mike

iam mike who posted goingto bermuda staying at sonesta any thing i should know etc...will answer any questions best i can

Lee

Hi Mike - we are booked at the Sonesta for Sept. with our 1 1/2 year old. We have stayed at the Southhampton Princess on our previous 4 visits (recently in June by ourselves) We were told the Sonesta's beach is great for kids. How did you find their beaches? Also, I have read conflicting reviews about the condition of the rooms, how was your room? We are booked in a jr. suite, hope it is nice. Which part of the hotel did you stay in? Is one part closer to the beaches than any other? Which of the hotel restaurants do you recommend for us with our son? Since we have been to most of the restaurants in Bermuda (except for any in the Sonesta) we don't plan on venturing out too much with our son for meals, so we will probably eat at the hotel everyday. Any comments would be appreciated. We are looking forward to trying a different hotel, would you return to the Sonesta?

mike

Lee,take the virtual tour of sonesta on thier web site,then post me,mike

Jan

Mike -- please share your thoughts re: the Sonesta, either in this column, or perhaps more usefully, in the "Rants & Raves" section of this website. Experience is a valuable thing!!

Carol

Well, Mike? Don't want the website... How did YOU like it?

Lee

Mike - I have already looked at the website - I would like to hear from MIKE about everything he experienced. The website is not going to tell us if the staff is accommodating , or if the service/food in the restaurants is good, cleanliness of the hotel, conditions of the rooms, beaches, pools, fitness center & spa, etc. etc. We want to hear from someone who has been there. Isn't that why we visit this message board?

Carol

This is wierd. Why did Mike post his offer?

mike

sorry to all,im not fam. with rant& rave section ..yet,and i posted this note because i got very few but very good replies from my original posting.specific questions are easier to address..but here goes,me45 wife40 no children,we loved it,very romantic setting.our day consisted of waking up bussing to elbow or horseshoe(20min walk)beach all day,sonesta to shower andlate light dinner in longtail rest.at sonesta.nothing great but satisfying.we did the night under the star buffet on fri. food was xcellent.lots of kids which were on the dance floor with parents .willpost more later,here comes the boss.

Carol

Thanks Mike! Sounds like you had a great time. I had a good experience at the Sonesta, too, but was hestitant to recommend after reading some negative stuff before. Two specific questions - but don't loose your job over them - only if you have time! <BR>1. Why did you choose the off-property beaches, instead of staying at the hotel beaches? <BR>2. How are the rooms? Clean? Renovated? Did your wife like the decor and the bathroom?!

mike

carol,thanks for specific questions,we went to offsite beaches because wanted to go to elbow(loved it)and had been to horseshoe in99. we love the large waves!!! we tried sonesta but it isnt even close.sinkey bay loked like u could walk forever without going over head,looked great for kids,no waves,the other bay beach was smaller but had agreen look to it,i went in was fine wife didnot.again good for kids. crossbay beach was alot bbetter its a 2 min, shuttle ride but closed both sat. we were there for private partys.but when we did go,it seemed like alot of things were being washed ashore,also at times seemed like a orange yellow film would be noticeable.saw a condom roll in each time wewerethere(2}I was told this was rare by all i talked to. beach was highly rec. by all we met but was to us not in same cat. as elbow & hshoe.we went to that beach after a day of sightseeing. as to the room ours was very very very clean we on 4th overlooking dome pool,islnd view.bath was fine for us.pictures on wll we strange{pears}.airconditioning seemed loud on kickin, pillows were hard.i do have a warning about ants,i saw one woman complain about ants in her room.and on return flight talked to an older couple who had same problem.more on this later gotta go.

Lee

Mike - Thank you for taking the time to add some extra insight on the place. I will post my trip report when my time comes. Going Sept 6th-10th.

mike

lee,i dont think you will be dissappointed with sonesta,i just think from ur post that u wre at a nicer hotel.i met a couple that told me southhamton was a notch above the sonesta by far.ive never been but did u like thier beach. we re considering next time staying there as well as stonington.the stoningtons beach is elbow and we met couple who said rooms wre small and clean.the surf club or side was rec. by locals as well as royal something. the reefs looked great and thier beach beats cross bay,The people at our hotel were friendly and the guest services people were always helpful.In our case $ was an issue we cut cost,no meal plan.The things i bring up are some of the things that when added up could sound terrible to some but as a whole our trip was fine we used sonesta as a home base for our beach excursions.would we stay there again,maybe not but the romantic views are hard to beat.sonesta was the best package deal we could find on the south shore and if it comes down to the $ again i would stay there again.also i do know the more u complain to manager the more refund u can get if u have a bad ex. or if room is not up to standard.we were going to change our rm because of an odor coming from 3 large exhaust fans making it hard to sit on balcony.but decided not to because of me over hearing about the ants..our rm was so clean it wasnt worth moving.also i walked to exercise area seemed clean and small. sorry to cram things in but i feel any input may help someone else.any more questions feel free

Jan

Mike -- what kind of music was playing at the dance floor of the Sonesta -- island, rock, salsa, fox trot...? <BR> <BR>Also: thanks for the feedback. Even people like us who will stay at a different hotel get around for other events, etc. The "Rants & Raves" section is right next to the site for "Travel Talk" on Fodor's home page. It allows raters to rate different hotel aspects on a 1-5 scale for room, service, etc., and allows for other comments (nothing to lengthy as you desire.) While I appreciate the comments on this travel talk site, I think the quick reviews are also helpful to others.

Louis

My wife and I just returned from our first vacation in Bermuda on July 30. We had a wonderful time and would recommend a Bermuda vacation to everyone.<BR><BR>We stayed six days at the Sonesta Beach Hotel. From some comments on the Bermuda forums, I was concerned about the hotel selection (which was made by our children who sent us on this trip). <BR><BR>The hotel does not have the typical pastel Bermuda house/cottage look. But since it rained for parts of three days during our vacation, it was great to be able to walk inside the building to one of the restaurants, or go inside for a while and then back to the beach as soon as the rain stopped. <BR><BR>Also it was great to take the elevator to the lobby and walk out to the pool and less than 100 feet to the beach. The water at the beaches at the Sonesta isn’t as clear as the water at Horseshoe Bay. We walked to Horseshoe Bay (about 25 minutes at a slow picture taking pace). The water was crystal clear and the waves excellent. We spent a few hours there and after a snack took a cab back to our hotel. As I said the Sonesta water isn’t as clear. I guess the narrower openings to the bays keep more sand in suspension. Sinky Bay (Bay Wing of hotel) was shallow and had no waves. Boat Bay, which is closest to the main part of the hotel (Carlton Wing), had small waves. Cross Bay, which is east of the hotel (you can walk from Sinky Bay or take the shuttle bus from hotel entrance), was the nicest Sonesta beach. It had good waves just a little smaller than those at Horseshoe Bay. We found the water very salty and easy to float on.<BR><BR>We tried all the restaurants at the hotel, and the food was very good. Lillian’s, their premier restaurant, had a price fixed ($40/person) three-course dinner special, which we ordered. Both the food and service were excellent. The SeaGrape, where you dine outdoors overlooking the beach and water, featured an entr&eacute;e plus a salad and desert bar for $38. We had a problem here when the waiter brought our entr&eacute;e before we had finished our salads. My wife complained to the Maitre d’, who took our entr&eacute;es and bought new ones when we had finished a few trips to the salad bar. My wife said the soft-shell crabs were the best she had ever tasted. The Longtail caf&eacute; had good food at a reasonable price. The junkyard salad ($7) and pizza ($17-23) made a nice change. We had requested a refrigerator (another great tip) and the leftover pizza was the next days lunch. We brought cereal, and had that for breakfast.<BR><BR>When we arrived the room had two full be rather than a king size. The front desk told us two other rooms were available. The bellboy, who brought up the luggage, showed my wife the two rooms and we made a room change without problem. We saw some tiny ants (I see from other people that they are everywhere) and Housekeeping came and sprayed.<BR>