There are very few places in Jersey that can truly claim to be a beach house. And in the spirit of fair labelling, I think we should clamp down on this. Rather like how you can only call a pasty made in Cornwall a ‘Cornish pasty’, champagne has to come from Champagne, and Jersey royals have to be grown here in Jersey, I think we should have some sort of protected geographical information about beach houses.
I propose a sliding scale that correlates how beachy your beach house is with how many strides it takes you to go from doorstep to sand. So under my new scale (yes I plan to trademark it), Beach View comes in with a single figure total. Four strides will take you from your front door to the steps down to the beach, and another five will take you down to the sand. I counted. Beach house? I think it qualifies.
Beach View is one of those sweet little houses on the promenade at Beaumont. You’ve probably jogged / cycled / dog walked past it a good few times, but just imagine opening your blinds to this view every morning. A constantly changing vista of sky and sea, and as you’re pretty much smack bang in the middle of the bay facing south, you get a castle in the left hand side of your view, a fort to the right and that amazing sea horizon straight in front of you. Sunrise, sunset – you’re placed to see it all as the sun tracks across the bay. It’s priceless.
The catch? Well it’s compact and bijou. There’s no getting away from it – if want a family 3-bed, a castle, or somewhere with a granny flat to put the olds in, then this isn’t for you. But if you’re looking for something small but perfectly formed, a place you can call your own, a love nest, a pad, a pied a terre that’s more of a pied a sable then this ticks all the boxes.
Walk in over the veranda and through the front door and you’re into the large open living space. The kitchen area stretches along the back of the room and the front is left free for the living area, with space to set your sofa up in front of those sea views. The vaulted ceiling and bright white interior make the room feel light and airy, and will be a perfect blank canvas for your minimal beach chic décor. And to help you keep it minimal, the vaulted ceiling features access to a clever storage area above the bedroom ceiling, so you can hang onto all your stuff without having to have it scattered around.
The sleek white kitchen is chic and modern with high spec appliances – integrated oven, microwave, washing machine and dishwasher, and a halogen hob with feature extractor. There’s also a rather nice wine chiller, just perfect for a couple of bottles of Sancerre ready for impromptu beach picnics.
The bedroom has the same stunning sea views, and with your double bed in place, you’ll be able to check the tide without having to lift your head from the pillow. The double room’s set up with a satellite point and wall lights, and leads straight into the ensuite bathroom. Featuring travertine the colour of golden sand, this beautifully finished and well-designed room features a curved bath with overhead shower.
A south-facing veranda runs along the front of the house, ready for a couple of deckchairs when your friends drop by, and when you’re away for the day, just pack everything up into the outside storage room – there’s space for a couple of bicycles too
If you’re in need of a dose of sea air, then Beach View is the spot. Set on the promenade at Beaumont, it’s right in the middle of the bay. Which means you can turn the key in your front door, jump on your bike, cycle to work along the cycle track and be there within minutes. If you’re a dog-owner, we guarantee Fido will love his new home, especially when he’s worked out it comes with a seemingly endless patch of sand stretching out in both directions, filled with seaweed to play with and doggy friends to make. It’s every dog’s dream. And once you’ve finished walking the dog, if you’re planning supper out, St Aubin’s village is just a short uncomplicated stroll away and your pick of pubs, restaurants and cafés. There’s space for parking for you and your visitors in La Perquage car park (just one house away), which has free parking out of season and half-price paycard parking during the summer. Breakfast at the Gunsite anyone? Three minutes’ walk along the promenade and you’re there.
So, if you’re in the market for your own stretch of uninterrupted sea view with all the benefits of a beach on your doorstep, and a chic little beach house to call home, we think we’ve found it for you. Small is beautiful after all.
