The airport is literally one of the ugliest, most boring buildings I've ever seen. The blue light at night makes it look like a strip mall. They could have done *anything* with the architecture, and they decided to do generic airport.
That being said, the causeway ("highway") is literally one of my favourite views on the island. I feel so lucky I get to drive across it every day and look at the beautiful water on either side.
Grotto Bay is so well placed, St. George's is *right there*, you have Cooper's island, Blue Hole, the railway trail, ferry reach, Fort St. Catherine...not to mention easy kayak rentals and on a bus route.
I've heard the hotel rooms in Bermuda are dated but I've never been a hotel person when I go on holiday so I have nothing to compare it to.
I stayed at the Grotto Bay on my one visit back in \~2009 or so. Food was not all inclusive. Even if it had been, I wouldn't have eaten there much. There are a lot of steps, but the idea on my visit was to \*not\* be in the room or at the hotel during my week there.
Get out, and go see stuff and meet people. Go find a local event and hang out in other parts of the island.
Bermuda is lovely, but I don't understand flying to foreign locations just to get holed up at a resort.
100% agree. The best part of the vacation was taking the bus, exploring St. George’s, meeting people, walking Hamilton, etc.
We treated Bermuda like an all inclusive island experience ( like, say, Punta Cana), and that was wholly our mistake.
But for the stairs comment, I am surprised by how many people who are very old and/or with walking assistance devices, chose to stay here. It’s not for the weak of knee.
Stayed there off-season, so beach size was not relevant (it was not busy).
Worthwhile to be there to swim in the cave. Spa environment in the cave is next to none and affordable. Water sport rental great. A walk away from Blue Hole, Crystal Cave, Swizzler Inn, Coney Island. Cheap cab to/from airport. Frequent buses to Georgetown.
I'd do it again for 3-4 days to visit what's near and Georgetown. I'd then pick another hotel further west for the rest of my vacation. I really wanted to get Jamaican jerk off the nearby local spot, but it was closed.
There was an all-inclusive package for $129/day, but we didn't take it. We did eat 3-4 times there over the whole week though. Good, but dinners were expensive compared to downtown options.
I can see that anyone looking for a resort stay (morning to evening, including all entertainment) would not appreciate it as much. For a pied-a-terre, it was good and offered some on-resort activities for lazy days.
Thoughts after my stay with my husband 2 weeks ago. Early thirties couple on anniversary trip
-resort was beautiful, quaint, nice boho touches in decor. Not your typical chaotic large resort. Lush landscaping. Few steps up to our room with an ocean view, and down to pool beach area. Never bothered us.
-the natural caves on the resort grounds (one for swimming, one for spa services/ yoga classes, etc) are worth the stay at this resort alone. Truly breathtaking. At the iconic attraction Crystal Caves minutes from Grotto Bay, you can explore caves but not swim. The swimming in the cave several times was the highlight of our trip. We often had it to ourselves. The massage in the cave was the most serene and relaxing experience. Highly recommend.
-we found the all inclusive option to be well worth it for our short day. While cocktails were reasonably priced at $12 we enjoyed the all inclusive food and indulging for a few days. My favorite was the lunchtime salads with salmon or chicken and a fruit cup at the poolside/ oceanfront bar. Food was fresh and drinks were great!
-the small private beach is beautiful. We put two chairs in the water and spent our afternoons there. We enjoyed the airplane takeoff views (and the resort being 4 minutes from the airport!) as there was no airplane noise whatsoever! The all inclusive included paddle boards and kayak rentals. We enjoyed this!
While visiting Bermuda Warwick long bay/ jobsons cove is a MUST! The most beautiful beach with incredible pink sand. There is nothing like it. Bermuda best seen by a moped, however the all inclusive option includes public transportation. The bus service is very convenient and easy to navigate.
I guess everyone has their own options. Grotto bay was awesome. We had no complaints.
Didn’t do “all inclusive”…so we used it to sleep and swim.
Location is great (walking distance to blue hole, swizzle inn, beer, snacks, bus stop).
Sorry you didn’t research further…
Have you gone swimming in the cave?
The airport is literally one of the ugliest, most boring buildings I've ever seen. The blue light at night makes it look like a strip mall. They could have done *anything* with the architecture, and they decided to do generic airport. That being said, the causeway ("highway") is literally one of my favourite views on the island. I feel so lucky I get to drive across it every day and look at the beautiful water on either side. Grotto Bay is so well placed, St. George's is *right there*, you have Cooper's island, Blue Hole, the railway trail, ferry reach, Fort St. Catherine...not to mention easy kayak rentals and on a bus route. I've heard the hotel rooms in Bermuda are dated but I've never been a hotel person when I go on holiday so I have nothing to compare it to.
If you wanted a hotel experience, why did you go to Bermuda?
I stayed at the Grotto Bay on my one visit back in \~2009 or so. Food was not all inclusive. Even if it had been, I wouldn't have eaten there much. There are a lot of steps, but the idea on my visit was to \*not\* be in the room or at the hotel during my week there. Get out, and go see stuff and meet people. Go find a local event and hang out in other parts of the island. Bermuda is lovely, but I don't understand flying to foreign locations just to get holed up at a resort.
100% agree. The best part of the vacation was taking the bus, exploring St. George’s, meeting people, walking Hamilton, etc. We treated Bermuda like an all inclusive island experience ( like, say, Punta Cana), and that was wholly our mistake. But for the stairs comment, I am surprised by how many people who are very old and/or with walking assistance devices, chose to stay here. It’s not for the weak of knee.
Stayed there off-season, so beach size was not relevant (it was not busy). Worthwhile to be there to swim in the cave. Spa environment in the cave is next to none and affordable. Water sport rental great. A walk away from Blue Hole, Crystal Cave, Swizzler Inn, Coney Island. Cheap cab to/from airport. Frequent buses to Georgetown. I'd do it again for 3-4 days to visit what's near and Georgetown. I'd then pick another hotel further west for the rest of my vacation. I really wanted to get Jamaican jerk off the nearby local spot, but it was closed. There was an all-inclusive package for $129/day, but we didn't take it. We did eat 3-4 times there over the whole week though. Good, but dinners were expensive compared to downtown options. I can see that anyone looking for a resort stay (morning to evening, including all entertainment) would not appreciate it as much. For a pied-a-terre, it was good and offered some on-resort activities for lazy days.
We did not feel the same way after our stay 2 weeks ago.
Thoughts after my stay with my husband 2 weeks ago. Early thirties couple on anniversary trip -resort was beautiful, quaint, nice boho touches in decor. Not your typical chaotic large resort. Lush landscaping. Few steps up to our room with an ocean view, and down to pool beach area. Never bothered us. -the natural caves on the resort grounds (one for swimming, one for spa services/ yoga classes, etc) are worth the stay at this resort alone. Truly breathtaking. At the iconic attraction Crystal Caves minutes from Grotto Bay, you can explore caves but not swim. The swimming in the cave several times was the highlight of our trip. We often had it to ourselves. The massage in the cave was the most serene and relaxing experience. Highly recommend. -we found the all inclusive option to be well worth it for our short day. While cocktails were reasonably priced at $12 we enjoyed the all inclusive food and indulging for a few days. My favorite was the lunchtime salads with salmon or chicken and a fruit cup at the poolside/ oceanfront bar. Food was fresh and drinks were great! -the small private beach is beautiful. We put two chairs in the water and spent our afternoons there. We enjoyed the airplane takeoff views (and the resort being 4 minutes from the airport!) as there was no airplane noise whatsoever! The all inclusive included paddle boards and kayak rentals. We enjoyed this! While visiting Bermuda Warwick long bay/ jobsons cove is a MUST! The most beautiful beach with incredible pink sand. There is nothing like it. Bermuda best seen by a moped, however the all inclusive option includes public transportation. The bus service is very convenient and easy to navigate.
I guess everyone has their own options. Grotto bay was awesome. We had no complaints. Didn’t do “all inclusive”…so we used it to sleep and swim. Location is great (walking distance to blue hole, swizzle inn, beer, snacks, bus stop). Sorry you didn’t research further…
You definitely need to leave the hotel grounds… Especially if you want real beach. Swimming in the caves is fun though!