Brilliant being able to fly direct to St Helier, Jersey from our local airport care of Jet2. Flight is only about an hour.
Trip down memory lane. Was last in Jersey in June 1984, 42 years ago, when despite being heavily pregnant with our daughter to be, I went on the helter-skelter at Fort Regent (currently undergoing a massive regeneration project).
Staying at 8 Beresford Street St Helier right next door to St Helier Market. Note to self: Don’t book a short haul flight on a Saturday from Newcastle Airport. Not only our flight was delayed and the limited facilities massively exceeded capacity. Poshmum just doesn’t do queues of 10 deep at the bar for an overpriced beer. Not even anywhere to sit comfortably whilst you wait.
Our digs for the week are a very plush former gentlemen’s club with welcoming and efficient staff. Well-stocked fridge is very welcome, given its 27 degrees at 7pm. Nicely presented suite equipped with 2 TVs, no excuse to skip the England v Panama World Cup football game later! That said, TV reception needs improvement, as does the sound proofing of the rooms unless you like significant street noise! A trade off though for being so centrally located.
Customary Saturday night Indian dinner was had care of Jaipur contemporary Indian restaurant where the staff were welcoming and amusing. Dishes were in the main fairly standard rather than contemporary, although a few more bespoke ones increased our expectations. I’m a little disappointed with no Indian beer on tap, and although bottles of Cobra were available, they were overpriced, so we stuck to draught Stella Artois. Dinner came to £109 for 2, including service, which is on par with our local Indian restaurants in Sunderland.
Morning coffee and patisserie standard pastries duly munched at Bean Around the World met with Poshmum’s approval, oh and met some locals too:
Hmmm, can Poshmum suss out a local bar for local people? We won’t find a Mary Ann boozer these days. The brewery was taken over by Liberation ales many years ago, who continued to brew Mary Ann best bitter to preserve its heritage. As recently as 2025, however, Liberation transferred operations to Somerset, thus ending over 150 years of production in Jersey. Rumour has it that a microbrewery might pick up the Mary Ann chalice in the future – as good a reason as any to pay a return visit!
Bus journeys all over the island currently cost a fixed rate of £2.75 per journey. The bus station is at Liberation Square near to which is a monument to those who endured being occupied by the German army for 5 years during WW2.
Headed for the Jersey Military museum at L’Etaq care of the no. 22 bus from Liberation Station. Housed in a German Bunker, this small museum holds a wealth of artefacts. Perhaps a better reflection of the WW2 occupation can be found in the Jersey war tunnels museum, which includes an underground wartime hospital.
Was so looking forward to a seafood lunch in L’Etaq, so we followed the signs to Faulkeners restaurant, decked with a lobster on its wall. However, it was all closed up. Didn’t look like it had been open for years! Get your signage fixed!
Beaches all over have unspoilt views, sands and rock pools that stretch for miles. Thank goodness years of policy to sympathetically manage tourism here have successfully prevented the landscape being blighted by miles of parasols and sunbeds. Beaches here are easily more exquisite than many Poshmum has seen around the world.
St Helier’s historic market has undergone recent extensive regeneration and is packed with quirky stalls and cafes. Can strongly recommend Bloomers bakery for brilliant morning pastries. Open most days until 5.30pm, Poshmum was pleased to be in time for wine o’clock at a pleasant little outlet where we sat outside.
We dined at Eddie’s Fish and Chip restaurant on Dumaresq St, St Helier. Beautiful freshly made fish dishes and great quality chips went down extremely well. Run and owned by a passionate family with a mission to ensure consistent high quality, certainly warranting its high customer ratings.
Delectable fizz and crab lunch at yet another hidden cove. Splendid walk from St. Catherine’s to Gorey.
Loved the Samares Manor Botanic Gardens including the agricultural museum and a few rooms in the Manor. Exquisite flowers, herbs, and the Japanese Garden were particular highlights.
Nice dinner back at Beresford Street, in its Old Vic bar. Crab on toast with poached egg simply delightful. The football wasn’t bad either, England coming from behind to beat D R Congo thanks to Harry Kane’s supreme talent.
Walked from Corbiere to St. Brelade today along the cliff tops, stunning views of the coves below.
Simple but tasty dinner at Cabana Thai restaurant very close to our digs was just the ticket.
Until next time Jersey, its been a blast! The airport is going through a massive update programme so should be much better in a year or so. Jet2 need to do better when flights are delayed- tell us why for a start! Offer complementary refreshments second!
Posh Mum's Journeys 