Review of The Atlantic Hotel Jersey

Jersey is the largest of the Channel Islands – at around 9 miles (14.4 kilometres) by 5 miles (8 kilometres) – with 48 miles (77 kilometres) of coastline. Jersey is 14 miles off the south west coast of France in the Bay of St Malo and is 85 miles from England. Due to its location, it is the sunniest – and some say happiest – place in the British Isles! 

The island supports around 100,000 inhabitants – more during the tourist season – March to October and while English is the main language, expect to hear French, Polish, Portuguese and even the patois language, Jèrriais. 

The Atlantic Hotel Jersey is just 10 minutes by taxi from the island’s international airport in St Peter and 20 minutes to the capital St Helier. There are around twenty air and sea routes that connect Jersey to the rest of the world. These include Blue Islands (airline routes include Dublin, Bristol, Exeter and Zurich), British Airways (London Heathrow) and Lufthansa (Munich). There are many more flights in the peak summer months. 

Ferries run throughout the year with sailings from England and France. 

The hotel is situated in the parish of St Brelade on the south-west tip of Jersey and it directly overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. 

From The Atlantic Hotel, you can enjoy walks to vast stretches of superb sand beaches, and the conservation area of Les Mielles is just steps away. In rain, shine or even in fog, no visit to the hotel is complete without a walk down to the coastline. The views! The views!

The Atlantic offers just 50 rooms & suites. While you really get the feeling of a grand hotel due to the huge public spaces, it is actually quite intimate.

Guests are offered views over the Atlantic Ocean, the glorious gardens or La Moye Golf Course.

There are five categories of rooms – from Ocean or Garden View to Garden Studios, Executive and the signature Atlantic Suite. The hotel is popular with families and many guestrooms are interconnecting.

Each room comes with complimentary highspeed wi-fi, Sky Television, Hildon Water, fresh fruit, tea & coffee making facilities, small fridge, couch, desk and twin or king-sized bed. The bathrooms feature Molton Brown products.

Jersey can get chilly in the winter months and the hotel – and indeed its rooms - is comfortably warm during this period.

The hotel is constantly upgrading its guestrooms and you should ask for a refurbished room when booking.

The Atlantic is very much a destination hotel in that you can head there and if you wish, never leave – enjoying all that it has to offer from spa to golf and beaches to yoga.

The hotel is set in 10 acres of lush, verdant garden – which leads down to the delightful, sandy beach of St Ouen’s Bay. Between mid-May and September, the beach is patrolled by lifeguards and – subject to conditions – is a great place to enjoy a picnic (from the hotel) … and long swims in the sea.

In front of the Ocean restaurant is an outdoor swimming pool – very popular in the summer, especially with families.

The Palm Club features a 12-metre heated indoor swimming pool, spa pool (bubbles!), saunas and a small gym. The Club has a winter treatment room – for massages, facials and other spa treatments using the Irish brand – VOYA. During the summer months – June to September - guests can also head out to the gardens where there is a sizeable pop-up “therapy tent” overlooking St Ouen’s Bay - where they can enjoy treatments overlooking the ocean. Stunning!

Yoga is offered in groups and private classes.

Between May and September, guests can rent eBikes and using the 15 mph (25 kmph) “green lanes” can zip around the island enjoying the countryside or indeed to pop into St Helier for a spot of shopping. One highlight in St Helier is the Central Market, which is around 150 years old and features cafes, boutiques, vintners, flower and a cigar shop.

Being an island, Jersey is surrounded by sea and the hotel offers a yacht charter service. Guests can also arrange to go fishing and diving! For those who want to see Jersey from the sky – flying lessons are also an option.

There are a few great golf courses in Jersey – with La Moye bordering the hotel - and the Royal Jersey – a links course on the east of the island – being another golfing highlight. Jersey is an “affluent” island and there are many residents who pass time on the golf course – so book tee-times in advance – through the hotel Concierge.

For an island that is just 45 square miles, there is much to see & do including the War Tunnels, the Gerald Durrell-established Jersey Zoo, the Eric Young Orchid exhibition, La Mare Wine Estate, the spectacular Mont Orgueil Castle that overlooks Gorey Harbour and fun for the family at aMaizin! Adventure Park.

Evenings in Jersey – especially in winter – can be rather bleak and foggy. The hotel has a sweet sofa’d nook that is filled with books and board games where you can enjoy yourselves and tax your brain – perhaps over a glass of Jersey wine.

The Atlantic welcomes well-behaved dogs (with well-behaved owners)!

The Atlantic Hotel Jersey opened in 1970 and architecturally, the main building mirrors the style of the time. However, with clever enhancements, the hotel now looks & feels contemporary – very 2023 – but has been softened with the use of flora and landscaping. 

The main entrance is covered with wisteria that blooms into a cascade of colour and beauty. 

The public areas feature either stone or wood flooring. Wood panelling, large comfy sofas and windows - that drench the interior in natural light - are welcoming. At night, these areas shine with bright but not overbearing lamps and lighting fixtures. 

The hotel is proud of its artworks - and these include Artic Dunes and Putting Out by local artists Nicholas Romeril and Glenn Badham respectively. Ellie Yannas - born in Istanbul and brought up in Athens - displays a delightful work called Thoughts and Afterthoughts - 18 small pieces of 3D art that make up a larger one.  

There are water features just off the main lobby that are filled with camera-friendly fish. One could spend hours watching them as they shimmy around their indoor ponds. 

The Ocean restaurant looks like it has come out of a New English inn – and is dominated by fresh white. It mirrors the cuisine – fresh and modern.

Among other things, Jersey is famous for its cows – dairy produce – potatoes and seafood. The hotel ensures that these are all part of the culinary experience. 

In 2017, Will Holland was appointed Executive Chef for the hotel and indeed The Ocean restaurant. This Michelin-star winning chef is responsible for all the food & beverage in the hotel, from the signature restaurant – serving contemporary British fare - to the room service. 

Every year, the hotel is at the heart of the annual Eat Jersey Food Festival which is not only a huge draw for gastronomes but is also a chance for hotels & restaurants on the island to highlight the incredible variety of local ingredients. Special dinners arranged by the hotel have included guest chefs including the internationally renowned Michel Roux Jr. 

The hotel bar serves cocktails, Champagne and even local drinks – cider and beer, children can enjoy the hearty but healthy “Little Ones” meals, there is al fresco dining on the terrace in the summer, picnics on the beach, a traditional afternoon tea in the lobby … and then there is The Ocean restaurant. 

It is open from breakfast and dinner every day and for lunch on Thursday through to Sunday (Sunday lunch is fabulous). 

The Ocean is where Will and his Team shine.

Breakfast is delicious - with either a continental or cooked meal. The Full Jersey is hearty! 

There are several menus on offer for lunch and dinner - from a set to à la carte and a superb tasting menu – paired carefully with fine wines. 

The kitchen uses only the best & freshest ingredients – mostly local – which includes seafood: lobster and crab, salmon and scallops, Wagyu beef, venison and of course Jersey Royal potatoes, Jersey cream and even Jersey honey! 

The Ocean offers superb service - from the waiters to the sommelier. It's on par to anything in London or Paris. 

The wines served are of the quality expected in the fine-dining experience but if you get the chance, sup on the local cider – it’s quite terrific. 

The hotel offers private dining – an extravagance worth the journey for! 

If you fancy more Jersey fare, here is another great idea: Ice cream – there are only a few thousand Jersey cows on the island. Head down to Woodlands Farm (on an eBike?) to meet some of these gentle bovine beasts and then savour a cone of fine ice cream at La Corbière Lighthouse. It’s a Jersey must do! Ice cream has been produced on the island since the late 18th century – they “know” how it’s done … better than the Italians any day!

The Atlantic Hotel is proud to be an EarthCheck member and is dedicated to a more sustainable future environment from shore to not-so-distant shore. From patchworks of purple wildflowers that grow on its dramatic headlands to the windswept dunes and wild wetlands teeming with birdlife that nestle in its northern cliffs, or in the cleanest beaches in Europe surrounded by local waters where you find archipelagos of desert islets and bottle-nosed dolphins playing in your wake, The Atlantic is conscious of the impact tourism can have on both the natural environment and community.

Jersey’s natural playground is open all year-round for our visitors to admire, not overwhelm. As an island Jersey has pledged to become a carbon neutral destination by 2030.

In Spring 2023, the hotel opened a second property on its grounds … for the local creepy-crawlies and additionally, a special guest house for hedgehogs! Both are complimentary to its respective guests.