Hotels

Bermuda offers a wide choice of lodgings, ranging from small, casual guesthouses to large, luxurious resorts. Facilities vary greatly in size and amenities within each category. This section is organized by the type of available accommodations to help you find your ideal stay.

Choosing the Place that's Right for You

Accommodations in Bermuda basically fall into five categories:

• Resort Hotels: These generally large properties are Bermuda's most lavish, offering many facilities, services, and luxuries -- but also charging the highest prices. The lowest rates, usually discounted about 20%, are in effect from mid-November to March. It's cheaper to choose the Modified American Plan (MAP) dining option than to order all your meals a la carte. However, if you go the MAP route, you'll be confined to the same dining room every night and miss the opportunity to sample different restaurants.

  With their wealth of amenities, the big resort hotels can keep you so well occupied that you may not feel the need to leave the premises (but make sure you resist the pull of the resort and venture out). The large hotels typically have their own beaches or beach clubs and swimming pools; some have their own golf courses too. Most of these hotels also boast such luxury services and facilities as porters, room service, planned activities, sports facilities (such as tennis courts), shops (including bike shops), beauty salons, bars, nightclubs, entertainment, and taxi stands.

• Small Hotels: This option might be just the right fit for those who hate megaresorts. Bermuda's small hotels offer the intimacy of upscale B&Bs, but with more facilities. At a small hotel, you might feel more connected to the island and its people. Another plus? They're often cheaper than the big resorts.

  Bermuda's more intimate, informal, small hotels often have their own dining rooms and bars, and some even have their own beaches or beach clubs; all offer pools and patios.

• Cottage Colonies: This uniquely Bermudian option consists of a series of bungalows constructed around a clubhouse, which is the center of social life, drinking, and dining. The cottages, usually scenically arranged on landscaped grounds, are designed to provide maximum privacy and are typically equipped with kitchenettes for preparing light meals. In many of the cottage colonies, breakfast isn't available; you can go out, or buy supplies the night before and prepare your own meal. Most colonies have their own beaches or swimming pools.

  The ones we've listed manage to combine the personalized coziness of a private cottage (or at least a room within a freestanding villa that evokes a cottage), with the sense of belonging to a small scale and ever-so-polite country club. Each colony has a main clubhouse with a dining room, lounge, bar, and in most cases, a library or reading room, plus its own beach and/or pool. The cottage units, spread thourghout landscaped grounds, offer privacy and sometimes luxury. Many have kitchenettes suitable for preparing beverages and light snacks, but not for full-scale meals.

• Housekeeping Units: These cottage or apartment-style accommodations (often called efficiencies in the U.S.) occupy landscaped estates surrounding a main clubhouse. All of them offer kitchen facilities -- perhaps a full, well-equipped kitchen, but a kitchenette at least where you can whip up snacks and breakfast. Most offer minimal daily maid service. Generally, housekeeping units are simpler and less expensive than cottage colonies.

  Housekeeping apartments vary from modest to superior. Housekeeping cottages, which are air-conditioned and have fully equipped kitchens or kitchenettes, offer privacy and casual living on or close to a beach.

• Guesthouses: These are Bermuda's least expensive accommodations. The larger guesthouses are old Bermuda homes in garden settings. Generally, they've been modernized and have comfortable guest rooms. Some have swimming pools. A number are small, modest places, offering breakfast only; you may share a bathroom with other guests, as well as have to "commute" to the beach.

  The smaller ones offer fewer facilities than other types of accommodations and are often outfitted with simple, lived-in furniture. Most guesthouses serve breakfast only. Those accommodating fewer than 12 guests are usually private homes. Some have housekeeping units, and others offer shared kitchen facilities for guests to prepare snacks. The vast majority of guesthouse hosts will happily arrange for bicycling, golf, tennis, watersports, or any other activity that you may want to participate in but that the guesthouse does not directly offer.

Another option is renting a villa or vacation home. Villa rentals are like renting someone's home. At some, you're entirely on your own; others provide maid service. Most are on or near a beach. It is generally safe to consider this an expensive option.

Private apartments offer fewer frills than villas or condos; the building housing the apartment may not have a swimming pool or even a front desk. Apartments are available with or without maid service.

Cottages, or cabanas, offer the most independent lifestyle in the category of vacation accommodations -- they're entirely self-catering. Some open onto a beach, and others surround a communal swimming pool. Most of them are fairly basic, consisting of a simple bedroom plus a small kitchen and bathroom. For the peak summer season, make cabana reservations at least 5 or 6 months in advance.

Several U.S. and Canadian agents can arrange these types of rentals. Bermuda Realty, Atlantic House, 11 Par-la-Ville Rd., Hamilton (tel. 441/292-1793; www.bermudarealty.com), specializes in condos and villas and can arrange bookings for a week or longer.

Bermuda Accommodations (tel. 416/232-2243; fax 416/237-9138; www.bermudarentals.com) offers more than 55 privately owned cottages, apartments, and villas for rent in Bermuda, at prices beginning at $50 per person per day. Many rentals for two guests range from $100 to $150 daily for a well-equipped and fully furnished unit, although a few can go as high as up to twice that amount. Regardless of the price, each has a private garden entrance, kitchen, and bathroom (many with shower), and many accommodations also have pools on-site as well as easy access to the ocean. The homes are owned by Bermudians for the most part, and are rented when they are not occupied by the owners. If you call, Fiona T. Campbell will answer all your questions.

Rates & Reservation Policies

The rates that we've listed throughout this section are "rack rates" -- the rates you'd be quoted if you walked in off the street. These are helpful for purposes of comparison. Especially at the big resorts, almost no one ever pays the rack rate. By booking a package deal that includes airfare, or just by asking for packages and discounts at the hotel when you make your reservation, you can usually do much better. At small hotels and guesthouses, the rates quoted here are much more likely to be accurate.

All room rates, regardless of meal plan, are subject to a 7.5% tax, which will be tacked onto your bill. A service charge (10%-15%) is also added to your room rate in lieu of tips. Keep in mind, the service charge does not cover bar tabs. Third-person rates (for those occupying a room with two other people) are lower, and children's rates vary according to their age.

Note: The rack rates we've listed in this section include tax and service charge unless otherwise noted. However, we strongly encourage you to confirm what the rates include when you reserve, to avoid any misunderstanding. Hotels usually quote you the full rate you'll pay upon checkout; they don't want misunderstandings either.

Bermuda's high season is spring and summer -- the opposite of the Bahamian and Caribbean high season. Most of Bermuda's hotels charge high-season rates from March (Easter is the peak period) through mid-November. A few hotels have year-round rates, and others charge in-between, or "shoulder," prices in spring and autumn. If business is slow, many smaller places shut down in winter.

Because rooms in the same hotel come in different configurations, it is difficult to group hotels in various categories, especially if you mention specific prices. A rule of thumb (and there are many exceptions to this rule) is that any room costing more than $400 is very expensive, with expensive in general being rooms costing $300 to $400 a night. For the most part, moderate rooms rent for $200 to $300 a night, with anything costing under $200, believe it or not, classified as inexpensive.

In general, a very expensive resort and a very expensive cottage colony are most often in the same price bracket.

You may see some unfamiliar terms and abbreviations used to describe rate plans. AP (American Plan), sometimes called "full board," includes three meals a day. MAP (Modified American Plan), sometimes called "half-board," includes breakfast and dinner. BP (Bermuda Plan) includes full American or English breakfast. CP (Continental Plan) includes only continental breakfast (basically bread, jam, and coffee). EP (European Plan) is always cheapest -- it includes only the room, no meals.

Note that prices aren't uniform in several of the larger, older resorts, which offer a wide range of rooms. For instance, one guest at the Elbow Beach Hotel might be paying a price that can be categorized as "moderate," whereas another might be booked at a "very expensive" rate -- it all depends on your room assignment. So even if you can't pay $200 per night, it might be worth a call to see if a cheaper room is available.

Members of the Bermuda Hotel Association require 2 nights' deposit within 14 days of confirming a reservation; full payment 30 days before arrival; and notice of cancellation 15 days before scheduled arrival to avoid forfeiting your deposit. Some smaller hotels and other accommodations levy an energy surcharge; inquire about this when you make your reservations.

Hotel Boom -- In addition to other hotels previewed in this section, there are still more developments to come. Long an eyesore at St. George's, the long-closed Club Med has found a developer. The old building has been demolished and will blossom into a completely new resort, with a famous golf pro designing a new course. Stay tuned.

With other hotel plans in the development stage, it's predicted that Bermuda will grow from almost 6,500 rooms to 7,500 rooms by 2010 or 2011. When the former U.S. Navy Base at Morgan's Point is developed, Bermuda may boast 10,000 hotel rooms, something once thought "unbelievable."

Tips for Saving on your Hotel Room

• Ask about special rates or other discounts. You may qualify for corporate, student, military, senior, frequent flier, trade union, or other discounts.
• Dial direct. When booking a room in a chain hotel, you'll often get a better deal by calling the individual hotel's reservation desk rather than the chain's main number.
• Book online. Many hotels offer Internet-only discounts, or supply rooms to Priceline, Hotwire, or Expedia at rates much lower than the ones you can get through the hotel itself.
• Look into group or long-stay discounts. If you come as part of a large group, you should be able to negotiate a bargain rate. Likewise, if you're planning a long stay (5 days or more), you might qualify for a discount. As a general rule, expect 1 night free after a 7-night stay.
• Sidestep excess surcharges and hidden costs. Many hotels have adopted the unpleasant practice of nickel-and-diming guests with opaque surcharges. When you book a room, ask what is included in the room rate, and what is extra. Avoid dialing direct from hotel phones, which can have exorbitant rates. And don't be tempted by the room's minibar offerings: Most hotels charge through the nose for water, soda, and snacks. Finally, ask about local taxes and service charges, which can increase the cost of a room by 15% or more.
• Book an efficiency. A room with a kitchenette allows you to cook your own meals. This is a big money saver, especially for families on long stays.
• Consider enrolling in hotel chains' "frequent-stay" programs, which are upping the ante lately to win the loyalty of repeat customers. Frequent guests can now accumulate points or credits to earn free hotel nights, airline miles, in-room amenities, merchandise, tickets to concerts and events, discounts on sporting facilities -- and even credit toward stock in the participating hotel, in the case of the Jameson Inn hotel group. Perks are awarded not only by many chain hotels and motels, but also individual inns and B&Bs. Many chain hotels partner with other hotel chains, car-rental firms, airlines, and credit card companies to give consumers additional incentive to do repeat business.

Surfing for Hotels

In addition to the online travel booking sites Travelocity, Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline, and Hotwire, you can book hotels through Hotels.com, Quikbook (www.quikbook.com), and Travelaxe (www.travelaxe.com).

HotelChatter.com is a daily webzine offering smart coverage and critiques of hotels worldwide. Go to TripAdvisor.com or HotelShark.com for helpful independent consumer reviews of hotels and resort properties.

It's a good idea to get a confirmation number and make a printout of any online booking transaction.

Landing the Best Room

Somebody has to get the best room in the house. It might as well be you. You can start by joining the hotel's frequent-guest program, which may make you eligible for upgrades. A hotel-branded credit card usually gives its owner "silver" or "gold" status in frequent-guest programs for free. Always ask about a corner room. They're often larger and quieter, with more windows and light, and they often cost the same as standard rooms. When you make your reservation, ask if the hotel is renovating; if it is, request a room away from the construction. Ask about nonsmoking rooms and rooms with views. Be sure to request your choice of twin, queen-, or king-size beds. If you're a light sleeper, ask for a quiet room away from vending or ice machines, elevators, restaurants, bars, and discos. Ask for a room that has been recently renovated or refurbished.

If you aren't happy with your room when you arrive, ask for another one. Most lodgings will be willing to accommodate you.

In a resort area such as Bermuda, you should also ask the following questions before you book a room:

• What's the view? Cost-conscious travelers may prefer to pay less for a room facing the parking lot, especially if they don't plan to spend much time there.
• Does the room have air-conditioning or ceiling fans? Do the windows open? If they do, and the nighttime entertainment takes place alfresco, you may want to find out when show time is over.
• What's included in the price? Your room may be moderately priced, but if you're charged for beach chairs, towels, sports equipment, and other amenities, you could end up spending more than you bargained for.
• How far is the room from the beach and other amenities? If it's far, is there transportation to and from the beach, and is it free?

Hotel Dining -- Chances are, you'll take more meals at your hotel in Bermuda (where you can't rent a car) than you would in other destinations. Although you're generally out and about for lunch, many visitors don't care to hire an expensive taxi or take a bike or motorbike along Bermuda's narrow roads at night in search of a spot for dinner. As a result, you're often stuck at your hotel for meals, and therefore you might want to consider food options when deciding where to stay.

To help you out, we've added more details about hotel dining than you can find in most other guidebooks' accommodations reviews.

House-Swapping

House-swapping is becoming a more popular and viable means of travel; you stay in their place, they stay in yours, and you both get a more authentic and personal view of a destination, the opposite of the escapist retreat many hotels offer. Try HomeLink International (Homelink.org), the largest and oldest home-swapping organization, founded in 1952, with more than 11,000 listings worldwide ($110 yearly membership). InterVac (www.intervac.com; $95 for international listings) is also reliable.