Friday, 20 September 2019

Fort Regent in the 1970s - Part 7














I managed to get hold of this brochure which was printed in 1977. It is both sad and amazing when you see everything the Fort had to offer. Over the next month, I shall be posting extracts from this brochure which shows the incredible diversity of Fort Regent, and an optimism that has been sadly lost along with most of the features described in this brochure.

Fort Regent in the 1970s - Part 7









Fort Regent boasts Jersey's most luxurious and sophisticated restaurant and discotheque.

It's called Bonaparte's, and the Island's leading show-biz columnist has described it as being "elegantly comfortable, plushly intimate, a gourmet's delight, a disco fan's paradise". That particular writer also went on to compare Bonaparte's with a film set!

Bonaparte's, with its Napoleonic atmosphere totally pervading the dim and lushly furnished interior, is a five room complex dedicated to your pleasure. It has been fitted out at a cost of more than £150,000. The a la carte restaurant is separated from the area set aside for dancing and has a deliberately limited menu - (the proprietors refuse to have anything to do with frozen food and insist on serving only fresh) - and a comprehensive and carefully selected wine list.

Diners, of course, have access to the disco or they can use the relatively quieter reception bar.

The discotheque itself contains some of the world's most advanced audio equipment and that means you'll be listening to some of the best sound you'll hear anywhere.

By the way, the disco is also open to non-diners, when an entrance charge is made but, and this is the important part, it is essential if dining that you book beforehand and if dancing only that you get there early to avoid the disappointment of finding the premises full. Such is the popularity of Bonaparte's among local people that reservations have become the order of the day.







How are you on a pair of skis? Pretty good, even if you say so yourself? A beginner, nursery-slopes-style? Never tried it? Whatever your answer you can, during your sunny, summer, stay in Jersey, take your first, unsteady, winter-sports steps, or even brush up on your more advanced ski technique. The slopes of Fort Regent include the Mogulslope Skiing Trainer.

It's an entirely new concept in instruction and training for both beginners and experienced skiers and it works, quite simply, on the principle of the endless belt. The moving slope gives you a realistic simulation of snow conditions - perfect if you want to learn the basic swing and equally perfect for experienced skiers who want to loosen up and improve their "wedeln".

Its pretty good, too, for anyone who just wants a bit of fun! Can you fall? Too right you can. Can you hurt yourself? No! Apart, that is from the odd bump or bruise. You see, in the event of a fall the belt stops immediately.

So now you know what to do. Catch the cable cars to the peaks of Fort Regent.







The transformation of Fort Regent was planned with the underlying thought that there must always be enough places for refreshment. So whether you want a leisurely lunch, a quick snack, just a coffee, or a pub lunch complete with a foaming pint of beer, then we have a wide choice of venues to cater for your requirements. Places where you will meet and make friends.

For instance, right next door to the Go-Skate rink you'll find the Piazza - that's a restaurant with something for everyone – with waitresses attending to the slowly-sipping solitary coffee drinker and also to the full-scale meal eater. The meal eater will probably try one of those American-style, big beefy burgers, full of choice, juicy, meat, and then move on to one of the Piazza's renowned ice-cream delights accompanied, perhaps, by a glass of wine.

Close at hand is our very own fully licensed public house, with its Victoriana bar and separate lounge for parents with children. It's where you'll find award-winning Jersey beer, at Jersey's special prices.

Mind your head! The beer here is strong.

Nearer the swimming pool you'll find the newly decorated and luxuriously furnished Springboard Coffee House and the Hi-Dive Bar, both at the bikini-crowded pool. Have a drink in the elegant Hi-Dive lounge, or try the food at the Coffee House. Your host and hostess, Alfredo and Margaret, produce a varying dish of the day of unvarying high quality.

And, of course, there's the Carronade, built especially for anyone who wants a simple meal served swiftly and courteously plus, possibly, a glass or two of nourishment, and with some occasional music to keep you company and help stimulate your taste buds.

By the way, those stubby little cannons apparently guarding the restaurant are what the Carronade is actually named after. Once upon a time the Fort's main armaments(quite accurate and deadly) they were built by the still existing Carron Company of Falkirk in Scotland.

Remember those picnic spots we told you about on the page concerning walks through the gardens and the aviaries? Well, if you should fancy the idea of a picnic once you get to Fort Regent but you haven't brought with you any suitable snacks or food, we can help you. All you need to do is to find our special picnic kiosk - it's just by the top cable car station and, hey presto, it's picnic time, sit in the sun and munch time, alfresco lunch time.


1 comment:

Unknown said...

Are there any photos ?