential properties line the shoreline but my aunt had a house on the beach - kids' nirvana. Loads to do, low water fishing, damming gulleys. Next would come Greve de Lecq in the north and then Plemont and then Portelet. If you're into surfing then St Ouen's without a doubt. With young children then to be fair St Brelades or Ouaisne are excellent but the accommodation particularly in St Brelades tends to be more expensive.
2. when you can't go to the beach because the weather is being typically British then things can be limited (depending on age of children) but (as already said by others in some cases):
a. the Zoo
b. Gorey Castle
c. St Elizabeth's Castle
d. Underground Hospital
e. Corbiere
The history of the island is fascinating and the last 3 above give real insight to its past.
There are a host of other 'attractions' and I'm sure they're good to varying degrees but if you're a kid then the beaches are the place to be.
Post war the island developed its tourism industry around hotels and B&B. Self-catering accommodation has been in the minority until recently with many guest houses converting to S/C. Personally I can't really recommend any accommodation although I have stayed at The Merton with my family and that was good for young children/families albeit we were there at low season. I suspect at peak it's manic. The only other time we had a family holiday there with 3 children under the age of 8 was when we borrowed a friend's cottage. Self-catering is the way to go.
My personal view is that Jersey can deliver the perfect young family holiday providing the weather holds up - but at a price. I really don't think it's a cheap option and if you want guaranteed sunny/warm weather then you're probably better off heading to Turkey....but Jersey is gorgeous (rose-tinted glasses on again
SWMBO and I had a good holiday there Mertons was OK - we were the youngest people there. Found a couple of good restaurants an easy walk away. Managed to get around on the buses - didn't hire a car - Sunday bus service was a bit dire, though
Living Legend is the most excruciatingly bad experience I've ever had - avoid like the Devil
Living Legend is the most excruciatingly bad experience I've ever had - avoid like the Devil
Edited by muley on Thursday 2nd April 21:20
Edited by muley on Thursday 2nd April 21:23
Anna_S said:
Hey Kinky, sure we spoke about this a couple of weeks ago, but wine has clouded my memory.
I'm going the 2nd week in June, found some info whilst I was researching - will email it over
Lady S - I can confirm that you were sober when we discussed this .... so you're memory is clearly on the way out I'm going the 2nd week in June, found some info whilst I was researching - will email it over
But in all seriousness though - I'd be really grateful for any info you have.
As for the other responses - thank you all very much - it's really greatly appreciated
K
As a Jersey resident for the past 35 years, i guess I can answer this one.
Jersey is still overpriced compared to Spanish resorts which have guaranteed sun and warmer water. However, with the rise in the Euro, Jersey probably isn't THAT pricey anymore.
We've got tons of decent restaurants (Salty Dog is good, Gradees too and lots of decent pub grub places across the island), some have good kiddie areas (Earl Gray, La Fontayne), some have better wine lists (Bisto Centrale, Zanzibar), some are avoided by locals (Portelet Inn, most hotels).
Out of town hotels are much cheaper but you must have a hire car - which is marked with an H on the number plate so locals will (hopefully) give you a little more latitude for driving the wrong way up a one way street! Most hire car firms seem to use new model Fords but the island is so small and some of the lanes so tiny that a huge car is pointless. Ditto a powerful engine (says he with an M5).
The maximum speed limit is 40mph, with varied limits all the way down to 15mph where pedestrians, cyclist and horses have priority. Avoid like the plague!
The weather gets pretty nice from Easter time onwards with (occasionally) very hot summers. However, it can practically rain, sleet, burning sunshine and fog in the space of a few hours so be prepared. I've walked to work many times in shirt sleeves but carrying an umbrella.
Its very hard to get truly lost in Jersey as the island is only 9 miles by 5 but some tourists do try!
Plenty of shops for the other half, lots of pubs for you, not a huge amount of facilitis for the kids aside from the beaches. The zoo is a must, ten pin bowling is ok with a good kids area, living legend is worth a look, as are some of the castles, the underground hospital is interesting if morbid and there are a few tourist only places that are really tacky.
Hope this helps and welcome to a pretty relaxed island!
Oh, and we're NOT part of the UK. We are part of Great Britain but are self-governing with our own laws, coins and stamps. Plus we were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Nazis in WWII.
Cheers
Ben
Jersey is still overpriced compared to Spanish resorts which have guaranteed sun and warmer water. However, with the rise in the Euro, Jersey probably isn't THAT pricey anymore.
We've got tons of decent restaurants (Salty Dog is good, Gradees too and lots of decent pub grub places across the island), some have good kiddie areas (Earl Gray, La Fontayne), some have better wine lists (Bisto Centrale, Zanzibar), some are avoided by locals (Portelet Inn, most hotels).
Out of town hotels are much cheaper but you must have a hire car - which is marked with an H on the number plate so locals will (hopefully) give you a little more latitude for driving the wrong way up a one way street! Most hire car firms seem to use new model Fords but the island is so small and some of the lanes so tiny that a huge car is pointless. Ditto a powerful engine (says he with an M5).
The maximum speed limit is 40mph, with varied limits all the way down to 15mph where pedestrians, cyclist and horses have priority. Avoid like the plague!
The weather gets pretty nice from Easter time onwards with (occasionally) very hot summers. However, it can practically rain, sleet, burning sunshine and fog in the space of a few hours so be prepared. I've walked to work many times in shirt sleeves but carrying an umbrella.
Its very hard to get truly lost in Jersey as the island is only 9 miles by 5 but some tourists do try!
Plenty of shops for the other half, lots of pubs for you, not a huge amount of facilitis for the kids aside from the beaches. The zoo is a must, ten pin bowling is ok with a good kids area, living legend is worth a look, as are some of the castles, the underground hospital is interesting if morbid and there are a few tourist only places that are really tacky.
Hope this helps and welcome to a pretty relaxed island!
Oh, and we're NOT part of the UK. We are part of Great Britain but are self-governing with our own laws, coins and stamps. Plus we were the only part of the British Isles to be occupied by the Nazis in WWII.
Cheers
Ben
Have sailed to all of the Channel Isles a few times.
Jersey is obviously the largest, most commercial (it's not London, but markedly different to;)
Guernsey - smaller, still with all the shops and stuff but a more sleepy feel to it.
Alderney - Tiny island ~2400 inhabitants. Mad as badgers. Great fun place! I'll be sailing here in May with some other guys who've never been before.
Sark - Ridiculously small, day trip only really....
For going with kids, I couldn't say which is best as I don't have any, but I would think Jersey would give you plenty to do for a week. You could always do a day trip to another of the islands?
Jersey is obviously the largest, most commercial (it's not London, but markedly different to;)
Guernsey - smaller, still with all the shops and stuff but a more sleepy feel to it.
Alderney - Tiny island ~2400 inhabitants. Mad as badgers. Great fun place! I'll be sailing here in May with some other guys who've never been before.
Sark - Ridiculously small, day trip only really....
For going with kids, I couldn't say which is best as I don't have any, but I would think Jersey would give you plenty to do for a week. You could always do a day trip to another of the islands?
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