‘Nothing has changed. All is great,’ say guests on a return visit to Patrick Burke’s luxury hotel, whose well-tended grounds overlook St Ouen’s Bay. In truth, a great deal has been modified since the owner’s father, Henry, opened the hotel in 1970; an annual programme of refurbishment keeps things shipshape. ‘We’ve not seen such a well-maintained hotel anywhere else.’ Unpack in one of the ‘well-appointed’, contemporary bedrooms (each has fancy toiletries in a marble bathroom), then take in the views: upper-floor rooms have full-height windows and a balcony overlooking the ocean or adjoining golf course; ground-floor rooms have a private terrace with direct access to the hotel gardens. Pack the day with tennis, swimming, coastal walks, visits to the spa; in the evening, you can eat well. The hotel has a new executive chef, Will Holland, a former UK Restaurant Chef of the Year.  In the Ocean restaurant, there are ‘lots of local dishes’ on the menu, perhaps grilled Jersey sole, brown shrimp and caper butter, spring onion purée. Guests hungering for simpler, bistro-style fare might take a 15-minute drive to sister restaurant, Mark Jordan at the Beach. (P and AD)