The timing could not have been better for my wife and me as we drove on to the Condor Ferries trimaran on our trip bound for Jersey. Storms and remnants of other inclement weather had been rattling around the English Channel for a couple of days but we were lucky enough to enjoy a clear run down to the Channel islands.

The Liberation has room for almost 250 cars and was pretty much at capacity, judging by the number of people taking advantage of the comprehensive breakfast service from the popular Bistro Casquets. The duty-free shop also did a brisk trade on our crossings (including, I confess, a very good deal on a particularly tasty Caorunn gin).

The seating is all allocated with the opportunity to upgrade and there is a huge observation deck from which to take in the fresh air and watch the sun being swallowed by the sea.

And it’s well worthwhile taking the car if you want to see the very best of the island. True, it’s only roughly nine miles long and five miles wide. And there’s a top speed limit of 40mph on the island. But there’s a reason for that. Other than the main route that circles the island and a couple that bisect it, everything else is a tangled string of windy, twiddly roads that appear to spend half their time doubling back on themselves.

Which is a good thing as it forces you to take your time as you pootle from one attraction to the next - and they are plentiful and fascinating. And don’t bother with the smartphone sat-navs: you will spend half your time “proceeding to the route” when you try to follow their instructions. Just follow the signs.

Our base for our visit was the four-star Hotel de France in St Helier, situated only a couple of miles from the ferry harbour and very easy to find if you stick to the helpful directions on the hotel’s website.

It’s a great location for a visit, being a mere few minutes’ walk along spotless streets before you’re in the heart of the town. And when I say spotless, I mean exactly that. Either the St Helier elves come out at night and clear away the detritus or the people of St Helier are remarkably townproud. We saw ONE plastic bag blowing around in three days. They’ve got the same fast-food outlets as everywhere else. And yet gulls don’t seem to be a problem. On an island. In the sea. There’s a lesson in there somewhere.

The hotel is a grand building with almost 130 rooms, many of which boast great views from their balconies. We were in a spa double bedroom, which had a large, extremely comfortable bed, while the bathroom had a big walk-in shower and deep bath and came with ample Eco-Boutique goodies.

There were also large fluffy bathrobes – handy for the short trip down a couple of floors to the expansive spa facilities. My wife enjoyed a facial massage while I took to the four pools (hot, cold, just right and hydrotherapy) to work up an appetite for our evening meal in the hotel’s main restaurant, Saffrons.

As the name hints, it’s fine dining with an Indian accent. And the food is complemented by fine service, which was exemplary throughout our seven-course pescatarian tasting menu; each plateful coming with a detailed explanation of the food.

For those wishing something more informal, there is also the Garden View restaurant, while the breakfast room was packed but running smoothly on both our visits.

We also enjoyed a couple of cocktails and a great meal at the chic Banjo brasserie in St Helier.

We managed to go north, south and east during our brief visit, including a fascinating tour of the Jersey War Tunnels (jerseywartunnels.com) which provided a reminder of the island’s occupation during the Second World War.

Dug deep into the hillside by forced and slave workers from nations across Europe, the extraordinary tunnels run over 1km in length. They now contain an underground collection of thought-provoking galleries. Tip - buy your tickets in advance online and avoid the long queues at the ticket desk.

From there we headed north to the La Mare wine estate (lamarewineestate.com) for a terrifically informative tour and also the chance to sample one of the island’s tastiest exports – black butter. It is black, it’s not butter, but it’s a tasty and moreish cinnamon-hued-with-a-hint-of-mince-pie-flavour spread.

There was still time to enjoy a visit to the semi-ruined castle on the easternmost tip of the island, Mont Orgueil. If there’s one which has as many nooks and crannies to explore as this, I’ve yet to hear of it.

Our final afternoon coincided with the Jersey Air Show, which we would have missed had Mother Nature not decreed that we wait awhile for the ferry to make its way through the chop. The sight and sound of the Spitfire, Lancaster bomber and various stunt planes and close-formation flying meant the time passed very quickly.

Quite frankly, I’d have been happy for the weather to have brewed up a bit longer and then we could have extended our stay on this delightful island.

Condor Ferries operates a year-round service to the Channel Islands from Poole with its fast ferry Condor Liberation, alongside a conventional ferry service from Portsmouth. Prices start from £69pp each way with a car. To book, visit condorferries.com or call 0345 609 1024.

Barry and Helen Kinghorn stayed at the Hotel de France (defrance.co.uk), St Saviours Road, St Helier.