Visiting Guernsey with Condor Ferries

*AD Press Trip

I have wanted to get to the Channel Islands for years, it's somewhere that has always intrigued me and has been sitting on my bucket list for a while so when the opportunity arose with Condor Ferries to visit Guernsey we jumped at the chance. Guernsey, smaller than Jersey and being just 25sq miles packs a punch and is filled with opportunities to explore and have adventures. I am going to be doing a list of things to do with kids on the island in a separate post, while in this post I want to focus more on the overall experience and getting to the island.

There are two main ways to get to the channel islands are either flying or by Condor Ferries who offer a variety of options when it comes to channel crossings and can take you to Guernsey, Jersey and St Malo in France, leaving from Portsmouth or Poole. You can opt for the high-speed trimaran or the slower Clipper service which also offers overnight sailings. We decided to use the high-speed Liberation from Poole with a sailing time of only 3hrs!

Horizon Lounge on Liberation 

Our check-in for the midday sailing was very efficient, you can tell the staff are knowledgeable and take the safety and security of their passengers seriously while still being very friendly and welcoming. Once we had all our documents checked we very excitedly drove onto the ship looking forward to what adventures lay ahead. The Liberation has 3 different seating options and guarantees a seat for everyone, you can upgrade from standard seating to the Horizon lounge which is what we did and does offer a higher level of comfort with it's own Cafe bar, panoramic views and large reclining seats or you could go one step further and opt for Club Class with at-table steward service. There is also fast wifi available (free for the first 30mins) as well as a kids room with TV, Duty-free shopping and Casquets Bistro and cafe where you can get a nice hot meal.

While we sailed out of harbour everything was nice and smooth but unfortunately, high winds out in the channel made our crossing a somewhat bumpy affair, which to be honest my youngest loved! He thought it was all very exciting however my youngest and I did struggle a little bit but found listening to some music and having a bit of a nap to be very helpful and with the sailing being so quick we were on dry land in no time. Once again disembarking was very quick and smooth and you drive off the boat straight into the heart of St Peters Port, the capital of Guernsey.

As soon as we arrived we felt like we were a world away as the cobbled streets and colourful bunting of St Peters Port invite you to explore and the whole place has a Medditerean French inspired feel to it with Parisienne style bistros overlooking the castle and port. As we drove up the hill towards Les Rocquettes Hotel, which would be our base for 3 nights and in a beautiful 18th-century country house, you can look back and take in the view across the port as well as stunning French inspired houses which line the streets.

Unlike most places in the world today you won't find many big chain hotels or restaurants here but instead smaller independent ones, traditional B&B's and self-catering options. The 3 star Les Rocquettes is perfect for families with our spacious room consisting of a queen bed and sofa bed in the original part of the building as well as a restaurant and bar and access to a Health club and indoor pool on site, you can also opt for a self-catering apartment.

I know that many have the impression that Guernsey is very expensive in terms of eating out but we found it to be no more so than Cardiff, for example, a burger at the Oak Bar at Les Rocquettes is £7.50 or soup and a homemade roll at £3.95 which is the same as anywhere and all the local food we ate was amazing. We tried a variety of places across the island from beachside kiosks serving up baked potatoes to family dining at Crabby Jacks or crepes in the capital, all of which I will cover in my guide and each experience was delicious to say the least.

What we really loved about Guernsey was the stepping away from the manic day to day life and slowing down, relaxing and reconnecting with nature and the island is perfect to do that. We spent many hours exploring coastal forts and bunkers that line the coastline and are a constant reminder of the rich history that lies here as well as making sandcastles on one of the many beautiful beaches in Guernsey, 27 beaches you can choose from in fact. We also visited the smallest chapel in the world, crossed a causeway to Lihou island and went swimming in a sea pool among many other things. It was everything and more we expected and the perfect place for a family who wants to get away from technology for a few days and reconnect as a family and embrace the simple pleasures in life.

You can also island hop to Herm, Alderney and Sark but unfortunately, we ran out of time and were enjoying what Guernsey had to offer but it's given us the reason (among many others) to return to this wonderful place and I highly recommend you put this place on your bucket list. Our ferry crossing back was so smooth and we actually did it in just under 3hrs and was a real breeze and while you can fly, I would recommend having a car on the Island and therefore the ferry is a fantastic option as well as being able to take more luggage with you - we packed the kids scooters, my skateboard and swimming floats because with the car it was easy to do so. If you're looking for even more inspiration then do check out Visit Guernsey.

*We were kindly invited to visit Guernsey with Condor Ferries, this was an unpaid Press Trip and words are 100% my own