Guernsey - a pretty little gem of a place
- lorisolan
- Jul 10, 2017
- 4 min read
We were lucky enough to be invited to a friends wedding that was held in The Old Government House on Guernsey island. Guernsey is one of the Channel Islands and is the most beautiful, serene place. I have decided after visiting it would be the perfect place to retire. It has such a chilled, relaxed atmosphere and all of the locals and travellers alike are just happy. Looking around at the scenery surrounding the small town itself, you can understand why. We wereso fortunate to get sunny weather for our couple of days there.
We flew to Guernsey with Aurigny, the local Guernsey airline. It was a short hour long flight from London Gatwick to Guernsey airport costing us £100 each. The airline staff were all extremely friendly and were chatting and laughing away with a lot of the passengers so made it quite an enjoyable flying experience, speaking from someone who is petrified of flying and can't usually find the joy in anything when in the air!
Saint George's Bed and Breakfast location
We were booked in to a lovely, homely guesthouse - Saint George's Bed and Breakfast (21 St. George's Esplanade, GY1 2BG). It was £96 per night which was quite pricey but it was in a brilliant location (10 minute walk from the town), had great views of the port and the bed was so comfortable.
Castle Cornet, Guernsey
Guernsey is steeped in history and a visit to Castle Cornet will provide lots of information on what happened here. The castle was constructed in the 13th century and has guarded the island for over 800 years. It is a 10 minute walk along the raised walkway from the town.
There are five museums you will find throughout the castle:
- The Story of Castle Cornet
- 201 Squadron (RAF) Museum
- Maritime Museum (including maritime art gallery)
- Royal Guernsey Light Infantry Museum
- Royal Guernsey Militia Museum
There are also four beautiful gardens to walk around.
At noon each day you will find the Castles Gunners clad in scarlet costumes marching out to fire the Noon-day gun. They fire the shot and then can be found posing for pictures for a short few minutes afterwards. The shot can be heard throughout the town so it is quite a bang.
Castle Entry fee:
Adult - £10.50, Children £3.00
Fresh flowers throughout Guernsey
There are scores of fresh flower baskets dotted all over the town bringing such colour and beauty to the area. They line the streets, restaurant fronts and along the water down at the marina.
Our friends wedding at Old Government House Hotel, Guernsey
The Old Government House Hotel is such a beautiful venue for a wedding. It boasts that it is Guernseys only 5* hotel and it definitely lives up to this with stunning views overlooking St Peters Port from the perfectly manicured garden, top service levels, friendly professional staff and exceptional food. The function room itself is a huge open, bright space thanks to the large windows running down the length of the room. The ceiling is adorned with chandeliers and the fresh white linen used for the tables and chairs gives the room a luxurious feel. We had the best day celebrating our friends marriage, this will be one of our most memorable weddings.
Breakfast at The Boathouse, Guernsey
Breakfast places are plentiful around the town. We visited three different restaurants and they all had extensive menus and the food was really good. Our favourite place was The Boathouse which is situated right on the marina. The outdoor seating area comes with beautiful views of the port and all of the boats from dinghys to luxury yachts. The breakfast itself was a good sized portion and very tasty.
Post Wedding dinner at China Red (#1 restaurant in Guernsey on tripadvisor)
My friends brother owns the #1 restaurant in town - China Red (34 St. George's Esplanade, St. Peter Port GY1 2BG). The day after the wedding, we were all invited to a dinner at China Red. Our guesthouse was two doors down so it was extremely convenient for us to get there. After tasting the food, I now understand exactly why it is number 1 (not being biased). The food was exceptional and the interior is so beautifully designed. With Guernsey being right by the sea, the seafood was so fresh and beautifully cooked. The rabbit dumplings were a hit with everyone. I never thought I would have a rabbit dumpling but I was glad I gave it a go. The food was non stop and the wine was flowing making it a truly enjoyable evening that I am grateful we were able to experience.
There is a lot more on offer in Guernsey, unfortunately we didn't get to do as much as we would have liked with the wedding and our short 2 night stay. I can't wait to get back one day and properly explore the whole island.
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