Stayed 5 nights and really enjoyed our third visit to the hotel. Will return next year or in 2020. Terraces, gardens, views and three restaurants on site and walkable to St Peter Port make the hotel a good choice for exploring the island.

We have been coming to Guernsey now to see family for the past 22 years, this is our regular hotel and never have we ever been disappointed. Although we stay here often, I just want to comment on our last minute stay we had. There was an incident one year at a different hotel of which was closer to family so we thought it would be easier, we ended up not being able to stay here so we went to the Fermain to see if there were any rooms available, although there was no room available for a full week, the staff pulled together different rooms that we could stay in throughout the week and worked their hardest to accommodate us. We ended up staying in every single room possible in the hotel, it was amazing, I can tell you that every room was spectacular, i will never be able to say a bad word about this hotel nor the staff. Always above and beyond.

This is one if the best if not the best hotel I have ever stayed in. Beautiful setting and location. Staff are extremely pleasant and helpful. General manager Karol is absolutely fantastic and a credit to the hotel. Nothing was a problem for him. Will hopefully visit again one day. Unfortunately I was there for work but was still a great experience.

The room initially seemed nice from the outset. A few hairs in the bath on arrival and the odd cob web here and there in the room, but nothing that couldn't be over looked.

Sleep was kept to a minimum as this was possibly the noisiest room I have ever slept in. The fire door double slammed everytime it shut and the bed headboard shook with vibrations everytime the stairs were in use. For this inconvenience I was discounted ten percent off my bill, which still seemed steep considering.

The pool didn't match the expectations set from the pictures. Full of kids jumping and splashing in what seemed the worlds smallest pool. Definitely not a pool for a relaxing swim.

Personally I feel the hotel lacked something. Trying to be something it's not. Even little things like not having sky sports in the room left me disappointed. Next time I'm in Guernsey I'll most likely be giving this place a miss.

We have just returned from a short break of 3 nights the hotel was very nice in some respects but fell short in others.One recommendation is to book directly with the hotel rather than a 3rd party then you will know if your room is in the main hotel or up the lane above the Mexican restaurant.We paid an extra £40 a night to stay in the main hotel and have a balcony (lovely views).One thing to be aware of if leaving the windows open as we did as it was quite warm expect to be woken by the planes coming in to land from 6.30am onwards.A few other small disappointing things like a hole in the bed sheet,left the duvet pulled back expecting it to be replaced but it wasn't,and extractor not working or ineffective in the bathroom.Other than that nice hotel with a nice walk down to the cove at the bottom of the hill.

Lovely room, great food, smashing staff - what more could you ask for!
A big plus that we were able to request the courtesy car on several occasions and were never disappointed - thank you so much!
The beach was stunning - you can walk down but maybe request a lift back up the very steep road.
Great breakfast with good choices from the menu.
The negative - one robe in the bathroom was soiled - my opinion was that someone had worn it but it hadn't been changed when the room was cleaned for the next guests. Also remnants of blood stains on one bath towel. Perhaps needs a bit more attention from the cleaning staff.
Would I return - yes, I definitely would.

I stayed here a few times in the past and was always impressed with the ambience and style of the place as well as the excellent food and friendly but highly professional service. Just had dinner here this trip and, whilst the meal was fine, I was disappointed with the 'new look' of the restaurant which is now trying to be trendy but just ends up being way darker than it was with a log-cabin theme going on which made no sense of the location or the classic building itself. The service not as 'polished' as in the past and it felt like there was no manager overseeing proceedings although, to be fair, the very attractive young women they have employed (presumably to go with the trendy new decor) tried hard enough. It was a shame to see that the beautiful and expansive guest lounge from the past has now been partially converted into a tea shop, so on arrival, the tea shop is right in front of you rather than the elegant welcome of an upmarket hotel which it used to be. Clearly they are trying to maximise income here and I gather the tea shop is 'very popular'! Another no-no for me is the huge banner in the reception area advertising another restaurant in the 'annexe' part of the hotel; again this takes away a lot from the former atmosphere. I understand that they need to stay in business but they lost this customer along the way.

Like most of my reviews, I try to give a balanced view and some useful tips for visitors - and management - so apologies if it’s a bit long. If you’re planning to visit Guernsey for the first time, staying at the Fermain or elsewhere, there are some tips at the bottom to help you plan your visit.

Firstly, we enjoyed our stay. The staff are friendly and very helpful, especially Damian and Paulo, the lovely drivers who chauffeured us around, and Daniel on Reception. (The hotel provides complimentary transfers to most places on the island, including the airport, but you need to book as these are subject to availability. The service runs until 6pm during the week and until midnight on Saturday & Sunday). The rooms are a reasonable size, though not as large as our own bedroom at home, and nicely appointed. (We had a ‘Gold Balcony’ room, which gave us a sea view, which it was nice to sit out and admire.) All the rooms have free wifi, and there was Sky TV, tea & coffee making facilities, good toiletries, tissues, a hair dryer, a rather small and antiquated safe (not big enough for a laptop or larger tablet), still & sparkling water (replenished daily), and (strangely) a decanter of sherry that was topped us as needed, We had some pieces of fruit and a couple of small chocolates on arrival as well. The hotel also provides complimentary bathrobes and slippers. However, the room doesn't have a fridge.

Breakfast is very good - a selection of cereals, pastries, etc, and an excellent variety of cooked options - but not without its quirks (see below). The location is also handy for St Peter Port, but in a nice quiet setting a few miles out of the Town, with pleasant gardens and a pretty - if strenuous - walk to the lovely Fermain Bay beach & back. It has 3 restaurants, 2 bars and a tea shop on site, and is close to a bus stop to enable you to get into St Peter Port cheaply and conveniently. There's a car park, but the narrow access road is a bit of a nightmare. If you must drive (see below), it's probably best to park in Búho's car park at the top and walk down.

We tried all of the restaurants, (see separate reviews), enjoying Búho more than the other two, though all were OK. There are some good restaurants worth trying in St Peter Port - The Old Quarter, The Wellington Boot and the Pickled Pig in particular. (Again, see separate reviews).

There's a nice, indoor swimming pool that my wife used, and you can get plenty of exercise walking up and down through the extensive gardens - or just lifting a glass on the terrace. There's a nice beach at the bottom of the road/footpath, with a pleasant cafe (see separate review), but be warned - it's steep and strenuous.

Now for the quirks. For some reason, the hotel advertises that the rooms have king-sized beds and 40” TVs. They don’t - or at least our Gold room didn't. The beds are normal doubles and the TV screen is around 32”. (We don’t carry a tape measure with us, so we measured both out in sheets of A4 paper). Neither of these things was a problem for us, but why claim something that isn’t true? Someone is bound to object, and such claims breach certain legislation and could lay the hotel open to allegations of misrepresentation. I can't see that advertising what they genuinely offer would put many people off.

They have live music in the Ocean Grill on a Friday evening. Had we known - had it been publicised - we’d have booked there instead of going out. They have several ‘Happy Hours’ in different bars & restaurants, but these also seem to be a secret until you’re there. There’s a ‘cinema’, which you can use on nights when it’s not booked by a party, to watch DVDs that are all at least 10 years old. Consequently, the facility appears to lie dormant on most nights. Our local public library does screenings of films that are around 12 months old. Why the hotel doesn’t organise something like this, ideally using Blu-ray, and even charging a fee, I’ve no idea, as it would be an extra attraction.

The hotel provides a cafetière in the room, but why they do this is unclear, as all of the supplied coffee is instant. Maintenance isn’t that great. The water pressure is such that if you turn a tap on more than about 5 degrees, water sprays everywhere. Our shower was so hot when we arrived that we couldn’t use it - someone had damaged the temperature regulator and the water couldn’t be adjusted below scalding. Our TV didn’t work either - fixed after complaining - and the extractor system in the bathroom seems to ‘work’ using a single large fan in the roof, allegedly (but not actually) removing steam from the bathrooms through the individual vents. On the first day, we made coffee before breakfast, and the next day found that the maid hadn’t washed up the cups, just put them back, dirty, into the cupboard.

At breakfast, coffee is often delivered to the table either with no milk or (at best) half a jug, which is inadequate for the 2 cups each you should just be able to squeeze out of the cafetieres. And as for the “toast”; this is ALWAYS delivered as just cold bread with a dried-up surface. The one day we asked for ours to be put through again to gain some warmth and colour, the waiter took it away - and never returned.

So would I stay again? Possibly, but the management would need to look into the points listed above and do something about them.

Now a few suggestions about the island. If you’re thinking of hiring a car, think carefully first. The roads are very narrow - pass a bus going in the opposite direction & you’ll have to mount the kerb, even on many ‘main’ roads - and they often wind about a lot. However, the bus service is excellent. The buses are frequent, punctual and it costs just £1 to travel anywhere on Guernsey - one stop or all the way round on the 91 or 92, that travel the circumference. A trip from St Peter Port all the way around the island & back to Fermain (or St Peter Port) is great value for £1. The only problem is that if you need to get back from Town after around 9pm during the week, you’ll probably have to get a taxi. (At weekends the NightOwl services run until midnight, and - as I said above - the Fermain Valley offers their own free 'taxi' if you book it).

Guernsey, Herm and Sark are all great for walking. The smaller islands are 20 and 55 minutes away, respectively, and each provides lots of walking options with no motor traffic. (On Herm, a circuit of the island should take less than half a day. On Sark, visit 'La Coupee', the narrow land-bridge to Little Sark, and drop in at the nearby chocolate shop & tea garden). We wore our boots on the plane (luggage is expensive on Flybe) and walked the cliff paths and lanes, which were delightful - but beware, on Guernsey, some lanes are narrow with blind bends and have no pavements.

There’s loads to see here for a week; the Tapestry Museum, the Occupation Museum, the Folk Museum at Saumarez Park (bring your NT card if you have one), Castle Cornet, the Little Chapel & Sausmarez Manor (see separate reviews) are all very interesting. Oh, and bring a copy of ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’ (or watch the film in advance), and/or take Fred’s tour of Castle Cornet to get a good grounding in the history of the Occupation, which is fascinating - and also very sad.

It’s definitely worth spending a week on Guernsey to take it all in. The Fermain is a good place to stay if you can get a decent deal, but be aware of the quirks.

My husband and myself and even my 10 year old Grandson, who accompanied us this year, would have no hesitation in recommending this hotel. This was our third time staying in this hotel (so obviously we like it) in a Platinum room with sea views. Cannot fault the room in any way, it made it a pleasure to come back to the hotel in the evening. The hotel has three splendid restaurants catering for most taste, a tea room and an indoor pool. The staff are very helpful and friendly and we never heard a bad comment from any other guest. The hotel also provides a courtesy bus, which we used once to take us into St Peter Port.

Have just visited this hotel. picked because of its location, Fermain bay is lovely although it is a steep descent from the hotel but coming back through the lovely tiered gardens seemed easier.
the hotel room that we had was lovely and welcoming with chocolates and fruit awaiting us on arrival.
The decanter of sherry was a lovely extra.
The two meals we had in the Ocean restaurant were lovely and there was a good selection for breakfast.
i would not hesitate in recommending this hotel.