Spring-Summer Pure Jersey Part 1 with adverts:jersey Cover AW

so Accommodating
MARY ANNE AT HOME IN EULAH COUNTRY HOUSE HOTEL
What’s the accommodation
scene like in Jersey? Mary
Anne Evans, Chairman of the
British Guild of Travel Writers,
knows a thing or two about
hotels so we asked her to
take a look.
Ihadn’t been to Jersey before, so my
expectations of the island, like many
first-time visitors, were of the picturepostcard
kind. Glorious sandy beaches and
small, winding lanes; mellow stone manor
houses and an intriguing history. So far, so
good – Jersey has all of these. But what
about accommodation? To be honest, I had
envisaged a not-too-inspiring choice that
ranged between faded country house hotel
grandeur and the dowdy gentility of a
seafront guest house. How wrong I was.
While the world and I have been looking
elsewhere, Jersey has upped the ante.
What I discovered were sophisticated
hotels, elegant guest houses and selfcatering
with a distinctly individual – not to
say unique – slant.
I was in Jersey to test-run three very
different places, chosen to give a broadly
representative idea of how things have
changed and what’s on offer here. I began,
appropriately enough, beside the sea at
The Atlantic Hotel. In name, location,
architecture and atmosphere this is a hotel
shaped by maritime influences. Built in
grand 1930s ‘seaside marine’ style, it has
recently been enlarged and remodelled,
mixing classical and contemporary design.
Colours are pale and cool, predominantly
beige and blue, reflecting The Atlantic’s
dramatic ocean setting. Acres of windows
and glass doors flood the ground floor with
light, making the most of the view
overlooking St Ouen’s Bay, the vast stretch of
surf and sand that fills Jersey’s west coast.
Much of the furniture throughout the hotel
is bespoke, designed and crafted locally, and
there are plants and flowers everywhere.
There’s a pretty, wood-panelled sitting
room-cum-library with shelves full of books
and games like Trivial Pursuit and chess for a
rainy afternoon. The bar has a clubby feel –
just the place for a good scotch.
As the Channel Islands’ only member of the
prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the
World, The Atlantic takes its restaurant just
as seriously. Chef Mark Jordan knows his
local onions – or Jersey Royals in this case
– and features locally caught sea bass,
lobster and crab, island reared beef and
lamb and those famous potatoes on his
menus. He knows what he’s doing and has a
Michelin star to prove it.
This, you feel, is a hotel that has the
balance of professionalism and warmth just
right, due in no small measure to the fact
that it has always been in private
ownership.
Next stop was Eulah Country House in St
Helier. As I arrived, owner Frank Callaghan
was looking up at a side gable. ‘It’s just like
the Forth Bridge,’ he said, as he mentally
totted what was needed to keep this
generously proportioned, red-brick house
in pristine shape. Eulah, built around 1906,
was a damaged Edwardian gem when Frank
bought it. Old photographs show rooms full
of chased copper, splendid fireplaces and
flowery tiles. But when Frank arrived on the
scene in 1978, most of the original fittings
had been ripped out or painted over and it
took years of research, time and money to
restore the old lady to her former
flamboyant self.
Five years ago he decided to turn Eulah
House into an upmarket boutique hotel
offering bed and breakfast in luxurious
surroundings. In common with many other
accommodation providers in Jersey, he
realised that times had moved on and that
there was a new generation of travellers
out there with high expectations.
54 pureJersey 1 book online at www.jersey.com 55
THE ATLANTIC HOTEL