Relaxing weekend spa treat for food lovers
KAYLEE LASSETER enjoys a trip to Guernsey
GUERNSEY is a relaxing retreat for any food-lover looking for a great spa weekend.
Planning a spa weekend can be tough – often you are left in the middle of nowhere with limited restaurant choices. In Guernsey however, this is far from the case. There are an abundance of wonderful places to eat just a short bus ride away.
The St Pierre Park Hotel was a short drive from the airport. We were staying in a deluxe double room which had recently been refurbished, in February.
The rooms are well kitted out with complimentary WiFi, capsule coffee machines and a huge king size bed with a cashmere mattress. The room had a 42in flat screen TV with Freeview and a DVD player.
One feature of the room was the large balcony which, unfortunately we didn’t get to enjoy due to stormy weather – but I think would be a beautiful relaxing spot in the summer as it was surrounded by flowers and overlooked the gardens.
We had arrived in Guernsey pretty early on in the day so it was getting close to lunch time. Guernsey is well known for its rich, indulgent cuisine and it would be a crime not to sample this. We were keen on eating around the St Peter Port area and wanted a restaurant that would overlook the harbour. Le Nautique was the perfect location for this.
The entrance to Le Nautique is hidden away up a set of stone steps, just off the pavement.
The exterior is quite simple and rustic, however, the restaurant is incredibly stylish and modern once you step
inside. I went with the butternut squash soup as a starter. It was incredibly creamy and perfectly balanced.
For dessert I chose the tangy lemon tart with cassis coulis and sorbet. This is a unique lemon tart and honestly, it saddens me that it will be a very long time before I can visit Guernsey again and enjoy this delight! The tart is indeed very tangy, when paired with the cassis coulis it is magical.
The texture of the tart deserves equal if not more site. praise. The lemon filling is soft, much more soft than you would expect when ordering a lemon tart, it is very creamy, but what I loved the most was the crisp caramelized top. It was very subtle but took the desert to a new level.
This kind of attention to detail, creative thinking and reasonable pricing makes Le Nautique a must when visiting Guernsey.
After an incredibly beautiful meal we made our way back to the hotel and had a walk around.
The hotel has plenty of large rooms capable of hosting big events such as weddings or business conferences, there are a number of dining options on site ranging from comfort food to fine dining, and the hotel even hosts a hair salon on site. We spent our first evening in The Pavilion Restaurant. We were in the mood for something hearty and decided to order the chicken soup as a starter. This soup is incredibly creamy, it was real soul food and the warm homemade bread was heavenly. My main course and desert were excellent and I think it is worthy noting the great balance this restaurant maintains between quality food and classic recipes. I’m also a big cider fan and think it’s worth noting that this restaurant had a good selection to choose from, which I really appreciated.
I booked us in some time at the spa the following day.
I often have stress related skin issues and a spa facial is a rare treat for me.
My therapist was excellent, she evaluated my skin and gave me some amazing advice.
She actually predicted that my skin type would shift from oily to dry in the run up to December and was 100 per cent correct, which is even more incredible when noting I have never had dry sin before in my life.
But my favourite part of our relaxing retreat to Guernsey was the afternoon tea at St Pierre Hotel.
We were served by a wonderful young man, who was very knowledgeable about the wide variety of teas available and explained to us exactly what was in each sandwich and cake.
It is rare you get service like this and his attention to detail was commendable.
St Pierre Park Hotel (01481 728282) offers a Deluxe Double Room from £174 per room per night, including breakfast, based on two people sharing a room.