Writer Lauren Kate Hughes checks into The Club Hotel & Spa in Jersey to experience its restorative Blue Mind Reset retreat.
Living in a busy city, it’s easy to become disconnected from nature. In London, we have plenty of green spaces, but they’re often surrounded by busy streets and high-rise buildings, with the peaceful sounds of the ocean miles and miles away. Blue Mind Theory, a term coined by marine biologist and author Dr Wallace J. Nichols, explores the connection between water and a more peaceful state of mind, suggesting we enter a more meditative state near lakes, rivers… even swimming pools. But it’s the ocean that holds the most power for calming the nervous system.
While I’m an avid swimmer, my local lido, teeming with people in the summer, doesn’t really cut it. So I jumped at the chance to trial a ‘Blue Mind Reset’ in Jersey, a place where you’re never more than 10 minutes away from the sea. Arguably Jersey’s most prestigious hotel, and home to the Michelin-starred Bohemia, The Club Hotel & Spa has devised a retreat centred on relaxation and nature. While the hotel itself is situated in the busier St. Helier, it offers a base to explore the wildness of this beautiful island – it’s a place where you can sit on the beach and feel like you’re completely removed from busy city life.
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The reset package is inspired by Jersey’s deep connection to the sea, encouraging guests to explore its coastal landscapes via the Jersey Tidal Trail, a circular route looping around the island’s perimeter. While it would take days to complete the route on foot, guests can explore Jersey’s beautiful beaches and coves by hopping on and off buses or opt for one of the smaller walking routes (it’s split into eight sections, and the hotel will provide you with a map, making it easy to plan a morning or afternoon exploring).
Embracing island life
I arrived at The Club Hotel and Spa during a sudden downpour, but the setting was still beautiful. Moving away from the airport, the landscape quickly opened up to reveal a moody stretch of sea with views across St Aubin’s Bay. Moving into the central hub of St. Helier, the scenery becomes more built up, streets lined with cafes and shops, but it soon becomes clear you’re never too far away from the sea. Though just nine miles long and five miles wide, Jersey boasts nearly 20 miles of sandy beaches to explore.
After a warm check-in and a few moments settling into my outrageously comfortable room, I decided to explore St. Helier on foot. While it may not be the place to come for dramatic cliffs or beautiful beaches, Jersey’s capital has plenty of charm, with cobbled streets and bustling markets. The Central Market on Beresford Street is a great spot to browse local food, gifts and flowers, its Victorian ironwork giving the space a vintage feel.
I popped into The Watchmaker, a cosy cocktail and wine bar, with comfy seating and a vast wine menu showcasing over 50 red and white wines, as well as champagne and cocktails with a distinctly local feel. Soon it was time to retire, fish and chips in hand, ahead of an early morning to explore the quieter side of Jersey’s coastline.
Jersey’s wild coast
The Club Hotel & Spa offers a plentiful breakfast, with local island ingredients, including Jersey dairy products and fresh island eggs. From Jersey royals to fresh oysters, the island’s produce is known throughout the UK as being some of the best, and the hotel truly showcases this. After fuelling up for the day, I had the pleasure of a spa session, enjoying a deeply hydrating Decléor facial themed around the restorative qualities of water. Fully unwound, it was then time to explore the island.
While a four-day trek around Jersey’s coast was appealing, with only an afternoon to spare, I opted for a bus ride out to the beach, where I could take in Jersey’s beautiful inland scenery along the way. The weather had vastly improved, showcasing blue skies and sunny spells, and so I headed out to Grève de Lecq to slurp freshly caught oysters at the Ugly Oyster Seafood Bar via the number 9 Liberty Bus route (which cost around £3 for a 40-minute journey). Grève de Lecq is a sheltered sandy beach on the north coast of the island, surrounded by dramatic cliffs.
As I watched a family run across the sand in the sunshine, I understood why Jersey is such a popular place for a coastal escape, with calm waters and incredibly pretty beaches just an hour’s flight away from the UK. For those who have a little more time to explore, Plémont Bay is a rugged cove tucked away on the northwest coast, characterised by its towering cliffs and hidden caves. Or try St. Brelade’s Bay, arguably the island’s prettiest beach and home to the Oyster Box, offering panoramic ocean views and fresh local seafood in an unbeatable setting on the island.
A Jersey-inspired dining experience
Windswept and hungry from a day spent exploring Jersey’s coastal charm, it was time to return to the hotel and decompress with a quick swim in The Club Hotel’s spa, which features a thermal suite with a salt cabin, herbal steam room, and experience shower, before a swift outfit change before dinner. Bohemia is the type of place you dress up for; mood lighting, white tablecloths, incredible staff and the kind of food people will most definitely travel for.
A blend of Jersey produce and French influence, Bohemia offers a menu that truly champions local produce, whether that’s freshly caught crab, local oysters, hand-dived scallops or foraged coastal herbs. The seaweed sourdough bread ‘course’ paired with a Bordier salted and seaweed butter was a true delight.
The meal began with a cocktail crafted with Lanique Spirit of Rose, a liqueur that was popularised by Bohemia and is made from distilled rose petals and tastes a little like Turkish Delight, followed by wines selected by Head Sommelier Ruaridh Bakke and long-standing Restaurant Manager Dimitri Marqueteau. Each course from Head Chef Tom Earnshaw was remarkable, showcasing local ingredients with flair, and perfectly complemented a day exploring the island.
A final word on The Club Hotel & Spa
At £336, the package is an outstanding value, considering the price of many London tasting menus alone, and that a top-notch facial and spa session is also included within the package. Considering the incredible scenery that’s available on your doorstep, it makes for an attractive deal, especially in the summer months when you can truly soak in Jersey’s coastal beauty.
Need to know
The ‘Blue Mind Reset’ package at The Club Hotel & Spa is priced from £336 per person, and the package includes the following:
- Two-night stay for two adults in a Deluxe Double room
- Full Jersey breakfast on both mornings for two
- Bohemia tasting menu for two on one night
- Jersey Tidal Trail map for a self-guided walk
- Access to The Club Spa, including the Thermal Suite
- 55-minute Hydrating Decléor Facial
Address: Green Street, St. Helier, Jersey JE2 4UH
