cforza

I found a good deal at Elbow Beach, but in Rants and Raves here at Fodors someone said the room was damp with worn furnishings and another review raved about it. I have heard mixed reviews. Sould I pay extra to stay at the Southhampton Princess? Can anyone who has been to either of these properties give me some feedback as to how nice they are and whether you would or would not go back? Thanks so much for your help!

Michelle

Southampton Princess is by far the nicer hotel. We were originally booked at Elbow Beach and stayed there for 2 nights until SHP had a room available for us to move to. Elbow Beach is on beautiful grounds and the beach is right there, however, the quality of the rooms was very disappointing to us. SHP is a very large hotel and the beach is further away. The hotel has a free trolley that runs from the hotel to the beach. We loved the rooms at SHP and would return there. If they ever tore Elbow Beach down and totally rebuilt it that would be my first choice because of the grounds and beach. However, the way the rooms are now I would not return to Elbow Beach. If you found a REALLY great deal and room quality was not that important to you, you might be happen with Elbow Beach. Wherever you decide to stay, you will love Bermuda. It is an amazing place.

cforza

Thanks Michelle. I can get a superior room in the cottages for about $ 150/night, which seems like a great deal. At that price would it be worth it? I've been to Bermuda 3 times, at Castle Harbour once and rented a cottage twice. I just saw this deal and thought it was too good to pass up!

penny

How can you go wrong! The beach at Elbow is fantastic and you cannot beat the location! The Elboe Beach just went through a renovation. A deal!

cforza

Thanks Penny. I figure we'll spend the extra $$$ on some great dinners and hopefully the rooms won't be THAT bad. by the way, any suggestions for restaurants that aren't going to be $ 200?

penny

Let me give you our favorites! We always enjoy the casual dining in the bar area of The Lobster Pot in Hamilton, also the patio area at Frescos on Chauncery Lane in Hamilton.
If The Palms at The Surfside is still open give it a try,very small, great view and the manager use to run the now closed ONce Upon a Table. Also Ascots at The Royal Palms in Hamilton. Our favorite upscale charming spot is The Waterloo House. Another poster a few months back raved about The Captains Table at The White Sands Hotel. Last year I had a terrible meal at the Sea Horse at Elbow and my husband had a fantastic one! Every hotel should have a copy of Dining in Bermuda, its a good one to browse. We are off to Bermuda in a week and these are the places I will be trying again. Enjoy!

cforza

Thanks again for the tips Penny. I just booked our trip and we are leaving Thursday - Monday. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one traveling right now, but hubby is starting a new job and we don't know when we will get the opportunity again. Just wondering, where are you staying?

penny

we have stayed at The Surfside for many years! Its very nice, not fancy, we love the view. A nice low key place-and when the beach is in its great, but a big hike up and down the stairs as it is on top of a cliff, actually not far from Elbow.

maria

Check out Newstead for dinner. It is lovely.

curious

We just returned from Elbow Beach, and really enjoyed it! Because of my husbands job, we regularly stay at Ritz Carltons and Four Seasons, and while Elbow Beach is not on par with those hotels, it was still very nice for Bermuda. I guess Bermuda is enough of a draw without having a truly world class hotel. I have stayed at the Southampton Princess and have to disagree with Michelle. I preferred Elbow Beach. We originally booked a room in the cottages and also thought they were damp and dated. They had no problem upgrading us to a deluxe room in the main hotel, which was a vast improvement over the cottage room. They are currently offering these rooms at $ 259 with breakfast, which IMO is worth every penny! We actually looked at the cottage that Michelle stayed in. It does normally rent for about $ 600/night, but is now $ 339 with breakfast. My husband agreed that it was way overpriced and didn't care for it. I liked it though. It was VERY casual and beachy, but the location was great. The nicest thing about Elbow is it's great location. It's nice to be right on the beach rather than take a shuttle, as at the Princess.

We also looked at The Reefs, which I liked better than either of those 2 hotels and is where we will stay when we return. It is more intimate with spectacular views and very nice rooms as well as fantastic restaurants. We ate at Coconuts there and loved it.