Jersey help!

kez_s

Hi - we are thinking of taking the kids to Jersey for a few days when it's warmer! Can anyone suggest places to go and anywhere nice to stay? Never been before, dh went when he was little but can't remember much! My children will be 5 & 7, so anything ideas they will enjoy would be appreciated! Also will 2 or 3 days be enough?

Many thanks in advance!

bnjmum

We spent a week in Jersey a few years ago when my kids were similar age to yours, we had a great time. We stayed on a campsite called Bleu Soleil near to St Ouen in a ready erected tent, although they now have caravans. The beach nearby, Greve De Lecq, is beautiful! As for things to do, there is an adventure park type place called aMaizin where we had a fab day out, in fact my boys still remember it and talk about it now. Also Durrell the zoo is well worth a day trip and if your kids like castles there is a bus come boat type thing in St Helier that takes you over to explore Elizabeth Castle. We easily filled a full week there! hth

Bo_Peep

Hi kez_s,

You will love Jersey.

For accommodation, I would recommend the Samares Coast Hotel which is right on the coast in St. Clement. It has a beach over the road but it is not the best on the island (not too sandy) but the hotel itself is lovely. It has a leisure suite with an indoor pool, outdoor pool, sauna and Jacuzzi. You can also go self-catering there if you prefer, as they have some apartments that overlook the gardens. The staff there are lovely and from what I hear, very accommodating for children as well.

In terms of attractions, I would recommend aMaizin Maze (not been there myself but I hear kids love it); Jersey Zoo (a.k.a. Durrell) and there is also an indoor waterpark called Aquasplash.

I must admit I don't know much about children so not sure what would be suitable for their ages. There are two castles which are good (Elizabeth Castle and Mont Orgueil Castle) but you know better than me whether your children would be able to cope with the walking involved. Have a look at this link for all that Jersey has to offer:

http://www.jersey.com/english/sightsandactivities/attractions/pages/default.aspx

In terms of restaurants, I can recommend The Old Smuggler's Inn in St. Brelade for good value traditional pub food and The Royal at St. Martins for a quick pub food meal. Seascale on the harbour front in Gorey is a nice little Italian/English restaurant.

In terms of time, I personally wouldn't find 2-3 days enough but I love Jersey and love to do all the attractions. It's not a cheap place to get to (or get around) so if your budget is tight, you could cram a lot into 2-3 days with planning. Whether you are flying or taking the ferry will also make a difference. If we sail from Weymouth we have to add an extra day on for travelling but we can fly from Southampton in 30 minutes and be there by lunch time.

Anything else you want to know, just ask.

Bo.

kez_s

Thank you both for the info! It's very much appreciated. We thought we would need longer, it's just Jersey isn't the only break we intend to take but due to my oh's work commitments, weather, school holidays etc., we are trying to do several short breaks and lots of days out rather than one longer holiday. We live a few minutes from Weymouth so plan to go by ferry, it's living here that's given us the Jersey idea as we keep seeing it advertised when we are out and about and it's somewhere we've not been to apart from dh but as I mentioned he doesn't remember too much.

My children both love Zoo's, so that's def an idea, I'll look into the castle's, we were going to take them to Corfe Castle as again that's only minutes away so I'll see how they all compare! Thanks once again!