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.

We just returned from a weekend here to celebrate our anniversary - and it couldn’t have been better in my opinion. I was so surprised to read the recent bad reviews and wonder if we stayed at the same place!

We were welcomed to the hotel by the driver who collected us from the airport in the free shuttle bus, and then by the manager who gave us free anniversary prosecco! Staff were courteous and friendly.

We had lunch in the tea room, very good, and I’ve reviewed the restaurants separately (steak house not good in our opinion).

Room was a gold room in the main house, it was lovely, comfortable, nice balcony overlooking the valley. We ate breakfast out on the balcony one sunny morning which was perfect, and there was no tray charge either.

The beach at Fermain is well worth the steep walk back up, and it’s easier and shorter by cutting through the hotel’s gardens.

We enjoyed a five day break at Fermain and then returned for an extra night when our return ferry was cancelled for three days. We had to move out for a couple of days and move back because the hotel was fully booked, but that was useful in drawing comparisons with the other similar hotels we stayed at or visited in the interim.
Fermain has a fabulous position, wonderful gardens and a lot of space, Standards are high and the food is very good, especially the breakfast. Staff were friendly and helpful and Shirley and Jamie deserve a special mention for their friendly manner and professional approach. The rooms are comfortable but the second one, although more expensive, had intermittent noise from the pipe work/ refrigerators? from the kitchen below. My wife found this more disruptive at night than I did. The hotel must be aware of this, so flagging it up as a potential issue should be a matter of course when offering this room. This is in-house plant noise not generated by people or traffic in the vicinity.
The swimming pool was out of action for part of our stay but that was acted on relatively quickly, The sauna was closed for the entirety of our stay and the lack of swift remedial action on this is why a 5 star rating would not be appropriate. The courtesy taxi service was a welcome surprise and the cinema was particularly impressive. More up-to-date DVDs would be appreciated. I think communication in the hotel could be better generally, but that struck me as true of Guernsey as a whole. Shame that a café breaks up an attractive resident lounge area and that the library was shut on one occasion because of a 'meeting in progress'. The non-resident market impacts the resident experience in this respect. If the hotel had a gym, even just a small one, it would be even more attractive to me. We will definitely come back and we see it as better than the other similar hotels we visited and stayed at during our stay. This was our first visit to the island and very much an information-gathering exercise. Fermain comes out very favourably by comparison with the other hotels we saw and could next time, with a little shift in response times and communication, quite easily become a 5 star experience.

For a four-star hotel in this price range, the service was shockingly poor. It’s not just that all the employees gave the impression that they were brand new, it’s also that most of them were unhelpful or rude. I’m tempted to say it’s the difference between staying in the main building versus the annex (we were supposed to be in the main bldg, we were in the annex, don’t know why, we tried to move, they were full) but it was everything. What others have written about the difficulty transporting bags to the annex is true. It’s steep, lots of stairs, no elevator, no porter (things I don’t normally care about but that nice/pricey hotels take care of).

Examples: 1) We were supposed to be met at the ferry port by the hotel courtesy van at 7PM but when we called to reconfirm the day before, were told that it stops running at 5PM. When we arrived at the hotel, we were told that it stops at 6PM. 2) That evening we ordered a simple vodka martini in the main hotel bar and after watching the bartender struggle to make it, realized he didn’t know how and talked him through it. 3) We asked about a courtesy late check out and were told, yes, at 30 pounds per hour. It was just lots of little things that kept reminding us that this hotel, which has all the outward appearances of an upscale hotel, just isn’t.

The hotel and surrounding areas are beautiful, but the service is below expectations.
Make sure you add a comment requesting to stay in the main building and not the Venue, which is the small annex building close to the main road (and up a steep hill). Although we booked 8 months ahead (family of four) we were located in the annex building, which is simply not the same experience. The beds are quite small.
Also make sure to book a driver beforehand to pick you up at the airport. We thought a shuttle was being organized and waited around at Guernsey Airport until we phoned the hotel (their phone line seemed disconnected, had to call 3 times) at around 6pm. The receptionist asked us angrily if we had arranged a driver and we said no... she then said ok the next available time for the driver to come pick us up is 8pm. So we just grabbed a cab (ride to hotel is approx. 10 pounds).
All in all the hotel is a lovely place, the food is delicious, but you might have a disappointing experience if you are unlucky.

My husband and I stayed here for a 3 night break, for our wedding anniversary, it is a friendly, clean and very relaxing hotel. The staff are all friendly and helpful, if a bit under pressure at times, this however did not detract from a lovely stay. The hotel is a 10 minute shuttle bus ride in to St. Peter Port, set in a tranquil valley with walks down to the bay and cafe, which unfortunately was closed when we were there, you can then walk the coastal path to St. Peter Port, which is undulating but not hard, it took us a leisurely hour, stopping to take in the stunning views. Our room number 26, was perfect, comfortable clean with everything you need , including loads of tea, coffee, milk etc. The view was a spectacular uninterrupted view of the valley and sea beyond. Breakfast was well cooked, well presented and very good portions, with an excellent selection to suit all tastes. I would definitely recommend this if your looking for a relaxing and friendly break without having to worry about anything, except what cocktails to choose from the bar or what’s for dinner. I would recommend eating in their own restaurant The Rock Garden , it was the best of all meals we had on Guernsey.

My wife and I can be called GUERNSEYPHII.ES. We love so much about the island, which we have visited many times. In the last ten plus years, since an old hotel was enlarged and refurbished as the delightful 4 star Fermain Valley Hotel, we have stayed there frequenly. This August we booked for the first week of October. Alas we had great disappointment. The staff were typically courteous and appreciative of our comments and suggested we put them in writing, which we will now share.

We asked the hotel to have their courtesy car meet us at the airport. That could not be since the driver ends his duty at 6 p.m and we arrived at 7 p.m., so we had to take a taxi.

We then asked for a dinner reservation in the main restaurant for 8.15, and were told that restaurant was closing for dinners from October. We could eat in The Rock Garden, a very pleasant, more expensive specialist, principally Steak restaurant or the Mexican restaurant. Such are excellent, but do guests eat nothing but steak and Mexican for their week's stay? Of course not, and on twos nights we ate out.

For whatever reason, there was a distinct shortage of staff. Those there seemed to be working as fast as they knew how, but one lunch time, when all we wanted was a sandwich, that took nearly an hour to be served! We were not alone in being unhappy. The staff seemed to be embarrassed that they could not do better. They were splendid, the trouble was staff shortage.

Of the hotel itself, much is good, BUT over the years we have noted little ways in which attention is not paid to detail. In our platinum room, No 28, the arms of the chairs were threadbare. There is little evidence of repainting, and such needs a rolling programme.

We will not say further. We have enjoyed staying here. We have introduced our family and friends, and they too have very happy. But, the points made here need consideration and attention. Whether we will remain loyal, remains to be seen.