It’s hotting up on Jersey’s St Brelade’s Bay, and I’m not just talking about the sunshine. I’m sitting in a sauna cabin on the sands and, as the temperature gauge rises, the bracing waves of the English Channel — spotted through an artfully-placed window — are looking very tempting. After 15 minutes of sweating, it’s time to test the hot-cold therapy with a dash down to the shoreline. A dunk in the sea invites goosebumps to dance across my skin and, then, it’s back to the cabin for the process to be repeated all over again.
This Finnish-inspired sauna experience, by Sandy Toes Sauna, is one of a few popping up across Jersey’s beaches. Sauna Society, found on St Catherine’s Breakwater on the rugged north-eastern coast, is another company using the island’s blissfully empty beaches as a location for its portable sauna-sea experiences. Bookable for private or communal wellbeing sessions, the saunas are rooted in the ancient practice known as Nordic Cycle. The extreme change in temperatures to the body bring a host of health benefits, including reduced inflammation and pain, an increase in energy and improvement in mood.
Coupled with a new Tidal Trail, which allows ramblers to walk a 48-mile path around the island, it’s all part of Jersey’s renaissance as a wellness destination in close proximity to the UK. Just 85 miles from mainland Britain, getting here is easy, especially with a new flight route launched this year by easyJet from London Southend Airport, which takes travellers across in just over an hour.
With a spring in my step, I follow the path to the eastern coast, snaking past the 13th century Mont Orgeil Castle. It overlooks the picture-postcard town of Gorey, with its faded-pastel fishing cottages and boats bobbing in the harbour. On a clear day, you can see over to Normandy. In Gorey, I make a pit stop at one of the island’s iconic restaurants, The Moorings, which dates back to 1851, and is best known for its Gallic-influenced menu — from platters of fruits de mer to moules frites.
Inspired by Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way, the coastal path is split into eight sections, so you can walk around the whole island over a few days, or simply pick sections that suit for an afternoon walk. With some of the largest tides in the world, Jersey is a transformative place, almost doubling in size when the sea retreats, meaning it’s a feast of changing scenery.
Found in St Helier, boutique hotel The Club Hotel & Spa puts you in easy reach of the best beaches and, for foodies, it also offers one of the most celebrated restaurants on the island. Just launched is the spa’s Blue Mind Reset escape, which harnesses the benefits of being by the sea. As well as a Decléor facial, which draws on the soothing qualities of water for the mind and skin, and dips in the hotel’s two pools, I end the day with a gourmet meal in Bohemia — the only Michelin-starred restaurant on the island. Led by chef Tom Earnshaw, the multi-course menu features an overflowing basket of locally-sourced products — from Jersey asparagus to crab and lobster straight off the fishing boats, foraged seaweeds to Jersey royals.
On my second day, I head back to St Brelade’s Bay for an early-morning yoga class by the sea, run by The Olive Tree Studio. For lunch, it’s a short walk to the Oyster Box overlooking the bay. As its name suggests, it is famous for its freshly caught seafood, such as Jersey rock oysters (try them with champagne butter sauce) and bream with sauce vierge.
I make time to pop into the Jersey Museum in St Helier to discover more about the multi-layered history of the island, from its prehistoric discoveries to the war-time bunkers and tunnels.
Before leaving, I head back to Portelet Beach, which, with its dusty-pink sands and azure waters, feels more like the Caribbean than the UK. Accessed via steep steps cut into craggy cliffs, I head down to find it wonderfully deserted. Seashells crunch underfoot and shards of sea-glass catch the sunlight in the sand. In the summer, you can swim out from here to snorkel around the tidal island, L’Île au Guerdain, which is topped with a stone tomb. Egrets and cormorants swoop across the sky, and all feels well for a while. Angelina Villa
The Blue Mind Reset two-night package at The Club Hotel & Spa is from £336 per person
