Bermuda Hotels

Bermuda Hotel Reviews

Few places in the world boast the charm of Bermuda's curvaceous, colorful shoreline. It's a boon, then, that the lagoons, coves, coasts, as well as its inland sanctuaries are filled with equally colorful, alluring places to stay. The quintessential accommodation on the island is a pink cottage—a cute, clean, unpretentious one-story house amid manicured gardens and coral stone pathways. Terraced whitewashed roofs (designed to capture rainwater) sit atop walls of pinks, peaches, and pastels, looking like cakes of ice cream in pink wafer sand. Add a waterfront setting, and voilà—the lure of Bermuda.

If you find yourself craving a beachfront resort, and you can afford it, several places offer quality right-on-the-sand stays; another handful are a stone's throw away from the beach. If you find yourself craving a beachfront resort, and you can't afford it, don't despair. The island is blessed with clean, well-maintained public beaches that are easily reached by bus and aren't far from any point on the island. In this sense, selecting a hotel away from the beach will allow you to see more of the island, often leading to a more memorable trip.

Hamilton has many sophisticated lodging choices, but vacationers who are looking for beachfront relaxation will be disappointed in the beachless capital city. In fact, all noteworthy beaches are on the southern side of the island. With only a couple of exceptions, beachfront lodging choices are along a 7-mi stretch of coast that runs along the central to western tail of the island, west from Paget to Warwick, Southampton, and Sandys. Lodging choices on the north coast of the island often are on glittering Hamilton Harbour or have deepwater access to the Atlantic, but not beaches.

The charming and beloved Waterloo House closed in June 2008, demolished to make room for an insurance office. (Marvelous!) With this closure and the eventual conversion of Horizons to a Four Seasons, some regular visitors are bemoaning the end of elegance on the island (excluding the still posh Cambridge Beaches and Pink Sands). A new wave of luxury, however, is on the way. Among others, a Jumeirah is in the developmental stages and the revival of Lantana as a deluxe property is being discussed. The first of the new luxury hotels debuted in spring 2009: the Tucker's Point Club Hotel and Spa now occupies the old Castle Harbour site, bringing new life to the island's East End.