Adjacent to the third tee on Jersey’s famed La Moye Golf Club, The Atlantic Hotel has been in the very safe hands of the Burke family for nearly 50 years. It’s also quietly become probably the finest hotel Jersey has to offer.
And I don’t say that flippantly by the way. For me, The Atlantic Hotel personifies everything a luxury hotel should offer. An envious position high up on the rugged cliff top overlooking the drama of St Ouen’s Bay is a perfect start. Six acres of manicured gardens and a backdrop of endless ocean, sand dunes, beach and west coast national parkland is a priceless gift from Mother Nature.
The property may not look all that stylish from the outside, its cubic shape reminiscent of 60s design, but walk through the portal and you enter a world of charm and personal service that many hoteliers would simply dream of. It’s no secret people make the difference in hospitality and The Atlantic Hotel is a perfect example. They do the simple things excellently and the challenging things effortlessly. It’s no wonder they have so many familiar faces returning year after year.
I bump into Patrick Burke in the lobby. Patrick, the second generation Burke to be at the helm after father Henry, certainly knows a thing or two about being a hotelier. From the Carlton Tower in Knightsbridge and Chairman of Small Luxury Hotels of the World to co-founding Luxury Jersey Hotels, Patrick clearly has hotels in his DNA.
“If you’re looking for a walk with a nice view,” he tells me,” try the headland just to the left of our tennis courts. My father used to walk out there every day. You’ll see his bench. The views are breathtaking.”
So I did, and they were. Jersey does that to you a lot. For such a small island, it packs one hell of a punch.
Upstairs our room faces the Atlantic, but right now the tide’s out and there’s even more sandy beach than normal. Geeky fact here: Jersey has one of the world’s highest tidal changes; around 12 metres The sun is streaming in through the floor to ceiling sliding glass doors. It’s a very comfortable space with a chaise long, an armchair and an impressive king bed. The marble bathroom is kitted out with a Hansgrohe shower, and there are Molton Brown toiletries over the sink.
But it’s downstairs where the magic of the Atlantic really happens. Past the trickling indoor fish pond (are they Koi or Carp) to the airy lobby or the lounge, or the pool terrace. Either way, I’m greeted like an old friend; the teas and coffees are wonderful, the barman remembers my choice of tipple and the receptionist gives me insider knowledge on a shortcut to St. Ouens Bay. This is a well-drilled front of house who know their craft inside out.
And then, of course, there’s the Ocean Restaurant. A gorgeously airy space of coastal whites and blues topped off with bay views framed by white shutters. A team of quite extraordinary people serving quite extraordinary food from the culinary spellbook of Executive Chef Will Holland. A talented chef who was awarded a Michelin star before he turned 30. The market menu dinner is delicious as is breakfast the next morning. No kitchen trainee is given the breakfast shift here. This is the full team on duty, night and day. I even spot Mr Holland strolling out of the kitchen fresh from delivering up a plate of perfectly poached eggs. The serving team are almost as entertaining as the food. It is pure theatre all the way and I love every minute of it.
There is a small hiccup with the smashed avocado on toast. Just one slice when two were requested.
Food and Beverage Manager Jaro returns from the kitchen: “The chef will struggle a little now he can only see through one eye, but it will be here momentarily.”
Hilarious.
It is rare to find a hotel that ticks so many of the right boxes but The Atlantic Hotel does just that on every level. The guest comes first every time and it’s so refreshing to see it work so well. Everything is handled with effortless charm. As it should be. The Atlantic Hotel is a class act.
Got to go now, my second avocado on toast has just turned up.
Tell me more about The Atlantic Hotel
The Atlantic Hotel, Le Mont de la Pulente, St. Brelade, Jersey JE3 8HE
Tel: +44 (0) 1534 744101 E: info@theatlantichotel.com
The Atlantic Hotel offers an Atlantic break year-round from £118 per person per night. This includes accommodation, full English breakfast each morning, a three-course dinner in Ocean Restaurant each night, use of the Palm Club and a group B hire car (petrol, insurance and Jersey hire car tax to be settled directly with the hire car company). Minimum two-night stay.
Ocean Restaurant Market Menu – Daily changing three-course dinner £50
About Jersey
This is Jersey. An island-shaped by the sea where some of the most astonishing tides in the world circle the coast and feed the land. An island that’s small on size, but big on personality, where country lanes open to cliff top views and the sea is never more than ten minutes’ away. An island of rediscovery, packed with activities to experience and explore. An island where you can come up for air
More information on Jersey can be found at the official tourist portal Visit Jersey
La Moye Golf Club
St Brelade, Jersey, JE3 8GQ
Tel: +44 (1534) 743401
