We are attending a wedding and staying at the Elbow Beach for a weekend. We want to extend our stay at Bermuda. We enjoy: 1. staying at a Marriott level hotel; 2.eating well,but not fancy food; 3. relaxing with drinks and music;4.sightseeing without too much walking; 5. relaxing,strolling,shopping.

Where should we stay? Where should we eat? What should we do?

We had made reservations at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, but have read conflicting reports on trip advisor - unavailability of concierge, dark halls, slow elevators, unclean bathrooms - and now are worried.

If we stayed at an all-inclusive (Southampton Princess?) would we miss out on local food? Would we have to be in our hotel all the time for meals instead of sightseeing? Is it hard to find good food that is not $50 per person every time we eat? Is walking around at night not a safe thing to do in Hamilton? Any local bars/grills with good food and drinks that are not really expensive?

Anything else you can add would be helpful. I am responsible for my husband, myself and sister and brother-in-law. We want to stay and have a good time, but the room itself is stretching our budget.

Thanks.

To do an AI or not really is such a personal choice. I personally think Bermuda has some great restaurants, but it IS an expensive destination and if you think your budget is already stretched, maybe you would enjoy the vacation more knowing that everything is pre-paid. We've done a few AI's before, although not on Bermuda, and we've had a big meal and then done our sightseeing. Hamilton is very safe at night. We didn't feel unsafe and we have never heard any horror stories. Bermuda is paradise, but ultimately an AI is not going to make you come home and say you hated or loved Bermuda.

We stayed at the Southampton Princess in Dec 2005 and loved it. They had several restaurants on site (we did not do the meal plan) and there were lots of restaurants nearby and downtown that we thought was reasonable. Yes Bermuda is pricy so we were prepared to pay and pay we did. We found the areas safe, rode the buses in the daytime and took cabs at night. We do not book all-inclusives on islands that are safe to move about and have lots of food choices. If you were going to Jamaica, then yes book the all-inclusive but I don't think you need one in Bermuda unless all you want to do is lay on the beach and sip tropical drinks.

Thanks for the imput. I really think we'll enjoy looking around for fun places to eat and drink while staying at the Fairmont Hamilton. Any suggestions on where to have fun and good food for a retired couple?

One more thing - are there places to eat that you would suggest that are $50 or less per person?