Come and try thr Golden Apple (Pomme D'or Hotel (Jersey, Channel Islands))

Member Name: jo@145

Product:	Pomme D'or Hotel (Jersey, Channel Islands)
Date:	17/01/08 (445 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Hotel in a great position with good food

Disadvantages: No parking

In need of a short break we decided to visit Jersey and chose the Pomme D'or, a 4 star hotel in St Helier. It overlooks Liberation Square and a yacht marina, that way we had the coast, museums, shops and plenty of places to eat without having to travel far, as we had been told driving in Jersey could be challenging due to the very narrow roads. All in all we were very pleased with our choice, and the great thing was the weather was brilliant even in October!

Arrival
*****
A taxi was booked and waiting for us at the airport, and treated us to the scenic route as there had been a major accident blocking the main road. We pulled up at the hotel about 30 minutes later, and before we could get out, our cases were being taken into the hotel, and we were lead to the reception, where, very efficiently the check in took place, our credit card was swiped, key cards produced and the porter took us up to our room. The Receptionist did ask if we wanted to book in for dinner, as it was a Seafood Buffet and very quickly filled up. Our mistake, we waited until later in the day and had to take a later time than we would have preferred!
There were a couple of settees and lots of flower arrangements in the Reception area and a little kiosk/shop just on the corner going toward the stairs, where you could buy papers and odds and ends you may need.
Our room was ready even though we arrived early and check out is at 10.30. A nice touch was a screen with all the flights, so it was easy to see when your plane was due etc.

Our Room
********
The porter did a quick tour of the facilities, showed us how to use the air conditioning and left with his tip.
We had upgraded to an Executive room, on the site we used to book our hotel (Hotelconnect.co.uk) as a special offer. This was a larger room than the standard, but didn't come with a view of anything more exciting than the roof tops of the kitchen and the opposite hotel rooms. Having said that the rooms on the opposite side of the corridor overlooked the road, which was busy and noisy, so we at least had a slight benefit!
A very comfortable bed covered in a heavy dark old gold and black spread, with black faux suede valance and small cushions, took up most of the room. A stylish mahogany cupboard, below the wall mounted flat screened television, had the tea/coffee tray, and one bottle of water was provided free each day in executive rooms! Why not 2 for 2 people I wonder? The curtains were in gold check material and well lined to keep out the light. The mahogany leather topped desk, doubled as a vanity unit and had a useful make up mirror and hairdryer. Glass topped bedside tables and lamps and also mini angle poise lamps on the wooden headboard. There was a built in wardrobe containing a set of drawers and spare pillows, trouser press and two full length mirrors, and an easy chair, comfy swizzle chair and coffee table.
There was a keyboard and you could get internet access through the TV, or by using a link or free access was available in the Lobby Bar and Café Bar.

The Bathroom
************
Larger than our bathroom at home, but that isn't difficult! A good sized bath, with shower, wash basin and toilet, toiletries included shampoo and soap and shower cap and over the bath was a soap dispenser containing Lux shower gel. This fits in with the Seymour group Environmental policy to save waste. A notice said they would change towels as required, but both our bed linen and towels were changed daily. They used low energy light bulbs, and have a team that checks up on being environmentally friendly. The towels were in excellent condition and plentiful.

Other rooms
**********
There are a total of 143 rooms available, some twin bedded some double with Premier rooms being larger and having a separate seating area, overlooking the Square. We did peep inside one when the door was open and the colour scheme was different to our room, and much larger. A few can take children making them family rooms. There are two lifts serving all floors.

Eating and Drinking
****************
Let's face it we all need to eat and drink, and it can make or break your holiday. There was a good choice of restaurants in the hotel or plenty to visit near by.

The Harbour Room
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This was on the first floor and looked out over Liberation Square towards the harbour, it had different levels, so not easy for people in wheelchairs, especially as the buffet was quite high, there were plenty of waiters though who were willing to help.
The restaurant is open daily for breakfast from 7 -10am on Mondays to Fridays and 8-10 at the weekend. The selection of hot and cold foods, fruit, cheeses, fish and cold meats, cereals, pastries was great, they even had waffles and maple syrup so I was a happy bunny! My husband enjoyed a magnificent selection of life threatening fried foods! Breakfast was included in our deal, but cost £5.95 for continental or £8.95 for cooked.
Lunch and Dinner have a buffet of hors d'oeuvres, salads and sweets and the chefs are on hand to carve joints or serve fish, and you can help yourself to vegetables. We enjoyed our Seafood Buffet very much, there was so much fish to choose from, and even small crabs for starters. No wonder it is a sell out, with local people coming in for a fabulous dinner - I think it was £19.95 and included coffee

The Petit Pomme
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This is an award winning a la carte restaurant and is said to be amongst the best on the island, but during our stay we were unable to get a table! So I am unable to say anything more about this restaurant. Only open from 7-10 Monday -Saturday.

The Café Bar
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There is an entrance from Reception and from the street, making this a popular place for a quick coffee after shopping or waiting for a bus, or also a meeting place for business people, open from 7am - 11pm it is a great place to sit and people watch.
We ate in here one night and had a lovely meal, being a lover of sweets, we decided not to have a starter, ( to tell the truth we had eaten a large lunch) but enjoyed Scallops on a bed of Rice with noodles and fine shredded vegetables served with a Thai green curry infused sauce. It was delicious! A bargain at £10.95 and for £4.95 the Trio of desserts was spectacular - a slice of Chocolate Torte, a small Crème Brulee and a Mango Cheesecake with Jersey Ice cream! House wine was £3 for 187mls or £12 a bottle, cappuccino £2 or a pot of tea £1.60. There were low coffee tables and settees at one end of the room, and high bar stools for people just in for a drink. This was a busy place and people sometimes had to wait for a table.

The Lobby Bar
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Open from 11am until late daily for drinks, coffees and light snacks, this was also off the Reception area on a slightly higher level, but having no windows, we preferred the Café Bar.

The Cocktail Bar
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Open every day for aperitifs, before lunch or dinner it's on the first floor beside the Harbour Room and gets quite busy with people waiting to be seated in the dining room.

The Wharf Bar
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This is the Hotel Pub, accessed from the road behind the hotel, and under some of the bedrooms. Used more by locals than visitors.

Conferences etc
*************
There are 13 function rooms for 20 -300 people, there was an 18th birthday party on the one night, which meant a lot of people were milling around but we couldn't hear them in our room.
Downstairs from Reception were cloakrooms and a shoe cleaning machine.

History
******
During the War when Jersey was invaded the German Navy used the hotel for officers.

Refurbishment
************
After booking we were a bit concerned to see that some reviews said it "was tired" and "run down" but we could not agree as there has been £5milllion spent on refurbishment.
The Hotel was proud to be selected as the Best Hotel in the Channel Islands in 2007 by Hotel Club members.

Disadvantages
************
There was no pool, and many holidaymakers like a swim after a day sight seeing. Swimming was available at a sister hotel - The Merton. But we didn't discover how easy it was to get to by public transport.
There was no garden but plenty of benches in Liberation Square just across the road from the hotel. Liberation Square now has a fantastic bronze statue and must be the most photographed statue in Jersey! We enjoyed watching people young and old cross the little bridge to the figures, and touch them.
The lift we used from the ground floor to our room, stopped at the rear entrance of the dining room on the first floor, so we had to walk right through to get to the desk to be seated! We learned to walk to the other lift on the opposite side of the hotel!
And lastly no parking available if you go by car or hire a car.

Cost
*****
We had a special offer with one night free, but it was £62 per person per night for Bed & Breakfast. It is worth checking at the hotel for offers as they seem to have a lot running. To add Half Board it is £15 extra per night, which is good value and the dinner is excellent.

Conclusion
*********
An excellent hotel with superb food in a great position in St Helier, but not really suitable for children as there is no where to play, but having said this there were small children and high chairs were provided. Probably more retired people than youthful, and a popular place with French visitors as it is close to the marina. We would go back here and upgrade to the better rooms for a view!

Summary: Popular hotel in St Helier near shops and harbours