De Normandie Hotel

We decided celebrate our 25th silver wedding anniversary with our two very good friends in the De Normandie and it's a pity the hotel did not put on some entertainment for us to enjoy, on arrival it was bingo, and a disco that started rather late, the next night Stan James with his guitar, he was quite good, not a sausage on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, Monday was a quiz and another late start for the disco, and by 9.30pm it was just the four of us left, honest, everybody else left to go to bed. Nothing at all on tuesday the day of our 25th wedding anniversary, what a let down! Also, If you ask anyone they reccomend going to the Merton Hotel 5 minutes away as they have entertainment every night, if only we had known berfore we booked! A good hotel if you are very old and don't have a car cos you wont park it in the hotel car park unless you decide to return mid afternoon. The brochure described entertainment May-September and our first night was 17th May and if i do get a reply back from my tour operator saying that it was out of season then i want a part refund as my brochure told lies. Very Dissapionted...........will not return.

I have just returned from a two night stay (24/25th Feb)at the Hotel De Normandie. My first impressions were that it was a bit dated but that does not bother me too much as it was a business trip & I all i ever require is a decent bed and clean, quiet room. I never expect to be put up in a 5 star hotel. My room was freezing cold despite turning up the heating to full blast in the bed area and the bathroom. Like other reviews have stated, there is work being done on the hotel; I had to called down to reception at 9.30pm to ask when were the workmen going to stop as I wanted to go to bed. They were right outside my room and the receptionist replied ' I will tell them to keep it down'! I also experienced a very loud constant humming which another porter informed me was the swimming pool pump. This eventually went off about 10pm. Th worst is yet to come. 1.45am I was woken by an incredibly loud bang which actually vibrated through my bed and walls. This went on every 2-3 minutes ALL NIGHT LONG! The porter could not dentify what it was and when I requested a new room he said tough and I would have to wait till the morning. I will give the moring satff credit as the did move me to a much quieter room with no fuss for the next night. The food was ok but the side vegetable selection was a bit questionable. I would not stay here again. Perhaps I just had a bad experience?

Dear all, I recently stayed at the De Normandie for 4 days and have to say it was fantastic. I was put in a newly refurbished room on the ground floor and it was modern, yet warm and comfortable and the quality of the fixtures and fittings were extremely high. I was told that this is a plan for the whole hotel and they are doing half the rooms this year and half next. So good news to visitors. I was also told of other refurb plans for the general areas and the outside which i was informed would be ready for next summer. Fingers crossed they do as good a job as they have done in the rooms. The staff were welcoming and could not do enough to help. The food was great and was really varried. Reading a previous message about breadcrumbs, i must have been eating at a different hotel! However i have to agree about the Steak and Kidney pie being one of the best i have had. I have visited Jersey before and booked through a travel agent and found it was quite expensive. However this time i thought about trying to organise it myself to save money. When i called the hotel to book the room they also asked if they could arrange my travel and insurrance as well as tranfers. So they ended up doing all the work for me and it was almost half the cost of travel agents. I could not believe the price difference, it was incredible. From now on i will always check the hotel direct before i got to a travel agent, no matter where i go. Downsides to the hotel. Unfortunatly they do not allow smoking in rooms anymore, which for a smoker is not great, but the bar (where smoking is allowed) was pleasant. However all in all a great place to stay and a lovely island.

Like the previous correspondent (Oct 10), who posted his/her review after I had set off for the de Normandie, I travelled with an elderly relative, expecting an OK hotel with reasonable food. How wrong can you be? Let's start with the reception staff, who were many and various, but almost unfailingly charmless. On arrival I requested help with my 82 year old blind companion's luggage, then spotted a lift and told them I could manage; unfortunately, they were so busy breathing a sigh of relief that they omitted to mention the 13 steps between the lift and our bedroom. The next spot of free entertainment was my request at dinner to sit at a vacant table next to a single lady who was in our party and eating alone. The Maitre D' cheerily said that the table plans were organised by a computer and that it would take 24 hours to arrange; it did. Previous reviewers will be pleased to hear that some renovations appear to be taking place judging by the scaffolding, resplendent with good old British workmen, outside one fellow guest's clear glass bathroom window. Unfortunately, however, I can only assume that the chef was up there as well. For anyone determined to re-visit their youth, the food is unsurpassed and bears an uncanny resemblance to the stuff we were given at school in the 1950s and 60s: cauliflower in an unidentifiable sauce with the consistency of porridge and a cheese salad proudly sporting a slice of processed cheese. For anyone concerned about the future financial viability of the companies supplying school dinners following the UK government's crack-down on their content, have no fear; the potato products have all been diverted to the freezers at the Normandie. I haven't seen so many orange breadcrumbs since my children, when they were about two, believed them to be the height of culinary excellence. To be fair, one evening the chef did descend from the scaffolding in time to produce one of the best steak and kidney pies I have ever had. The outstanding feature of our stay, however, was our fellow inmates; I have never met such nice, friendly, amusing, entertaining people. A bit like the blitz, I suppose.

I wonder if I visited the same hotel as the last review, dated June 2005. I have just returned from a five day stay there with an elderly relative. I did not mind that almost everyone else there was elderly, there were many more things to worry me. Firstly, the food. Dinner often appeared to consist of too many frozen items. At the very least, you would imagine the chef would be able to produce fresh jersey pototoes rather than some kind of orange-coloured breadcrumbed balls - what were they supposed to be, I wonder? Breakfast was buffet style, with eggs which unfortunately were virtually cold every day although the food was stored in hot cabinets. The bar area also left much to be desired and could certainly do with some refurbishment. This hotel advertises 'no single supplement'. This is hardly suprising, as my room would not have been big enough for a double bed. That was ok, but the fact that it was on the ground floor and looked out onto an enclosed area at the back of the hotel, was not. Staff were able to walk within inches of my window, meaning there was virtually no privacy. The only plus points I can think of are the swimming pool, which was large, clean and well kept and that the staff were unfailingly curteous and helpful.

Most of the guests at the Normandie during our stay were senior citizens, but I guess that goes for the whole of Jersey. The hotel is just a 3 minute drive from the ferry terminal and within easy walking distance from the shops in St. Helier. We found the decor in the rooms to be a bit lacking but if you are using it just as a base for seeing the rest of the island then it becomes less of a problem. The food, both breakfast and evening meal, was excellent and totally British orientated. The restaurant staff were also curtious and efficient. Wouldnt recommend the beach near the Hotel, nicer ones are just a short drive away. The Hotel bar is expensive and not exactly a major draw, perhaps take a 5 minute walk up to the Merton for that, but the cabaret room has some fairly decent entertainers on. Parking is fairly restricted for the size of the hotel but we managed - just. I would consider coming back here, probably because of the price and the fact that I now know the food is good.

Nice hotel inside, the outside looks a bit dated. We stayed here at Christmas 2003 and the staff then were excellent. Came back in September 2004 and there was a new manager and head chef. The new staff havent been able to fill the previous managements shoes, unfortunately. Still a nice hotel. Anyone know where the previous chef and manager have gone?

A very good 3 day deal at this hotel. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and the food and service in the dining room was excellent. The decor of the hotel was average but we were given a huge family room which slept 4 for just the 2 of us, so the extra space was great. The only down side was the fact we are non-smokers and there were ashtrays in the bedrooms which surprised us for a family room. The smell of stale nicotine could not be hidden by the air-fresheners placed in the room. Waking up in the morning to such an unpleasant smell was awful and after 3 days our clothes (and probably us!) were impregnated with the smell of stale cigarettes which was most unpleasant.

Very friendly staff, good food, recently re-decorated and well located for both town and beach.We stayed for four days mid-feb 04 on half board and paid ?298 includeing car on the hydrofoil return.

big shame about this place. nice staff and good food but the place looks tired (very 70's).l place is due to close next year (2004) according to reports. if you can still get here in time give it a go but be prepared to mingle with a mature generation and eat before 2030hrs low season. jim redmond