Holiday in Guernsey: Escape the city to this island retreat one hour from the UK with Caribbean seas

It can’t stay a secret for much longer - there’s an island getaway less than one hour out of London, bursting with charming streets, bracing coastal walks and blissful hotels, all the while packed with cracking lunch spots, classy dining, and an implicit invitation to get out of the car, get some air and watch the sea roll in.

Millennials and Gen Z haven’t cottoned on and arrived in their droves just yet, but they’re coming. In a strictly unscientific study, I’ve asked as many of my friends what their preconception of Guernsey is, and got two consistent answers - it’s either a millionaire’s-only private club, or a holiday destination for parents and silver-haired retirees.

Discard your presumptions and find out what a gem Guernsey is, because word will get out soon.

I was invited for a four-day trip in September 2025 by VisitGuernsey, who wanted to show off their Channel Island as a wellness retreat.

This is a clever pivot for the future of its tourism, in my opinion. During my stay, I got the impression that Guernsey thrives on repeat business, from couples and families who are on their second, fifth, even 10th visit, and loyal to their favourite B&B and restaurants. I vividly remember a moment on my first day at the Old Government House Hotel when a woman swept through the main entrance in a flowing white beach cover up and sun hat, fresh out the taxi with her suitcase and family trailing behind her. “Andrea!” cried the (impeccable) head concierge Alessandro, throwing open his arms and striding forward to welcome them back once again. Who could resist repeat visits with service like that?

It has kept customers of a certain age coming back year after year. But how to hook in the younger holidaygoers?

Simple - they threw an influencer conference. A six day event in September 2025 for 22 creators, with a combined audience of over 2.5m across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube, lavishly capturing the sunset over St Peter Port, dinner on the Esplanade, the view of the coast from a paddleboard and the mystifying quiet of Herm.

See what I mean? Word is about to get out. I expect 2026 to be the year a new crowd comes to Guernsey. Here’s what you might find.

Time slows to a crawl on Guernsey. My four-day visit felt like over a week, and a two-week stay is probably like a trip to a past, slower decade.

I owe this to the island’s implicit invitation to get off your phone, forget the laptop and allow yourself to stop. The Guernsey experience is to let salt water, sauna heat and coastal air wash away your troubles and feel natural again.

I can think of no better illustration than the Renoir Tea Garden, a darling beach hut cafe in Moulin Huet Bay. Don’t be tempted inside just yet and instead work up an appetite. Across this stunning rocky coast are some strikingly-placed picture frames - take a look through them and you will see the same scenes once painted by the legendary Pierre-Auguste Renoir on his own five-week holiday in 1883 (who was so inspired he created 15 of his most famous works on his trip). The rewarding walk and sense of a landscape barely changed in 140 years is thrilling as you take in the turquoise view.

Book with the gold-accredited ‘Walking In Renoir’s Footsteps’ tour for the full experience - who, incidentally, will lead you straight back to that tea room. Enjoy a well-earned cuppa and stunning crab sandwich while you drink in the view from a deck chair and reflect on how peaceful it was not to have your phone out for any of that.

That was just one of the walks you can enjoy. To say nothing of the views on offer just strolling the hills and streets of St Peter Port, painted-white walls framing the blue of the Channel, or enjoying the length of Esplanade and Les Banques. A particularly rewarding view is from an uphill jaunt to Candie Gardens and the formidable statue of Les Miserables author Victor Hugo, forever staring thoughtfully out over the sea to France. Get some real Guernsey ice cream while you’re at it. If I had had two more weeks and £1.80 each day for the bus, I would have loved to have made it a walking holiday and see the sights at Icart Point, Vazon Bay, or take a trip to Sark and see from the high point of Maulin.

But there’s no better view of the island than from out at sea. There’s no end of opportunities to enjoy Guernsey from the water, from boating tours to bracing self-appointed swims on a chilly morning. My own favourite trip out was on a, uh, well, slightly hungover Saturday morning for me and the rest of the tour group. Thankfully, Alphie, Ant and the team from Outdoor Guernsey were on hand to bring us back to life with a paddleboarding session at Cobo Bay. The brief topple into the water you’re almost certain to take is worth it for the feeling of striding out of the bay and looking back on the coast. Did you know you can also do yoga on a paddleboard? You can certainly try at least. There was also canoeing in Herm, but… we’ll get to Herm.

No doubt many of the hotels and luxury stays on Guernsey have their own spas and saunas to enjoy, but I bet none of them offer the vista you’ll get at Hot Haus. This miniature cabin along La Vallette has three reasons to visit - a wood-fire-fed sauna to roast in, a stunning coastal panorama out the window, and a barrel of water outside to plunge in straight afterwards. This horsebox sized cabin is also just a short, nippy walk away from the famous Guernsey Bathing Pools, where you can hop from the hotbox straight into the sea. An unforgettable sauna experience.

This isn’t strictly part of the Wellness Retreat portion of this review, but the exceptional team at my hotel did as much for my relaxed holiday as any sauna. The staff and service at The Old Government House are unquestionably the best I’ve ever seen who cared deeply about how I was enjoying myself. Andrew, Roberto, Siya, Thannsha, Byron, the previously mentioned master of ceremonies Alessandro and many others work ceaselessly for their guests and the three nights I stayed were a luxury. As well as oozing historical authenticity, the OGH is a grand yet cosy wonder, with plush, calming bedrooms, beautiful views over the port, a fab sauna with massage parlour, and a five-star breakfast service I looked forward to every day. I can’t thank them enough and recommend it wholeheartedly.

All of these made for a calming escape from the city. If this was the end of the view, I would still recommend Guernsey as a wellness destination. But, the best is yet to come.

If time slows to a crawl on Guernsey, Herm is where it stops. A small island east of Guernsey, just half an hour on the ferry out of St Peter Port, the only word I have is idyllic. This is an island you could walk all the way around in about two hours, where there are no cars, few street lamps, and a tranquillity that’s rare to find, moments where all you can hear is the ocean and birds.

I’m crazy for this place. This must be an incredible place to take a family. It’s like an island from a Famous Five book where children run about on their own adventures. Turn by turn this tiny island is a forest, a grassy beach, a scenic coastal wonder, the breath-taking Shell Beach, and a trip into the quieter life we all deserve.

There’s only one hotel and only one pub, but thankfully they’re both fantastic. The Mermaid Tavern’s fish & chips have stayed with me for months as some of the best I’ve ever had and make the perfect end to a blissful day on the island. Act fast to get a night at The White House Hotel - Herm only operates between May and the end of September, so reservations are finite. But it’s absolutely worth a stay - not just for the comfortable stay, but the privilege of getting to stargaze on an island with no offputting streetlamps, of sleeping to the sound of the ocean, and waking up in a land of total, complete calm. Herm has to be experienced.