A Christmas Weekend at The Old Government House in Guernsey

The house

Few hotels carry two centuries this lightly. Built in the early 18th century for a Guernsey merchant, requisitioned by the Crown in 1796 to house the island’s Lieutenant Governor, and opened to the public as a hotel in 1857, The Old Government House has watched the town below it change flags more than once—including, briefly and darkly, during the German occupation, when the house served first as a military headquarters and then as a rest home for troops until Liberation in 1945. Red Carnation has held it since 2008, restoring rather than reinventing: the marble entrance hall, the fabric-lined walls, furniture inherited rather than sourced. It reads, still, like a house that governs—which, for the better part of two hundred years, it did.

The historic red-carpeted entrance of The Old Government House Hotel & Spa, welcoming guests to St. Peter Port

Day 1: Arrival & the Old Quarter

Timing the flight from London is worth a moment’s thought. There are several a day, spread from early morning through to early evening, and the flight itself is over almost as soon as it begins—just over an hour in the air. Take one of the morning departures and you land with the whole afternoon still ahead of you: time for tea by the fire in the Sir John Coward Lounge, then a proper, unhurried walk through the Old Quarter while the light is still on your side. Leave it later and you arrive as dusk is already settling—no less atmospheric, simply a different opening scene. The morning flight is the better one, if a choice presents itself.

Sweeping harbor and sea views from the private outdoor terrace of The Governor's Suite

From the hotel, the Old Quarter is a short walk downhill: antique dealers who keep their doors open past dusk, boutiques along Mill Street dressed, without irony, for December. Buy a Guernsey wool jumper if nothing else—an unglamorous, unphotogenic thing that outlives every trend it predates, and the one souvenir worth the suitcase space.

Unwinding over cocktails and fine spirits in the plush surroundings of the Crown Club Lounge

Dinner is not negotiable: It happens at the Curry Room, a small, red-walled dining room hung with portraits of the island’s former governors, where Chef Prenolan Naidoo cooks the food of Durban rather than Delhi—a direct inheritance from Bea Tollman, the South African-born matriarch behind the entire Red Carnation collection. Begin with the lamb shish kebab, the chicken malai kebab, or simply order the mixed thali and share it across the table. The traditional Durban lamb curry is the dish regulars order without glancing at the menu; the aloo palak, its spinach and potato finished with Guernsey cream, is the concession to a milder appetite. Finish, always, with Bea Tollman’s own cheesecake—a recipe old enough to be considered house canon. It is, without much competition, the finest Indian table in the British Isles.

The intimate, red-walled Curry Room, hung with portraits of former Guernsey governors

Day 2: Lights, markets & the sea

Mornings move slowly here, which is the point. By late morning, St. Peter Port is at its most theatrical: strings of lights overhead, a modest Christmas market filling Market Square, mulled wine changing hands before you have quite decided to stop walking. Guernsey has never charged VAT, which gives the jewelers and silversmiths of the Old Quarter a second look they might not otherwise earn.

The richly ornate red interior of Hauteville House, home to Victor Hugo during his island exile

The afternoon asks for one decision, not several: the hotel’s spa, for those who want the fire and the treatment room, or Castle Cornet and Hauteville House, Victor Hugo’s home during his exile, for those who would rather walk through the island’s history than sit still in it. Either way, return before dark—the town after sunset belongs to the hotel.

Evenings begin at the Centenary Bar and close at The Brasserie, the walled garden glowing faintly through the glass long after the kitchen has gone quiet.

Glowing Christmas illuminations cast a warm winter light over the narrow streets of St. Peter Port

Day 3: The house at Christmas

By the third day, the hotel’s own Christmas comes into view. Afternoon belongs in the Sir John Coward Lounge, over a proper festive afternoon tea—smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwiches, a brie and caramelized onion tartlet, then a clementine parfait, an eggnog custard tart, and cake pops dressed for December. As the light goes, the hotel’s Alpine Lodge appears for the season: rustic wooden walls, a fire that does not go out, mulled wine and cider in hand—a convincing stand-in for genuine après-ski, delivered without leaving the garden.

Dinner is the Chef’s Festive Choice Menu: a chestnut and truffle velouté to start, a pressed Guernsey short rib or a traditional roast turkey to follow, and a Guernsey Gâche Christmas pudding, or a dark chocolate and clementine tart, to close the day properly.

Festive afternoon tea served beside the roaring hearth in the Sir John Coward Lounge

Day 4: The last morning

The final morning belongs entirely to breakfast. The Brasserie does not attempt a grand buffet, and does not need to—what arrives is contained, precise, and better for it, with a full à la carte alongside for anyone who wants their eggs a particular way. Take the corner table by the window if it is free, and let it run long. This is the last look at the harbor before the case is packed and the door of The Old Government House closes behind you. Check-out, when it must happen, should be late rather than early.

The Brasserie’s green-striped conservatory dining room, overlooking the hotel's walled garden

Getting there

Aurigny, the island’s own carrier, operates the bulk of the London routes, with British Airways running a daily year-round service from Heathrow. For a slower, more analog arrival, Condor Ferries sails from Poole in three hours, or from Portsmouth in considerably longer—a crossing worth the extra time for those traveling with more luggage than patience.

When to go

The town’s Christmas lights switch on in late November and hold through the month, so any December weekend delivers the full effect. The final week before Christmas belongs to the locals; the first two weekends of the month are quieter, and no less bright.

The room

A harbor- or garden-facing room suits most stays comfortably. For an occasion, request one of the suites, where the house’s original character—and its history—is hardest to disguise.