Maison des Landes, Jersey
Magnificently refurbished throughout in an extensive £3.85m, two-year project, Maison des Landes in St Ouen, is Jersey’s only hotel designed exclusively for people with disabilities.
Opened in June, the 28-bedroom accessible hotel specialising in accommodating guests with a variety of disabilities and their carers, now boasts specially equipped bedrooms, a 48-seater dining room, a new lounge and orangery, hydrotherapy pool, wellness room and landscaped gardens with beautiful views.
There’s also the Community Hub (scheduled to open in late summer), where Jersey-based community groups, elderly people, disability organisations, charities and Jersey residents of all ages can gather to enjoy lunch, entertainment and activities.
Maison des Landes is an incorporated Jersey-registered charitable trust with a team of 10 Trustees, who own the property and are appointed by the President of the Lions Club of Jersey, who adopted the hotel as a major project in the mid-1960s. It has always been a facility exclusively for disabled people and their carers. The Trustees are headed by President Lion Peter Tabb, who commented: “Despite the fact that we consistently received good reviews, the interior (some of which dated back to the 1960s) really needed completely upgrading and updating.”
The project, designed by Axis Mason Architects, was carried out by main contractors Rok Construction. Project managers were IPM (Independent Project Managers).
Founded in the 1960s, and gradually expanding over the decades with a variety of refurbishment projects and extensions, the hotel facilities had become dated, and needed to be comprehensively upgraded to ensure the comfort of all guests.
With a brief to create a modern and exciting place for visitors of all ages to stay, Axis Mason’s design was also geared to bring disjointed parts of the hotel together by creating a centrally located orangery that would become an attractive centrepiece, linking the internal and external areas of the hotel.
The space combines the relaxing atmosphere of a modern hotel for people with disabilities, with the new Community Hub.
The interior design is based on a modern beach-style theme utilising practical and appropriate materials.
Each of the 28 bedrooms is different, offering special features to ensure that the guests can select the accommodation that suits them best. All bedrooms have been totally refurbished. 15 ground floor rooms are fully accessible with ceiling hoists to aid transfers, of which 5 premium rooms have continued tracking from the beds to the wet room. The five premium bedrooms also benefit from easy access to their own private patio.
In addition, all rooms are equipped with tea-making facilities and safes, while small fridges can be provided for storing medical items.
A variety of public spaces also allow guests to socialise and relax. These include the large dining room and bar, TV lounge, hydrotherapy pool and the new orangery.
The spacious lounge and adjacent orangery form a welcoming place for visitors to be able to relax, have a chat or read a book. The floor-to-ceiling doors offer a wonderful view over St Ouen’s Bay, and on sunny days, the doors open up to allow easy access onto the sheltered patio with tables and chairs.
As well as accommodating diners, the spacious dining room has a modern bar where guests can order a wide range of drinks. During the summer, guests can dine on the patio, where staff can also prepare food on the BBQ. The dining room is easily accessible and can cater for a variety of dietary requirements.
The large indoor hydrotherapy pool has been specially designed with wheelchair ramps and hoists for ease of access and exit. Spacious new changing rooms are located adjacent to the pool.
Externally, refurbished landscaped areas provide a new, communal terrace with direct connection to the swimming pool and the sun lounge.
A raised deck and outdoor kitchen accommodate alfresco dining and across the landscape, various garden zones provide flexible use with an accessible games court, crazy golf course, courtyard with paving forming a giant chess board and a new sensory garden for quieter relaxation.
Community Hub guests will be able to relax in the orangery, enjoy the tranquil gardens, have lunch in the dining room or enjoy the spacious hydrotherapy pool. Additionally, Hub users and guests can book appointments in the hotel’s treatment room, including massages, hairdressing, nail treatments and visits by the chiropodist.
The Community Hub will also offer a range of organised activities, including talks, films and games. There are plans to partner with local attractions and activity providers to offer a programme of tours and activities for hotel guests, which Community Hub users will be welcome to join.
The hotel’s car parking zones have been rationalised to provide easy access to the hotel main entrance and new paving and planting site-wide rejuvenate the site’s setting.
There are also extensive staff facilities, including refurbished flats for the manager and assistant manager, plus further staff quarters including bedrooms and a staff kitchen.
Peter Tabb explained how the project came about: “I have been a Trustee of the hotel for almost 40 years and became President in 2020. Around two years ago, with the onset of Covid (which caused a significant number of cancellations), the Trustees decided to close the hotel.
“It was then that we received a significant bequest from a former guest who had visited with her disabled son. This allowed us to have the building surveyed, which revealed significant improvements that were needed – including the need for asbestos removal and the replacement of the hotel’s inefficient, expensive central heating and gas cooking systems.”
He added that initially around £2.5m of improvements were needed, this money was raised in a fairly short time and the builders, architect and project managers were appointed.
Once work commenced, however, far more asbestos was discovered than was revealed in the initial survey. It was also decided to extend the hotel and this, together with the additional asbestos removal, complete rewiring and other unforeseen costs raised the total amount of the project to £3.85m, which was subsequently raised.
Peter Tabb continued: “We took a tremendous amount of advice regarding the details of the project, including, for example, selecting dementia-friendly colours for the bedrooms.
“There has been a great deal of enthusiasm from the project team – from the project managers to the architects and the builders, with all feeling that there is a special ethos to this building because of the people who will benefit from it.”
“Our belief is that having a disability should not stop anyone from having an enjoyable holiday and we can now offer our guests ‘The holiday you thought you might never have again’”.
Maison des Landes can now provide visitors and locals alike with an enriching and relaxing holiday experience in a beautiful, modern environment, bespoke designed specifically around their needs.
The post Maison des Landes Jersey appeared first on Premier Construction News.