Green Street, St Helier (01534 876500; www.theclubjersey.com

Maybe it's because of Bergerac, but the Channel Islands take me back to the Eighties. There's the air of self-satisfied high living, the big yachts, the Charlie Hungerford types with too-dark tans and too-light jackets, the shoulder-padded wives and rumours of a rampant swinging scene.

The hotels too plough on in chintzy traditional style, blithely untroubled by the fads and fashions of the wider hospitality world. They're big, posh and stuffy, or small, cheap and a bit mouldy. So the arrival of the trendily named The Club, styling itself 'Jersey's first boutique hotel', is causing a stir.

It's as though the last 20 years of hotel design have at last found a chink in the island's defences, and are flooding in on a funky, gimmicky tidal wave. There's the 'New York-style' cafe, the honesty bar, flat-screen TVs, the salt water swimming pool, the Ayurvedic spa products from a 'not for profit' Californian company. Instead of 'do not disturb', the door signs say 'just chilling out'. Instead of sherry in the mini-bar, there's a 'mile high' sex kit.

Actually, calling it gimmicky is a bit mean because the overwhelming impression is of a hotel making a huge effort to please. The mini-bar has four types of whisky and there's always a cookie left by the bed (although the daily proverb is definitely too much). The decor is elegant and grown-up, with marble floors, lots of polished maple and ostrich-leather bedsteads. It's only been open five months so everything sparkles.

There's a danger of it seeming too smart and businessy, but the young, informal staff - the owner is just 28 - prevent this. It's their friendliness that allows the 48-room hotel to pull off the 'boutique' atmosphere.

Bohemia, the fabulous hotel restaurant, has already won a Michelin star so it's always buzzy with bonused-up locals.

The only problem is that a hotel this swish makes the rest of St Helier look a bit down at heel. After searching in the rain for somewhere for a romantic late lunch, we ended up in Cafe Revive (yes, the one in M&S).

Price: double from £195 with breakfast.

What we liked: friendly staff and great food.

What we didn't: St Helier in the rain.

Verdict: single-handedly turns Jersey into a chic weekend-break destination.