Guernsey or Jersey Holiday? Which is better?

rocky.raccoon

Hi,

We (a couple adults mid 30s) cannot decide whether to go to Guernsey or Jersey in Sep

We don't know much about those places. We'd like a place to relax but lots to do, for example, nice beaches and shops/restaurants. We love retail therapy so looking for the best place to shop.

We cannot drive. We're looking for a place if good access/transport/etc

Also, if you have been before what would you recommend, things to do, tips, do's and don'ts, etc

Thanks

wallbash

Split your holiday , easy to travel between islands.

tingtong

rocky.raccoon wrote: »

Hi,

We (a couple adults mid 30s) cannot decide whether to go to Guernsey or Jersey in Sep

We don't know much about those places. We'd like a place to relax but lots to do, for example, nice beaches and shops/restaurants. We love retail therapy so looking for the best place to shop.

We cannot drive. We're looking for a place if good access/transport/etc

Also, if you have been before what would you recommend, things to do, tips, do's and don'ts, etc

Thanks

Can't comment on Guernsey but we have just visited Jersey for the first time and loved the place. Plenty to do, great bus service around the island, nice beaches, good restaurants etc. St Helier is pretty good for shopping too.

I would recommend getting a 4 day Jersey pass for £45 each which will then allow you to visit quite a few attractions for free - we went to 9 out of 16 (I think) and it would have cost about £70 if we paid for them separately. Also recommend renting a bike from Zebra (in St Helier), £15 per day (£25 for 2 days) you can get around quite a bit as the island is so small.

Have a look on Tripadvisor for further ideas on things to do.

rocky.raccoon

wallbash wrote: »

Split your holiday , easy to travel between islands.

Only 3 nights maybe 4. Not sure whether we'll have time to do both..

tingtong wrote: »

Can't comment on Guernsey but we have just visited Jersey for the first time and loved the place. Plenty to do, great bus service around the island, nice beaches, good restaurants etc. St Helier is pretty good for shopping too.

I would recommend getting a 4 day Jersey pass for £45 each which will then allow you to visit quite a few attractions for free - we went to 9 out of 16 (I think) and it would have cost about £70 if we paid for them separately. Also recommend renting a bike from Zebra (in St Helier), £15 per day (£25 for 2 days) you can get around quite a bit as the island is so small.

Have a look on Tripadvisor for further ideas on things to do.

Loved about renting a bike. Definitely doing it.

Would it be better to get there by air or by sea? Also what would be the best place/location to stay in the island? Looking for hotels near the best places easy access to attractions

tingtong

rocky.raccoon wrote: »

Only 3 nights maybe 4. Not sure whether we'll have time to do both..



Loved about renting a bike. Definitely doing it.

Would it be better to get there by air or by sea? Also what would be the best place/location to stay in the island? Looking for hotels near the best places easy access to attractions

We would always fly, but it's an easy decision for us - we are based in the North West so it is either a 55 min flight from MAN/LPL or a 4-5 hour drive to the South coast then a ferry. Also, we had free flights this time through Airmiles (with Tesco vouchers). We have just booked to go back for a week next year and the flights were £64 each with Easyjet.

As far as where to stay, I think St Helier would be your best bet for 3/4 nights. There's plenty to do there and buses run from there to everywhere else on the island. £6.50 for an all-day bus ticket.

Don't bother getting a taxi from the airport unless you are in a hurry - it cost us £15 but the bus costs £1.70 each for a one-way ticket.

Here's a link to the Jersey Pass: https://www.jerseypass.com

Piggo_2

We went to Jersey a few years ago now and my friend went to Guernsey a few weeks after us. They said we got the better deal! They liked Guernsey but said it was limited with things to do and they were there a week, whereas on Jersey we had a great time. We stayed in St Helier for 3 nights, great location and then tootled around. We did have a vehicle which made it easy, but it's lovely scenery and plenty of places to visit and walk.

lazer

I've been to Jersey quite a few times and love it, on my last trip went on a day trip to Guernesy

You could maybe do a day trip to Guernesy from Jersey (£26 on condor Ferries) if you had time.

I would recommend staying on the Havre des Pas, its slightly outside St Helier, about 10 minute walk into the town and right beside the beach.

Also make sure and got to St Aubins, it a relaxing 3 mile walk along the beach from St Helier. The boat house in St Aubins do a lovely Sunday lunch.

Other activites and sights to see include Durrell (aka Jersey Zoo, a nice way to spend a few hours), Elizabeth Castle - which depending on the tide you can either walk to or get the ferry out too, its worth seeing though.

With regards to shopping, the main shops in Jersy are not open on a sunday, and in Guernesy, not even the pubs are open on a sunday!

Unless you are looking for antiques and/or Jewellery, St Helier is the only shopping spot in Jersey really. The smaller towns usually only have a few tourist shops, antique shops and a few restaurants and bars.

I'm sure you'll have a great time

Katiehound

Have only spent a few hours off a cruise ship in St Peter Port so I don't know a lot! but people we spoke to had a bus trip around the island of Guernsey from near the marina for the huge sum of £1!! (This may be a concessionary fare.) If you broke the journey then you paid a £1 for each sector. there were interesting things to see in St.PP.
the tourist office sent some good brochures with hotel listings and things to do:
http://www.visitguernsey.com/

charlea

i have just returned from jersey and liked it so much my other half and i extended our trip by three extra days weather was 26 degrees every day

we stayed at the mayfair which while it dose seem to cater for the more older crowd compared to the prices at other hotels like the raddison which was 170 a night we paid 110 for both of us including breakfast which was excellent its has a pool and a really nice small terrace and a cafe and lounge /bar
at 55p per night per person for jersey in high season this is a very good price
it was very central ie 5 mins to the shops and resturants 10 mins walk to the bus station and the hotel had loads of trips availble

in september i think you can get the prices even lower around 35 -40 a night and they do some great deal inc ferry crossing ect on there website
ask for room 209 or one of the refurbished rooms they are at the back and are very nice for the price paid
when i arriving i did think what on earth have we done as there were several motability scooters in the reception for the older guest of the hotel but the hotel is fab if you want a good base at a very good price

lfc84

have you considered isle of man?

easyjet fly from liverpool

Bo_Peep

Hi rocky.raccoon,

I would suggest that Jersey is more suited to your needs. Guernsey is nice for a day trip but, as another poster already said, there is not much to do.

Hopefully in September the weather will still be nice for you and there are plenty of beaches to explore. We're not really beach people so can't really recommend any specific ones but if you look at this link:
http://www.jersey.com/english/discoverjersey/beachesandviews/pages/default.aspx
it will give you descriptions of the different beaches there. There are also some nice coastal walks if you're into walking.

There is a good bus service that serves the Island so you should be OK if you don't drive. St. Helier will have the most central bus links but the other parishes are also well served if you want to be out of the main town area. I would highly recommend the Samares Coast Hotel if you want a coastal hotel - lovely gardens, pool complex, nice staff, great food and brilliant sea views from the restaurant and front-facing rooms. Also quite reasonably priced compared to some of the other hotels on the Island.

The shops in St. Helier are OK - pretty much the same as we have in most town centres here. You might get some good deals but we found things like perfumes and electronics to be much cheaper over the internet. There are plenty of jewellery shops where you should get a better deal than in the UK but Jersey now have GST which has put the prices up a bit. St. Helier also has a large indoor market.

Regarding restaurants, Gorey has some nice ones overlooking the pier - sea food and Italian in particular. St. Aubin also has a lot of restaurants with nice views over the harbour. St. Helier will have the main town pubs and chain restaurants.
I would personally recommend Seascale in Gorey for good Italian and English food and nice views; The Old Smugglers Inn in St. Brelade for very nice typical English pub food and The Royal in St. Martin is another one for nice, quick pub food. Check the opening times though as most of the restaurants stop serving food before 8:30-9pm so don't get caught out if you are late eaters.

Regarding attractions, I would recommend the Zoo (Durrell) in Trinity; Jersey's Living Legend Village where you can see a short show detailing the history of the Island (there's also a shopping village, golf and karting complex and a restaurant); Mont Orgueil Castle in Gorey and Elizabeth Castle in St. Helier are worth a look, as are the Jersey War Tunnels in St. Peter - a must see if you like WWII history. There are also plenty of other WWII Occupation museums on the Island as well, if this is your thing.

Look into getting a Jersey Pass if you plan on doing lots of attractions as this may save you money.
http://www.jersey.com/english/sightsandactivities/attractions/jerseypass/pages/default.aspx

Other things worth seeing:

Jersey Lavender
Jersey Maritime Museum (interactive and quite interesting)
Shell Garden
Jersey Pearl
Jersey Goldsmiths (Lion Park)
Jersey Pottery

Hope this has helped, feel free to PM me if you would like any further information as there's lots more to mention but it's a bit long for here and I'm out of time now. I should be able to answer most questions you could have on Jersey.

Regards,
Bo.