“New, Clean, Close. Luxury? Not Sure.”
We did a lot of research before deciding where to stay in Bermuda and had a few finalists: The two Princess Hotels, Tucker's Point and Newstead Belmont Hills. We decided on Newstead because we were going in the off-season, so a beach was not a priority. Newstead also offers a ferry over to Hamilton, where there is plenty to do. It is newer and seemed "hip." And, to help us with the final decision, we saw a Vacationist.com offer for this property just as we were ready to book! We saved about $600 from what we were going to pay! Good timing!
We arrived via the complementary hotel shuttle from the airport and our room was ready for us. We stayed in a Deluxe Studio. It was clean and up to date. No real issues at all. Mini fridge was there for our use. There was minor moisture damage under the AC vent, but barely noticable and those things do not bother me. Robes were nice! Toiletries were fine.
We were on the 4th floor, overlooking Hamilton Harbour. Amazing view! (Perfect for the New Year's Eve fireworks!) The balcony featured nice furnishings: table and two chairs and a louge chair. We opened the French doors when we were in the room, and each night as we slept. It was great! (Miss that already!)
Too cold for the pool, we did take advantage of the hot tub. The pool is great. Small-ish, but designed really nicely. The pictures on the hotel website do it justice. The pool bar was closed (off-season).
Dining: We ate a few meals at Beau Rivage and also ordered room service twice. The food was good. Nothing spectacular. The outdoor patio was nice to dine on in good weather. Inside the restaurant seemed old to me, and dated. No real atmosphere there. Room service was prompt and food was hot when it arrived. Note that tip was included in room service as was a service charge. (Tip is included at almost every restaurant on the island).
The restaurant manager was very accommodating. We were looking for lunch the day we departed (New Years Day) and the restaurant was set for Sunday brunch. He made an exception for us and allowed us to order off the lunch menu. MUCH APPRECIATED!
Fitness center: three treadmills, and eliptical, a bike and some weight equipment. But the one, lone exercise mat they had was filthy. I left this comment on the comment card. Invest in a few exercise mats!
Spa: We each had a treatment and were pleased. Spa staff was friendly and professional. Prices were about the same as they are in the US. Facility was nice and clean. Lounge was comfortable, but not relaxing or serene as you experience at some other spas. They did have lockers for placement of your personal items.
Other amenities: Shuttle to Cocoa Beach Resort. You can arrange to get a ride to Cocoa Beach. That resort itself is nothing to rave about, but in the summer, I can see how having beach access would be nice. The ride is 5 minutes. Cocoa Beach will give you beach towels, and you can use the pool or the beach. The beach there is quite rocky, so I cannot imagine much swimming going on.
We also took a walk over to Elbow Beach Resort which was a step up from Cocoa Beach, The resort itself was much nicer and the beach was not at all rocky. Though it poured! We had a decent (but expensive!) lunch at the hotel's seaside cafe. (I know Bermuda is "expensive" but this lunch was very high and really noticable, where I did not really think other dining experiences were over the top for what we got).
Free round of golf: My husband played a round of 9-holes at the Belmost Hills Golf Course which he said was very scenic. He had to rent clubs and buy golf balls, costing him about $80 total. The hotel drove him to the course (5 minutes from hotel) and back to the hotel after his round. He played on a Saturday morning which is much busier than weekdays.
Bermuda Railway Trail: 5 minute walk from hotel. Be advised: it is not flat, and it rocky and steep in places. It is scenic in parts, but at times you may feel like you are the only one walking/running in a wooded area. I was thinking bad thoughts for a portion of my challenging 10 mile run! (Hotel staff assused me it is safe). All is well that ends well.
Advice for Trip Planning: If you know there are things you want to do (places to eat, things to see) make a list and hand it over to the fromt desk. They will be happy to make reservations for you. They are there to help and do. Service with a smile? Not really. But if you ask enough, they are eager to help. We are frequent Disney travelers (Walt Disney World and Adventures by Disney) so we are quite used to the Disney level of service. While you will not get that here, you will get service. Which is better than many other places, I'm sure!
Also, unless you decide to rent scooters (we did not because I'm chicken) you will be paying a lot of taxi fares. Taxi rates are similar to rates in big US cities. Drivers are very nice. The ferry provided by the hotel ran in the morning, not in the afternoon, and not again until evening. So there were many times we took taxis to get places. Did not bother us, just letting you know.
All in all, we would consider staying there again.
Room Tip: Ask for the fourth floor or above for view of Harbour.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
