Tpatricco's Thanksgiving in Bermuda
Dec 7th, 2006, 03:47 PM
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Tpatricco's Thanksgiving in Bermuda
I found a reasonable package deal on Travelocity for airfare & lodging. On Thanksgiving we flew from Newark, NJ to Bermuda via Continental. Due to the rainy weather on the east coast, we had a 40 minute delay but enjoyed some very delicious Bloody Mary’s in the airport bar while we killed time until our flight. Flight was not full, and I could have got upgraded to First Class, but DH does not have elite status on Continental One Pass, so I kindly declined so we could sit together. 
After a quick, uneventful flight (less than two hours) we landed in Bermuda, where weather was overcast and drizzly but in the high 70’s. Much better than the 40 degree temperatures we’d left in Newark. We cleared customs and easily got a taxi at the airport for the 45 minute ride out to Somerset on the western end of the island where 9 Beaches Resort is located. Cab ride with tip $50. Cab driver was pleasant and not too chatty.
We checked in at 9 Beaches and were given keys to our “soft sided cabana” as well as a Nokia cell phone which would allow us to call anyplace within Bermuda and included speed dials for Concierge (front desk), A la carte (room service anyplace within the resort), as well as the Mini Bus (local transport within a certain radius of the resort – at added fees). “Poppa”, one of the resort workers helped us load our luggage into his oversized golf cart (kinda like that vehicle Tattoo drove around in on Fantasy Island). He drove us down the hill to our cabana, helped us get our stuff inside and pointed out storage spaces within the cabana as well as how to work the portable heat/air conditioner.
Once Poppa was on his way, we quickly unpacked and settled in. The cabana is not bad…it includes queen size bed with under-bed storage baskets, a square table with two chairs (tray with plastic ice bucket, plastic cups and two wine glasses were provided), a futon sofa with coffee table with drawers for storage. The closet has a small area for hanging garments as well as several shelves for folded items. Extra tissues, toilet paper and tea light candles as well as bug spray (think Raid – not Off) were provided there. A rechargeable flashlight & tote bag with two beach towels was also in the cabana for our use. In the small bathroom was a stall shower, toilet and sink with cool one piece blue glass top/basin. A small basket with Bermudian bath products – soap, shampoo & body lotion were provided. Semi-soft white towels including bath, hand & face cloths were there as well. Cabana floor is Trex type composite deck material. French style doors open out onto a small front porch area with white resin table & two chairs for outdoor relaxing. Chairs have fold out foot rest which was pretty cool. A pretty glass lantern with tea light was included which created nice ambiance at night. All in all an efficient accommodation. The cabana does have a ceiling fan, but the portable heat/air conditioning unit was a little tricky to operate.
Since it was already getting dark by the time we arrived at the resort and it was fairly rainy, we opted to eat dinner at 9 Beaches. Since it was Thanksgiving they had a traditional holiday buffet dinner. Not our first choice, but it’s difficult to venture out in this area when you don’t have your own transportation and don’t know where to go. We stopped by the resort bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. For a resort that just opened in 2005, the carpeting in the bar area was surprisingly stained and worn. We have to guess that some of the buildings and areas of 9 Beaches were existing in a former function before the resort was created. They need refurbishing. Our bartender was introverted and appeared to be still learning the drinks on their menu. We were patient and had a couple of dark & stormy’s before heading downstairs to dinner. It was warm, so we were able to eat outdoors. Numerous couples & families were dining. Food was average. Service was lethargic. In our opinion, at New York Prices, we expect both better quality and service. After dinner, we decided to head back to our cabana and crash early. It was a bit windy and this created some noise against the cabana that kept us up at intervals during the night. Overall, we did get an ok night’s sleep.
Friday dawned, still raining. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet back at the resort restaurant (included). Buffet consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, croissants, muffins, a few cold cereal choices, milk, orange juice or grapefruit juice as well as cut up fresh fruit. Coffee & Tea were served tableside. We thought the breakfast was decent and were happy not to have to leave the resort to find sustenance early in the morning.
After finishing breakfast, we were able to purchase one day transportation passes from the concierge at the resort. For $12 each, we had unlimited use of Bermuda’s ferry & bus systems for the day. We arranged for the “mini bus” to take us to the Dockyard ($5 each way per person) so we could board the ferry to St. Georges. We were happy because Friday was the last day of that ferry route for the season. St. Georges, which was settled in the early 1600’s is about as far on the other side of Bermuda as possible. The high speed ferry is pleasant and got us there in about 40 minutes.
Once in St. Georges, we disembarked and walked around in the warm rain exploring the historic village. Old buildings now are home to various shops with a few eateries mixed in. As the rain began to taper off, we enjoyed exploring St. Peter’s church with graveyard including a section with graves of slaves which is now a national historical site. We continued to walk, exploring Sommer’s Park with pretty gardens and then found our way up the hill to the Unfinished Church. We walked up and across to Tobacco Bay, which wasn’t so enticing in the rain, then back around to town again.
We stopped to eat at the White Horse Pub & Restaurant. Anthony enjoyed some Bermuda fish chowder and we shared a plate of nachos. Beer & Bloody Mary’s were good in the overcast afternoon. We caught the last ferry of the afternoon back to the Dockyard and then called the mini-bus on our 9 Beaches cell phone to get a ride back to the resort.
We relaxed for a little while and then got brave, borrowing mountain bikes from the resort for the somewhat hilly ride (I'm good on the downhill parts) into Somerset’s small downtown area. We pulled up to the bar at the Salt Rock Grill and enjoyed a couple beers and then some not bad sushi rolls & saki. Then we pedaled back to the resort. This transportation challenged island is starting to feel inconvenient to a Jersey Girl who’s used to jumping in the car to go everywhere. Too lazy to venture out again for a real dinner, we once again ended up with the sub-par dining selections at the 9 Beaches restaurant. After that we retired back to the cabana for a tepid shower and I slipped into my PJ’s at 9:30pm, I’m starting to wish for home.
Maybe tomorrow will be better.
After a quick, uneventful flight (less than two hours) we landed in Bermuda, where weather was overcast and drizzly but in the high 70’s. Much better than the 40 degree temperatures we’d left in Newark. We cleared customs and easily got a taxi at the airport for the 45 minute ride out to Somerset on the western end of the island where 9 Beaches Resort is located. Cab ride with tip $50. Cab driver was pleasant and not too chatty.
We checked in at 9 Beaches and were given keys to our “soft sided cabana” as well as a Nokia cell phone which would allow us to call anyplace within Bermuda and included speed dials for Concierge (front desk), A la carte (room service anyplace within the resort), as well as the Mini Bus (local transport within a certain radius of the resort – at added fees). “Poppa”, one of the resort workers helped us load our luggage into his oversized golf cart (kinda like that vehicle Tattoo drove around in on Fantasy Island). He drove us down the hill to our cabana, helped us get our stuff inside and pointed out storage spaces within the cabana as well as how to work the portable heat/air conditioner.
Once Poppa was on his way, we quickly unpacked and settled in. The cabana is not bad…it includes queen size bed with under-bed storage baskets, a square table with two chairs (tray with plastic ice bucket, plastic cups and two wine glasses were provided), a futon sofa with coffee table with drawers for storage. The closet has a small area for hanging garments as well as several shelves for folded items. Extra tissues, toilet paper and tea light candles as well as bug spray (think Raid – not Off) were provided there. A rechargeable flashlight & tote bag with two beach towels was also in the cabana for our use. In the small bathroom was a stall shower, toilet and sink with cool one piece blue glass top/basin. A small basket with Bermudian bath products – soap, shampoo & body lotion were provided. Semi-soft white towels including bath, hand & face cloths were there as well. Cabana floor is Trex type composite deck material. French style doors open out onto a small front porch area with white resin table & two chairs for outdoor relaxing. Chairs have fold out foot rest which was pretty cool. A pretty glass lantern with tea light was included which created nice ambiance at night. All in all an efficient accommodation. The cabana does have a ceiling fan, but the portable heat/air conditioning unit was a little tricky to operate.
Since it was already getting dark by the time we arrived at the resort and it was fairly rainy, we opted to eat dinner at 9 Beaches. Since it was Thanksgiving they had a traditional holiday buffet dinner. Not our first choice, but it’s difficult to venture out in this area when you don’t have your own transportation and don’t know where to go. We stopped by the resort bar for a pre-dinner cocktail. For a resort that just opened in 2005, the carpeting in the bar area was surprisingly stained and worn. We have to guess that some of the buildings and areas of 9 Beaches were existing in a former function before the resort was created. They need refurbishing. Our bartender was introverted and appeared to be still learning the drinks on their menu. We were patient and had a couple of dark & stormy’s before heading downstairs to dinner. It was warm, so we were able to eat outdoors. Numerous couples & families were dining. Food was average. Service was lethargic. In our opinion, at New York Prices, we expect both better quality and service. After dinner, we decided to head back to our cabana and crash early. It was a bit windy and this created some noise against the cabana that kept us up at intervals during the night. Overall, we did get an ok night’s sleep.
Friday dawned, still raining. We enjoyed the breakfast buffet back at the resort restaurant (included). Buffet consisted of scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, croissants, muffins, a few cold cereal choices, milk, orange juice or grapefruit juice as well as cut up fresh fruit. Coffee & Tea were served tableside. We thought the breakfast was decent and were happy not to have to leave the resort to find sustenance early in the morning.
After finishing breakfast, we were able to purchase one day transportation passes from the concierge at the resort. For $12 each, we had unlimited use of Bermuda’s ferry & bus systems for the day. We arranged for the “mini bus” to take us to the Dockyard ($5 each way per person) so we could board the ferry to St. Georges. We were happy because Friday was the last day of that ferry route for the season. St. Georges, which was settled in the early 1600’s is about as far on the other side of Bermuda as possible. The high speed ferry is pleasant and got us there in about 40 minutes.
Once in St. Georges, we disembarked and walked around in the warm rain exploring the historic village. Old buildings now are home to various shops with a few eateries mixed in. As the rain began to taper off, we enjoyed exploring St. Peter’s church with graveyard including a section with graves of slaves which is now a national historical site. We continued to walk, exploring Sommer’s Park with pretty gardens and then found our way up the hill to the Unfinished Church. We walked up and across to Tobacco Bay, which wasn’t so enticing in the rain, then back around to town again.
We stopped to eat at the White Horse Pub & Restaurant. Anthony enjoyed some Bermuda fish chowder and we shared a plate of nachos. Beer & Bloody Mary’s were good in the overcast afternoon. We caught the last ferry of the afternoon back to the Dockyard and then called the mini-bus on our 9 Beaches cell phone to get a ride back to the resort.
We relaxed for a little while and then got brave, borrowing mountain bikes from the resort for the somewhat hilly ride (I'm good on the downhill parts) into Somerset’s small downtown area. We pulled up to the bar at the Salt Rock Grill and enjoyed a couple beers and then some not bad sushi rolls & saki. Then we pedaled back to the resort. This transportation challenged island is starting to feel inconvenient to a Jersey Girl who’s used to jumping in the car to go everywhere. Too lazy to venture out again for a real dinner, we once again ended up with the sub-par dining selections at the 9 Beaches restaurant. After that we retired back to the cabana for a tepid shower and I slipped into my PJ’s at 9:30pm, I’m starting to wish for home.
Maybe tomorrow will be better.
Dec 7th, 2006, 04:42 PM
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I was wondering whether anybody else could tell me what was going on at the other resorts. I stayed at the Hamilton Princess (took advantage of the "Only One Way" winter rate & got my fourth night free, plus cheaper rate & stayed on the Gold Floor, which included breakfast & snacks.)
Yeah, the weather was iffy the first two days, but when I left NY it was rainy and 40 and sunny & 75 when I got to BDA. Did a little research before I left, (cause I didn't want to eat Thankgiving Dinner at the Princess) and my husband and I had dinner at the Surfside Inn at the Palms. I believe it was a 4 course meal w/drinks for $49.99 a person & it was pretty good, & we arrived at 7pm just as the rain began to really come down.
My husband and I discussed staying at another resort the next time, so that's why your post was so important. Suprised to hear that the resort is showing visible wear & tear, (I thought it was fairly new)? I hear beachfront property there is really nice though.
We ventured to Tobacco Bay on Saturday and it was nice, sunny warm, but the water was chilly. Hubby swam while I laid out & about a crowd of 20 others milled about. Kinda strange being there, in the slow season cause I've been in October and the place is my favorite when it's warm, the stands are open and the steel band music is pumping.
If you happen to go to BDA again, try the Blackhorse Tavern. We went there for dinner after the beach and the stuffed lobster was delicious :0)!!!
Renovations are happening in the "Back of Town" and we could see the difference w/ all the security camera's & such. Had a few Dark & Stormys & watched a Jazz Band at Hubies on the Friday night & then walked down the Pickled Onion (had a better time at Hubies), and the weather was pretty nice. Who knows, maybe I'll try Cambridge Beaches next time we go. (Unless 9 Beaches has a sale & then I might consider it)
Thanks for your review.
Yeah, the weather was iffy the first two days, but when I left NY it was rainy and 40 and sunny & 75 when I got to BDA. Did a little research before I left, (cause I didn't want to eat Thankgiving Dinner at the Princess) and my husband and I had dinner at the Surfside Inn at the Palms. I believe it was a 4 course meal w/drinks for $49.99 a person & it was pretty good, & we arrived at 7pm just as the rain began to really come down.
My husband and I discussed staying at another resort the next time, so that's why your post was so important. Suprised to hear that the resort is showing visible wear & tear, (I thought it was fairly new)? I hear beachfront property there is really nice though.
We ventured to Tobacco Bay on Saturday and it was nice, sunny warm, but the water was chilly. Hubby swam while I laid out & about a crowd of 20 others milled about. Kinda strange being there, in the slow season cause I've been in October and the place is my favorite when it's warm, the stands are open and the steel band music is pumping.
If you happen to go to BDA again, try the Blackhorse Tavern. We went there for dinner after the beach and the stuffed lobster was delicious :0)!!!
Renovations are happening in the "Back of Town" and we could see the difference w/ all the security camera's & such. Had a few Dark & Stormys & watched a Jazz Band at Hubies on the Friday night & then walked down the Pickled Onion (had a better time at Hubies), and the weather was pretty nice. Who knows, maybe I'll try Cambridge Beaches next time we go. (Unless 9 Beaches has a sale & then I might consider it)
Thanks for your review.
Dec 7th, 2006, 05:07 PM
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Thanks for your comments. I've been to BDA before. Last time was in July and we stayed in a lovely B&B in Warwick, the Granaway Guest House. Unfortunately, airfare can be steep and this time it was prohibitive without a package deal or we'd have stayed at Granaway again in a heartbeat.
I'll post the remainder of my report...things did improve Saturday & Sunday with the much better sunny & warm weather. I'll post a link to photos too once I get them uploaded. Trish
I'll post the remainder of my report...things did improve Saturday & Sunday with the much better sunny & warm weather. I'll post a link to photos too once I get them uploaded. Trish
Dec 7th, 2006, 07:06 PM
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Trish: you are so funny (in a cool way), going to Bermuda for Thanksgiving! I love Bermuda, but I completely empathize with the transportation part. We used the public bus system because the taxis can get so expensive. We rented a house out in Somerset once and it was a haul to get anywhere. But I might give Bermuda another go if a great deal came along. Have you ever looked at the last minute stuff on travel.aol.com? I use them a lot. They have these packages for STT which includes airfare and hotel or airfare and car (which I use) and it's great if you've saved your lunch money and can get away for a long weekend. It is especially beneficial for us as our schedule is so unpredictable. You can book up to 12 hours before take-off.
Dec 8th, 2006, 06:26 AM
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THanks for posting the first part of the trip report, Trish. I'm dismayed on your behalf that you were wishing yourself back home one night, so I'm glad for your sake that it gets better!
I've never been to Bermuda, but from what I've read it seems that most places there are a class act. I'm sorry that 9 Beaches is not in that category. It seems to have too much going for it not be better, if that makes sense.
Do you think that people who are accustomed to camping for their vacations, both in the states and in places like Maho on St. John, might like these soft-sided cabanas more than the traveler who usually stays in hotels/resorts?
I've never been to Bermuda, but from what I've read it seems that most places there are a class act. I'm sorry that 9 Beaches is not in that category. It seems to have too much going for it not be better, if that makes sense.
Do you think that people who are accustomed to camping for their vacations, both in the states and in places like Maho on St. John, might like these soft-sided cabanas more than the traveler who usually stays in hotels/resorts?
Dec 8th, 2006, 02:27 PM
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Oh my Trish. I was a little depressed for you by the end of your report. 
. Since the rest got better, write it quickly as I need a pick me up. 
If we do lunch again one day, I'll make sure not to mention to your husband the "marginal time".
. Since the rest got better, write it quickly as I need a pick me up. If we do lunch again one day, I'll make sure not to mention to your husband the "marginal time".
Dec 8th, 2006, 04:33 PM
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Here's the link to my photos:
http://www.pbase.com/tpatricco/bermuda_2006
http://www.pbase.com/tpatricco/bermuda_2006
Dec 9th, 2006, 11:23 AM
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Great pictures, Trish. I am jealous because we aren't going to St Lucia until March. So I'm living vicareously off other peoples pictures. And I haven't been to Bermuda yet (it's on the list), so I'm gathering information.
Martha
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