Which Bermuda hotel-PLEASE HELP
 

My husband and I are going to Bermuda for the firt time at the end of July for a long weekend (Thurs-Sun). Several hotels that I was interested in require a 4 night min (The Reefs, Pompano, Elbow Beach) so that leaves me torn between three hotels. Cambridge Beaches (the priciest; must be really worth it), Ariel Sands (mixed reviews) and Coco Reef (not enough reviews). We are looking for something quiet (without a lot of kids, ours are at home!) with a nice pool, good beach and somewhat updated rooms. Since Bermuda is so expensive I will be opting for the cheapest room at any or all of these resorts. Thank you soooo much.

In my opinion... Cambridge Beaches is not 'worth it'.

From an earlier post...

My wife and I just completed a 4 day - 4 night stay at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda. It was a nice resort. But - given the cost - I was left a little disappointed.

Strengths -

A) Food - Very good.

B) Location - The resort is blessed with a beautiful location. The views are gorgeous.

Warning - the resort is in a relatively secluded part of Bermuda. We viewed that as a good thing - others may not.

Weaknesses -

A) Buildings - This is an old resort - and some of the buildings really show it. Many of the buildings had a slightly worn look that I did not find attractive. Furthermore - many of the rooms lacked a certain level of fit/finish/polish that I would expect from a resort of this caliber

B) Grounds keeping - Some of the walkways were not in great shape. There were a couple of instances where we observed trash on paths that remained in place the duration of our visit.

There were a few other annoyances that are too small to mention individually but had the cummulative effect of suggesting that this resort doesn't really deserve the a full five stars.

Thanks for the info, so that leaves me with Coco Reef or Ariel Sands. Any other votes out there???

Ariel Sands has a spa and restaurant on site, the rooms are nice and there is a fairly private beach. The beach access area is a little rocky. Coco Reef is next door to Elbow so you get all the Elbow assets without the Elbow price. Do check trip advisor as there is a very recent post on the forum threads by someone who found Coco Reef overbooked and was most unhappy. There is also a post by a recent visitor who loved it.
I have to say that personally, I would love to stay at Cambridge Beaches. Of the three it has the most Bermudian charm and appeal. Also be aware there is major construction going on at Ariel Sands right now. An exceedingly ugly condo or fractional ownership project is going up there.
Another suggestion would be to stay at Fourways Cottage Colony. It is not beachfront, but is very nice and quiet. I have never seen children there at all and it is very small. The food in the restaurant is excellent, it is within walking distance of the ferry, and it has exchange privileges with Coco Reef for the beach. Of course, the best beaches in Bermuda are public and my favorite way to hit the beach is hop on my motorbike and head out.
Have a wonderful time. Bermuda is lovely.

Cambridge Beaches is the furthest from the airport, hence priciest taxi ride.

If you decide to go into Hamilton for shopping/dinner/etc, the Coco Reef would be the best - it's the nearest. Ariel Sands is the same.

Also the beach next to Coco Reef is lovely and fairly long for you to go for a walk.

For a short trip, opt for Coco Reef.

Enjoy!

How about the Pink Beach Club? My husband and I stayed there a few years ago and loved it. Not sure about the pool, but it's great to be right on the ocean. They have tennis courts, scooter rentals, etc. I would opt for not eating all of my meals there, as while the food was good, it wasn't great and there are so many other wonderful options. I don't recall Pink Beach having a minimum. Have a great time.

Truly you should consider Horizon's & Cottages, Paget....GreaT Pool, Service, Food & Truly Bermudian!!!
The Beach is down the cliffs at The Private Coral beach Tennis Club, BEAUTIFUL & Worth the walk. Staff will take you over in the day by Jittney. Dinners on the outside Terrace with the panoramic vista's are to die for!!!!!!! Stay in the Main House (library Room) its the least costly and you'll have all of bermuda to explore.

We spent a week at Coco Reef last summer and had a lovely vacation. We recognized that we were not paying for a top of the line resort so we set expectations appropriately (I was really surprised to see such high prices this year, I would consider other resorts for the prices they are charging!).

The rooms were comfortable with wicker furniture, TV, fridge, safe, hair dryer. Our room was on the second floor and up on the cliff so we had a great view of the ocean. I don't think some of the first floor rooms will have great views--I would request a second floor room when booking.

Breakfast was a nice buffet. I wouldn't recommend other meals at the hotel--service was very slow! However the ceasar salad for lunch will do in a pinch. While we went into Hamilton for a few meals, we ate most meals at Elbow Beach Hotel next door. There is a grocery store within walking distance which we used to fill up the fridge for snacks and drinks.

The beach is terrific--Coco Reef's portion very small, but quite private. However, it is a bit of a climb down to the shoreline if stairs are a concern...Some days there was beach side drink service and other days there was not. We often brought our own drinks down to the beach just in case! There are two tennis courts that we used but they were not in the best shape. The pool is OK, but we barely used it given the warm ocean water below!

I would recommend CR at lower prices, but not at a prices comparable to the Fairmont!