This 9am departing ferry takes about an hour to reach overpriced Jersey, which is described as a…read morechannel island yet it's not in the channel but the St Michel bay. It was mostly a smooth return crossing. The seating aboard is just about comfortable, but you'll discover that the crew unhelpfully 'block' the exit door as you alight to go ashore with passenger luggage. The heaviest workload is by two almost pleasant staff selling booze & tobacco. If you are on a day trip you can purchase on the outward and they hold it for your return. Be very careful about returning as the published departure was 6pm but ours departed a full 20 minutes early (despite going late that morning). The crew had insisted to us as we left the boat that we check in that evening by 5pm so they clearly plan to get home early. As it was we got there about 5:20pm and we were the last. The boat departed about 5 minutes after we boarded. There's lots of free parking at the harbour area, but nothing else at the peninsula and the nearest town is quite small - it would take under 10 minutes to walk around it. The ferry itself is not disabled or child in pram friendly in fact it's very far from it. The building you depart from is barely comfortable with few facilities and organisationally haphazard with queues for tickets, security and customs. Having done it once that's it. We learned while in Jersey that its tourism trade has fallen dramatically from real highs in the 1980's but it's so expensive for everything so it ain't rocket science to remedy the problem but we also found that despite the plethora of politicians 'in charge' there's no political will to do so. Seems banking and insurance are more important.

We were looking to visit Jersey for a day when staying in Normandy and found the Manche Iles…read moreExpress, in our case leaving from Carteret. Leaving at 09:30 in the morning, check in and passport control was easy and quick, although being there 1 hour ahead of time is a bit early. The boat left early and arrived early in Jersey in slightly over an hour. The same on the way back, leaving at 19:00. Only downside there was the 1.5 hours check in time.

Breakfast was fine, no changes over three days though. Interesting historical building. A good…read moreexperience at dinner with live music. Food excellent. HOWEVER, customer care at arrival was unacceptable from clerking staff. Room booked (with walk-in shower) was not that provided (bath). After discussion, a better larger room was given - still without walk-in shower - by the manager. Room very hot, bit tired. Later on management provided a complimentary bottle of wine as a gesture of good will. Not good enough.

Check in was strict to the time even though we had been up early. Suite didn't have a balcony or…read moreany air conditioning or fans so was very hot. Hotel is ok best thing is location. Check out was a shambles we needed a taxi to the airport they couldn't get one for over half an hour the attitude of the staff was oh well you should be ok. We finally managed to jump in a cab that was dropping others off. Room 3 stars but I wouldn't bother with a suite, very outdated furniture and far too hot. Staff 2 stars they are doing their job to the minimum level. We are returning to Jersey but will not be staying here again as there are better (air conditioned) options

I stayed in Jersey for the weekend with a friend and we were looking for a hotel that was cheap,…read moreconveniently located and if possible, roach-free! This place actually surpassed all my expectations, bearing in mind that it was 60 quid a night (including breakfast) and only 5 minutes walk from the centre. The welcome was very friendly, with our bags being taken care of immediately. There is a large car park where you can park for free (get a permit from reception for a fiver's deposit or you'll get a fine). We were on the third floor with huge rooms that had lots of light streaming in. The beds were twins pushed together, but it didn't feel like it - they were very comfy. The bathrooms were huge, and the only toiletries provided were two small bars of soap, so don't rely on the hotel for shampoo. Towels were clean and fluffy and the only complaint I had was that the hot water for the shower can obviously be affected by other rooms. There was one sick bastard that kept turning his taps on and off at random, so my shower on the second morning went from Arctic to molten and back again several times. The breakfast was great the first morning - it is usually served from 8.30-9.30am, in a huge dining room, but we wanted to get away early, so they very kindly came in early and provided breakfast at 7.45am. It was lovely, we had the place to ourselves and were treated very well. The second morning, we arrived at 8.32am to find more pensioners than I thought were still with us, crammed in to the room! Luckily we all had assigned tables, so there was no problem getting a seat, but wow, we were the youngest people in that hotel by a good 50 years! Breakfast consisted of cereal and juice that one helped oneself to, then coffee/tea/toast and full English served at the table. I had boiled eggs, which were slightly overdone on day 1 (4 minutes) and slightly underdone on day 2 (3 minutes). Had I stayed for an extra day, I would have experimented with 3.5 minutes! The hotel is very slightly shabby, the photos on its website don't really hold up, but it does have an outdoor pool that looked clean and pleasant, it has an outdoor cafe that featured a Koi Carp pond (very cool) and a games room/bar. We didn't actually try any of these facilities, but it looked like quite a good place for kids. At least they would be spoilt by all the grandparents who were also holidaying there. I believe that several tour companies aimed for the more 'mature' traveller use the hotel, so there were coach loads of OAPs staying there. All in all, I would stay there again. It was really good value for the price, clean and definitely roach-free!

I wasn't expecting much because it was a very reasonably priced hotel but the room was excellent…read more It was extremely clean with some nice furniture. The breakfast is also very good, with a great choice, despite having to ask for a few dirty cups to be changed. The hotel is within easy walking distance of the town centre so it's great even without own transport. The staff were very friendly and accommodating, although we had no real cause to call upon them. The car park is very small and tight, so it is often difficult to park. Unfortunately the 'free wireless' had zero reception in the hotel room and even in the hotel bar I could get connected but not through to the Internet. Although there are small flat TVs in the rooms, the channel selection is limited to the main terrestrial channels and a slim choice of others. Although the bathroom was clean, the hotel towels are miniscule and the thread count is almost zero. The shower suffered from an extreme lack of pressure and went cold every time somebody flushed a toilet anywhere in the hotel! Our room was at the rear of the hotel and because there was no air conditioning, we had the window open, which was very noisy in the morning because it was adjacent to a supermarket. Overall, despite the minor negative points, we'd definitely stay again because of the cleanliness, good food and good service at a very good price.

First things first: don't let the reviews from people who would seemingly prefer a Premier Inn put…read moreyou off. This place is steeped in history and class, from ceining-to-floor mirrors and overlaid cartography artwork of Guernsey from 1787 on the walls of the corridors, to Murano glass chandeliers on the ceilings of the communal areas. Valet parking on check-in gives you the ability to pull up directly outside the hotel, give your keys to concierge and forget about your car until you need it back. Which is good, as there's zero parking in Guernsey at the best of times. Reception is grand and very well-presented and the receptionist was friendly and accommodating. From there your bags are carried to your room, the facilities in the room briefly explained to you and you are then left alone. We were upgraded to one of the King Size rooms which meant we had a little more space to play with and a balcony with sea view. The balconies are protected by a motorised window, meaning you can choose to embrace the outside elements or ignore them. The sea view isn't bad (the hotel can't choose what's on the horizon, let's not forget) and you can see Herm island, its counterpart whose name alludes me, and to the right is the island of Sark, and to the left in the far distance is the French coastline. The room we stayed in had a TV with a hotel entertainment package on it, so we had streaming worldwide Internet radio as well as the usual live TV packages. The TV cleverly greets you by name when you turn it on. Beds are monstrously large and very, very comfortable. Pillows are oversized and similarly comforting at night, and the room's blackout blinds and fabric coverings on the walls keep noise and light to a minimum. Turn-down service came while we were out for the evening but we left the room and bed in a mess when we went out and came back to find it made and ready to get in to, with a small bag of cookies, the TV remote and the day's newspaper on the bed for us. Breakfast is served in The Brasserie which is a bright and airy room overlooking their gardens. We were seen and seated promptly, offered the use of the buffet, plus served with what can only be described as the best Eggs Royale south of Penrith that I have ever experienced. Coffee, tea, toast and croissants were served aplenty as well as yoghurts, cereal and museli from the buffet. You are offered use of the gym, jacuzzi, sauna and steam rooms and these are found by taking the staircase near the reception area to get to them. You will need your robe, slippers and a towel from the room, and a pound coin for the lockers. The codes to open the changing room doors are available from the gym reception; walk through the gym to get to the changing rooms, and the steam, sauna and jacuzzi await you the other side of the changing rooms. There's also a heated outdoor swimming pool but unfortunately it was covered so we were unable to use it. But it's only 12 degrees outside currently so perhaps that's a blessing in disguise... We stayed at the OGH to mark our last day of three months in Guernsey and it was a lovely experience. It's pricey (for our pockets, at least) but we enjoyed it all and would happily recommend it to others.

One of those allegedly "Upmarket" establishments for which Form seemingly wins over Function every…read moretime. The property is "characterful", which translates as awkward shaped rooms and awkward short flights of stairs rather than step free. The Service is "attentive", which translates as obsequious yet intrusive. And the technical facilities ... well, aircon that cannot maintain 20C or less on a Autumnal September day (with 18C maximum ambient) simply does not deserve to be called aircon! I'm actually quiet laid back normally, but I do think that assuming 'stuff works' should be a reasonable expectation for any establishment, yet increasingly it seems there's better chance of that from the less swanky / budget chains (c.f. modern specification Holiday Inn Expresses and Premier Inns) than self-important hotels like this one. As to alternative recommendations, I'm afraid I can't help, since the type of reliable chain properties I alluded to are scarce in these islands ...

Had the most wonderful trip with Jersey Sea Safaris out to Les Ecrehous, a small cluster of islands…read morelocated between Jersey and the Normandy coastline. Although at first I was sceptical that the 12 guests plus two staff members would fit on the tiny rib boat but we somehow all crammed on, with myself and my family quickly claiming the front seats as we knew that would be the wildest place to sit! The staff were friendly and explained the health and safety clearly, providing us all with waterproof coats and life jackets (a life saver, because of course us tourists hadn't dressed appropriately!). Before we knew it we were off, clinging on for dear life as we flew over the waves at high speed! The front seats were exhilarating with just the right level of bounce, whilst the back seats looked calmer (although perhaps a little soggy!). The guides slowed to point out the birds and seals on the rocks as we passed by which was amazing, but the highlight of the trip by far was the once in a lifetime view of the dolphins. We spotted them about 20m away and our guides immediately cut the engine so as not to disturb them, and we would all have been delighted to leave it there... However the best was still to come as to our amazement the pod approached our boat and proceeded to play in the water around us! They were so close that if we had leaned in we could have touched them... It was the most magical experience. Having spent so long with the dolphins there was only time for a quick dip in the sea at les ecrehous but I wouldn't have changed it for the world. The trip back was even faster and more thrilling, with our driver demonstrating his skills in the harbour as we did a series of sharp turns. Wonderful experience all round, would go for longer next time on order to explore the island more thoroughly but 5 stars for those dolphins! Even without the exceptional views of wildlife (which can't be guaranteed!) I would still thoroughly recommend a trip out with Jersey sea safaris, they do various other trips around Jersey and even go all the way to France for dinner trips, check them out for sure :)

Staying here is like stepping through a time portal into a bygone age of great British seaside…read moreresort hotels. It is remarkably well-preserved, as are most of its clientele. Evenings in the bar resemble a scene from 'Cocoon'. Having said that, the rooms are nice enough, there is a pool, steam room and fitness suite, and its reasonably priced.

While on a tour of Jersey, our group has lunch in a large room at this hotel…read more The hotel appears to be very nice, with a nice lobby a comfortable retreat for tired tourists. Our group had a prearranged lunch here. It was only fair,but, it may be due to the selections made by our tour company. I reserve judgement as I believe the Mayfair is worth a try.