THERE is a “huge demand” for wellbeing getaways in Jersey, according to a business owner who is planning on opening ten organic yurts in St Aubin.
Corrine Davey and husband Pedram Padidar run Jersey Organic Yurts – which provides the large round tents originating from Central Asia for events including weddings and parties. Both are qualified yoga instructors.
Mrs Davey said they came up with the idea of creating a yurt wellbeing retreat after potential customers inquired about overnight stays and she had to turn them down.
If their planning application is approved, field B845 on Mont de le Rocque, which runs up the hill from St Aubin, will see the creation of ten yurts, designed to be taken down every winter.
“There is a huge demand for wellbeing getaways and nature retreats,” Mrs Davey said.
“Most of them take place off-Island because we don’t have the facilities in Jersey for that.”
Companies currently take clients to Guernsey, Spain, Ibiza or Mallorca, she added.
The wellbeing sector in Jersey was “huge”, she added, but many providers did not have accommodation and were facing expensive overheads.
With the help of Visit Jersey, she had identified “moment makers” as their target demographic – visitors who are “a bit younger than middle-aged, maybe in their 30s, maybe who want to come but also experience something”.
“We want to attract younger people to the Island and this type of accommodation appeals to that generation,” she said.
The Jersey Hospitality Association and Genuine Jersey have both provided comments supporting the application.
In a letter, Ana and Marcus Calvani, co-chief executive officers of the JHA, said they were “pleased to see new sustainable and eco-friendly accommodation” which “align with what our visitors are expecting to experience during their travels to Jersey”.
A previous planning application for a similar site in St Ouen was rejected, which Mrs Davey said was down to the location being wrong.
Durrell already provides yurt accommodation, but with a focus on the Zoo and on hosting families.
Mrs Davey said that the couple’s chosen site had been degraded by previous non-commercial farming activity and she was keen to introduce more biodiversity to the field.
Guests would be able to take part in yoga and meditation as well as taking part in growing, she added, with allotments and green spaces between the tents.
With no cars on site, guests would be provided with e-bikes or bikes and encouraged to take the bus.
Mrs Davey said she was keen to collaborate with other businesses in the area, who, she said, had been supportive of the project.
“Everyone has been very receptive. It’s exactly what Jersey needs has been the response we’re getting all the time.”
The business is hoping to open the yurts by next April, subject to planning approval.
