High above the eastern end of St Brelades Bay, the gleaming white Biarritz Hotel looks down on clean white sands. A private pathway provides quick access to the beach below.

Jersey is almost France, almost abroad, a mere 14 miles from Brittany. There are apocryphal stories that locals take their boats across to France to pick-up a Sunday morning pain-au-chocolat.

Place-names, language and customs recall Jersey’s centuries as part of Normandy. Look out for the Visites du Branchage during July and September when inspectors check that landowners have cut back branches overhanging roads.

Flourishing palms show that Gulf Stream warmed St Malo Bay, where Jersey sits, has a micro-climate, warmer than England‘s South Coast that lies 85 miles away.

When the tide goes out, St Brelades Bay stretches even further towards the horizon. At low tide, Jersey’s territory expands by 30%.And for the record, St Brelade was a 6th century devout wandering Celt.

The welcome

Family-run for over six decades, the Biarritz Hotel has a reputation for superb service.

A friendly welcome tells us about meal times and facilities before taking our bags to the room.

The room

Our dual aspect, premium room has large sliding doors opening out onto a balcony spacious enough for sun-loungers, chairs and a table.

Furnishings are light-pine, curtains are of gentle pastels. A statement fern wallpaper on one wall contributes to a bright seaside ambience. If you still need a reminder of where you are, there is a nostalgic yesteryear Jersey tourism poster on the wall. In addition to a chest of drawers, there is a dressing table. On warm days, chilled water from the fridge is…

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