USP A great place to kickback and feel as though your miles away from the smog of the city.

AMBIENCE Smiley and seasidey, but slick. Located bang in the middle of the glorious St Brelade's Bay, a huge, perfect, curve of white sand and gentle surf, the whole hotel has recently had a smart £8.5 million upgrade.

The spa is small but perfectly formed, with two treatment rooms (expansion is planned) a seawater swimming pool, and sauna and steam room.

Many rooms have big sea-view balconies or terraces, there are good showers, quality bath products and real milk in the mini-bar for your morning brew.

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QUALITY OF EXPERIENCE Great. A sports massage gave the knots in my shoulders a good seeing-to; an O2 marine facial relaxed me and left my skin glowing for days - no easy feat for a complexion used to soaking up London's smog.

Mum's Aroma Essential Facial was, she said, one of the best facials she'd ever had, and her mani/pedi was almost as flawless as that at London's Cowshed, the yardstick against which we judge all others. High praise, and conclusive proof to city snobs like me that you can get top-notch treatments outside the M25. One downside: the rooms aren't soundproofed, so when children go hurtling past on their way to the swimming pool, you hear them.

PRODUCTS Thalgo, chosen for their natural ethos and use of marine extracts. I'd never tried them before, but was impressed.

FOOD Pretty much whatever you want. The Brasserie does a creditable Club Sandwich, along with Caesar salads, pizza, pasta and afternoon tea; the Grill is L'Horizon's 'fine dining' restaurant, with all the frills and furbelows you'd expect, if that's what you're after. But the shoo-in, if the weather's up to it, is the outdoor Terrace with its teak tables, chic parasols and position directly above the beach. Grilled lobster, chips, cold wine, hot sun, fantastic view: if there's a nicer way to spend an afternoon, we couldn't think of it.

IN-CROWD All sorts, including locals who do acqua aerobics in the pool. Jersey is not for anyone looking for a party, but it's far too nice to be left to the retired people who used to colonise it, and L'Horizon is perfect for anyone interested in doing nothing at a nice hotel on a top beach. There's plenty of families, and grandparents on sandcastle-building duty, but there's space for everyone, and we felt right at home. It's an obvious mini-break option - the flight is only 45 minutes, getting there is quicker than driving from London to Cornwall, and it'll probably be warmer and sunnier when you get there. In winter, it's the perfect place to hole up, going for bracing clean, sea-air walks to work up an appetite for afternoon tea.

WALLET WATCH A back, neck and shoulder massage costs £28 for 25 minutes; an O2 marine facial and the Aroma Essential Facial are both £42 for 55 minutes; a manicure costs £26 for 45 mins and the pedicure £31 for 45 mins. From £230 bed and breakfast per room per night in summer, £120 in winter.

NEED TO KNOW L'Horizon Hotel and Spa is part of the Hand Picked Hotels collection. For more information and to book visit www.handpicked.co.uk or call 01534 743101. For information on Jersey go to www.jersey.com

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