Guestbook
We absolutely loved staying in The Old Tea Room. A perfect base to head out for Alderney adventures. Very comfortable, and felt like home!
Walkers
04 Nov 2022
We enjoyed the holiday very much, lots of walking (too old to run) and sightseeing, the Wildlife Trust walks brochure was brilliant, all the scenery wonderful, the pubs and restaurants excellent and your cottage well equipped, tastefully furnished and decorated, also very unusual and interesting. We immediately felt at home in No 28 and it suited us very well.
Andrew Macve
25 Sep 2022
"Higgledy piggledy house" is what my children called The Old Tea Room in St Anne, Alderney. The winding narrow steep staircase takes you from the living room to the bedrooms set over two top floors. The moment we walked in, the children screamed in anticipation of adventure. We arrived on 27th August, our youngest son's 12th birthday and spent a week in the enchanting 17th century house with rich history. We loved having breakfast in the converted WWII German bunker-kitchen. The house and the island are dotted with historical landmarks. There are numerous forts -- from Roman to WWII -- to discover and to get lost in the underground tunnel system. We also found out about the only Nazi concentration camp on British soil - interestingly situated just beyond the edge of the short runaway of Alderney's tiny airport. Apart from the rich history, a short walk from the house lie a number of beaches and shorelines with intertidal habitats. Arranged by the Wildlife Trust, we went on a day's land and sea foraging course, collecting limpets, topshells, seaweed, rock samphire, wild rocket and sea kale - cooking on a camp stove and having delicious impromptu lunch. It was so much fun that we foraged often whenever we were out. The islanders are somehow interconnected, they know each other, all we had to say was that we lived in Charlie Gauvain's house, and we got lifts from total strangers from the far end of the island when the children had enough of walking. In Alderney, people leave their front doors open, bikes are almost never locked. We will definitely visit the house and the island again this year.
Lipika Pelham
12 Sep 2022
Just returned from a two week holiday in the Channel Islands, including a week at the Old Tea Rooms. We love quirky properties so liked the idea of staying here and we absolutely loved it. This is a very comfortable, relaxed, bright, airy place to stay, in a super location, tastefully decorated with loads of character but with everything needed for a self catering holiday. Charlie and Roland were both so helpful both before and during our holiday. We enjoyed the Wildlife Trust activities, including bat and hedgehog walk, paddle boarding and kayaking as well as letterboxing, which encouraged our 12 year old daughter to explore the island. The booklet of island walks also proved invaluable for seeing as much of the island as possible.
The videos Charlie has made of island residents sharing their wartime experiences of evacuation, occupation and post-war return are absolutely fascinating and bring to life many of the historical locations on the island.
We would thoroughly recommend Alderney for an island break, with the beautiful scenery, wildlife, sunshine, beaches, historical landmarks, lovely shops, bars and restaurants, relaxed way of life and super friendly people.
The Old Tea Room is a great place to stay on the island. Plenty of space including a terrace with garden furniture, spacious lounge, kitchen and bedrooms, centrally located. We fell in love with the house and with Alderney and very much hope to return.
Melody, Andrew, Lena and Florence Jones
29 Aug 2022
Had a lovely, relaxing week in Alderney. The old Tearooms was a lovely cottage, well placed in the middle of everything - easy access to airport, shops, restaurants, beach - all within walking distance. The cottage was spacious and well equipped. Lovely, authentic, island life.
Linda Bowman
03 Aug 2022
We enjoyed a lovely stay in Alderney. The weather was brilliant. The bays, forts, bunkers and wildlife were great. The house is in a great location - very handy for the shops and restaurants. The house was full of character and was spacious, comfortable and had everything we needed. The Gauvains were very helpful, and we shall certainly be back!
Tostevin Family
28 Apr 2022
We had a lovely few days in Alderney. The house was great, plenty of space, good kitchen, and an outdoor area, with chairs, etc.
Location was good with easy access to town, beaches, cliffs, etc. Nothing is far away in Alderney.
Eat out a few places including Georgian, Vaults, Moorings and loaded waffles in the Blonde Hedgehog.
Hope to get back again before too long. Lovely Island, friendly people.
Julian Pentland
09 Jun 2021
Had an amazing week. The weather was superb. Great location. In touch with Roland and he was very helpful. If you like trail running and exploring then this is a great place to come. Beaches just superb...Longis is my favourite. Everyone is very friendly in Alderney and I shall be back again.
Nick Affleck
14 Sep 2020
We had a great week! The property was perfect for our family of 5. Quirky, but homely and not trying to be too fancy. Location was great as well, not too far from anywhere. Charlie and Roland were friendly and helpful throughout. Would recommend. Lee, Claire, Ethan, Martha and Tabitha, 21st August 2020
Lee Falla
24 Aug 2020
What a fantastic week we had in Alderney, and what a fabulous and quirky home-from-home The Old Tea Room was! Thank you!
We were blessed with the weather, hired bikes most days, enjoyed lovely food, soaked up the history, wondered at the fortifications, and took a wonderful boat trip with AWT.. and we were truly touched by the kindness, generosity and friendliness of everyone we met there.
We did not want to come home I have to say - the pace of life and simple pleasures felt like we were back at our home in France, and Guernsey feels a bit too busy after that! ... Alderney will be top of the list for any future holidays for sure!
Alison, Adrian, Oliver, Harriet and Gizmo
16 Aug 2020
Lovely House in the High Street. Perfect for our family of 5 for our last minute trip to Alderney. Charlie and Roland were very helpful and friendly. We were only at the house for 2 nights but liked the location as we could pop to the Blonde Hedgehog next door for their amazing breakfast! Thanks Charlie and Roland, we will be back again.
Amelia Holden
12 Aug 2020
The house was perfect, thank you so much.
It was such a lovely house. Location was fantastic.
Roland was very friendly and helpful, we bumped into him every day!
Laura Martin
05 Aug 2020
We really enjoyed our ‘lockdown’ getaway week in Alderney. The house was perfect for our stay, very comfortable and with an interesting history attached. It was well placed for us to make the most of restaurants and all the other amenities St. Anne has to offer. We loved our bat and hedgehog walk, organized by the Alderney Wildlife Trust, and were just sorry that the weather was too windy to take a boat trip. Thank you Charlie for letting us stay, and Roland for all the help you gave us. We would love to visit again before too long.
Paul and Lin Lawrence, Guernsey
Linda Lawrence
09 Jul 2020
We had a wonderful time in Alderney. We really loved the island, explored its 2000+ yrs of history, cliff walks, railway, wildlife, tides and overfalls, museum and library and friendly people. We had a whole week of perfect weather. So different from the other Channel isles! We also enjoyed your carefully researched films, fine book collection and very completely equipped house with its own interesting history which reflects that of the whole island. Roland was extremely helpful to us and everyone made us really welcome. I hope to return with my husband. Thank you so much.
Dr Linda Moss
10 Sep 2019
Thank you Charlie and Roland. We have just had the most delightful stay in The Old Tea Room. It offered us everything we needed for a most comfortable stay and was warm and cosy on the odd days where the weather was slightly un-June like! We found it very well equipped and the rooms light, airy and spotlessly clean. Being perfectly located in St. Anne it was so easy to self-cater or eat out with supermarkets, shops, restaurants and pubs all within walking distance. We loved being able to walk out to everywhere, even the coastal walks and exploring the bunkers and forts. We also took advantage of the Alderney Wildlife Trust membership which comes with the property, offering discounts on tours and events and we must give an extra shout out for the boat tours.........those puffins and gannets.....wow! Our only regret........we couldn't stay longer! Hopefully we'll be back soon. Sue & Nigel - June 2019
Susan Clifford
14 Jun 2019
Having recently spent few days at The Old Tea Rooms, we would highly recommend this delightful house, situated in a perfect location. Very comfortable and spotlessly clean and so well appointed. Roland was extremely helpful and accommodating, nothing was too much trouble. A massive bonus was the excellent WiFi!
Sarah & John Evanson
12 May 2019
A perfect property in a perfect location. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at the property. Charlie and Roland were both extremely helpful and we really appreciated a late check out. The house easily accommodated us and our needs. It had a homely feel which helped us to instantly relax. Many thanks again for a lovely stay.
Rebecca Dey
25 Sep 2018
The family and I had a great 2018 Alderney week staying at the Old Tearoom - Charlie and Roland were extremely helpful and accommodated a late departure which was much appreciated. The house itself was lovely and an ideal location on the island for all the week's activities!
Theresa Sanders
16 Aug 2018
Nous avons apprécié notre séjour dans cette maison propice à la détente et au repos. Sa localisation est parfaite pour tous les déplacements sur l île et elle est également à proximité immédiate du centre. La maison a également beaucoup de charme. Merci !
Philippe
05 Aug 2018
We had four days in the Old Tea Rooms and really enjoyed it’s brightness, space and character. The location is perfect - everything is five minutes away but its peaceful and quiet. Strolling out into St Anne’s cobbled streets in the evening was romantic and unforgettable. Alderney is simply a gem, especially the cliffs, sandy bays, walking, flowers and wildlife. We shall return!
John and Jane
09 May 2018
The Old Tea Room is in a perfect location. We found that with our 3 children and our doggie it suited us very well indeed. It was exceptionally clean, light and homely. It was well equipped and has an added bonus of a sunny raised patio area with seating too. Charlie and Roland were very helpful at every stage from our first inquiry, right up until our arrival. There are beautiful walks within minutes from the house and the supermarket and main shopping street is very handy, There are lots of eateries available to enjoy also. We were very impressed with the beautiful beaches and loved the relaxed feel of Alderney. We would love to return one day ! Thank you so much for helping to make our holiday so enjoyable. Regards Jo and Rob Wilton
Jo Wilton
17 Aug 2017
Absolute treat to stay in such a delightful house with everything we needed. Alderney proved an interesting place to stay and we were lucky enough to get places on a boat trip with Roland to see the Puffins. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.....Many Thanks
Beverley Lansdown
25 Jun 2017
Dear Sir. We arrived home about three hours ago and I wanted to take this opportunity to say a big thank you for helping us have a great relaxing week in your cottage. It was just what we were looking for with the number of bedrooms and the quirky layout making it a most memorable place. We did everything , and more, that we had planned to do and found ourselves quickly relaxing into Alderney time.
It was very kind of your brother to meet us on arrival and point us in the right direction for things to do.
Thanks once again from a very grateful Saunders family
Alan
29 May 2017
Great location and very well equipped house with a lovely homely feel. Very much recommended.
Sarah Fradd
27 May 2017
Cette grande maison était parfaite pour notre séjour à Aurigny avec nos deux petits enfants, et ce grand beau temps qui nous a été accordé pendant cette semaine-là.
Proche de l'Office de tourisme, des commerces, ce fut une base agréable et pratique pour nos balades quotidiennes, et parfois nocturnes, qui nous ont occupé tout le long de ces quelques jours.
L'équipement du gîte est très bon, facile d'usage et agencé de façon très agréable. Bravo. Et merci.
BOCQUET Alain
25 Apr 2017
We very much enjoyed our visit to Alderney and old friends. The Old Tea Room has everything one wants, is very comfortable and well looked after. Roland and Charlie are easily accessible for all your questions and problems. We recommend it to everyone.
Patrick
06 Mar 2017
Had a really great holiday in your beautiful house. The house was really lovely and all the furnishing and bedding was top notch. The house was really cosy and we were really looked after well by Roland, who even picked us up from the airport and bought us some essential foods to keep us going until the shops were open on Monday. The house is perfectly positioned bang in the middle of town. Loved the Island and ate far too much in the local restaurant and bars. Went on loads of lovely walks and spent every morning looking in rock pools on the beautiful beaches. Will certainly be back
Keith Exton
01 Nov 2016
We had a lovely stay at ‘the Old Tea Rooms’ and Alderney, we had really needed a break from the day to day going’s on of home life, so it was nice to be able to enjoy great scenery, history, good food and beer at the various local establishments. Your home was very welcoming and had all we needed and more. Your brother Roland and sister in-law Caroline were very welcoming and very helpful to us. I shall definitely recommend your accommodation and may be back another time.
Genevieve Andrews
02 Oct 2016
"I just wanted to take the opportunity to thank you all for the wonderful holiday we enjoyed in August. My family had fantastic time; we know Alderney quite well and we were delighted to be able to stay in such a central and authentic townhouse (made the more so by the German additions!) this year. Throughout the process you were very helpful and Roland provided excellent help & assistance throughout our stay. We have booked already for next year - the utmost testament!" The Roberts Family
Dominic Roberts
15 Sep 2016
Just e-mailing you to say we all got home safely yesterday after a fabulous holiday..Thanks to you and to Roland for looking after us so well. We loved the house, the island, the beaches and, of course, the forts!
We also very much enjoyed watching your films, which, I thought, were a lovely piece of social history. Nothing brings history home as much as personal stories, both touching and random. I could really picture High street running with rats and roofless! My mum was very touched by it too. It brought back memories of her own time in Jersey in the war and of seeing her father again for the first time in 6 years (she was born in 1936 and her father spent the war years in East Africa, having sent them home to Jersey to be safe and because my gran was pregnant!)..
Anyway, thanks to you all and best wishes for the future...We will be back!
Paul Wyatt
04 Sep 2016
Being so central in St. Anne, The Old Tea Room is the ideal house from which to explore the whole of Alderney on foot. Welcoming, attractively furnished and spacious, this holiday home provides everything you need. And all your self-catering requirements are just minutes from the front door. A wonderful place to stay on a very special island. - Clive and Angela,
Clive and Angela
05 May 2016