Clear View Suites & Villas – 28 May 2010
Hamilton Parish, Bermuda

As I write this, I am sitting in the sun on the spacious balcony veranda of Suite 303, Rose Villa, at Clear View Suites and Villas, Hamilton Parish, Bermuda.

It is peaceful. It is relaxing. This is not “luxury”, this is comfort.

I have, unlike previous visitors who have posted here, no complaints.

The sun will soon set in the West and I’ll be watching it sink into the deep blue Bermuda sea. Nothing obscures my view except two tiny channel markers, about a mile out. After that, the next thing over the horizon is the East Coast of the USA. And, no, I am not paying the ridiculous sum of $600 or more a night for this view and location.

What has always made Bermuda memorable and pleasant for me is the overt courtesy and pleasant attitude of the people who live there. Thankfully, this has not changed since my last visit five years ago and other visits over 35 years. A smile and friendly demeanor on the visitor’s part are always rewarded by the same from these mid-Atlantic islanders. I have never been disappointed when visiting Bermuda.

First impressions of a hotel are often wrong, but after three nights here, I remain fascinated by the Clear View Suites and Villas as a peaceful place for a short rest and relaxation.
My opinions of this small private property, half way between Hamilton and St. George, are positive and 180 degrees from what I first read on Trip Advisor. After reading the horror stories, I expected the worst. I asked several people about this, including the immigration officer and the taxi driver who took me to Clear View and neither one gave me any reason to have concern.

Arriving at this picturesque oceanside spot I knew that I was in the old Bermuda.

Construction of an additional new building with 12 suites here is under way in May 2110, but my suite on the second floor of the older Rose Villa was perfect…suited to my needs and a refreshing change from the fancy, expensive and grossly overpriced "modern" hotels on the island.

Clear View was probably here when I first visited Bermuda thirty years ago. And yes, there are remnants of the past still to be seen and some additional painting and sprucing up would improve the cosmetics. But there are some modern touches as well. For example, my suite had a comfortable king size bed with a slider door out to the balcony looking directly out to sea…a room that in another popular Bermuda hotel would have cost me three times as much as I was paying here. The silence was wonderful. No traffic, no wandering cruise ship tourists, no shops. The pool was lovely, clean and had not a soul around it.

So, forget what you read in the earlier reviews. I think that, though they might have been true at the time, those reports are old and outdated.

This is a very nice, not plush, but comfortable inn off the beaten Bermuda path. For a single or a couple wanting to relax, and be away from the usual resort hustle, I recommend it. For families wanting the attractions, polish, glitz and excitement of a modern hotel, I would say go to one of the bigger, more expensive hotels and enjoy it. Clear View is not for you.

Details:
Check in was fine. I found it to be more reminiscent of checking into old European hotels where everything was casual, and I got all the information I needed. At reception, Ms. Retteray helped me buy a two day bus and ferry pass, ($20), showed me the bus stop right out in front of the hotel, and gave me as much time and help as I needed. She told me about the small market down the road and that my suite had a small refrigerator and stove. A short walk took me to the room. No stairs, no elevators. No bellmen with their hands out for a tip.

Even though it wasn’t needed, the new air conditioning in the room worked, but the sea breeze was better and the balcony/slider, plus the louvered front door to the suite allowed a cooling breeze to bring the inside temperature down nicely.

The tiled bathroom was old style with a real tub and shower, plenty of nice, fluffy towels, (more than I could get a recently visited Hilton to provide), and toiletries from a popular English provider. There was instant hot water and good pressure.

The room carpeting looked new, had no burns, stains or mildew (as is common in evenb the top hotels at times), and was carefully vacuumed….again with more care than a few upscale hotels in the states and Europe would offer.

All told, the three day stay was great and cost me about the price of one night at most other Bermuda hotels.
I would return if the opportunity arises.

Tips:
I booked the reservations through Continental’s on-line hotel site and ended up very pleasantly surprised. However, if I had any questions at booking time, Continental apparently didn’t want to be bothered and simply said on the reservation “call the hotel.” For a hotel outside the CONUS, this is unacceptable. Continental needs to provide a stateside contact for hotel customers. Either they are in the booking business or they aren’t.

Check out shock:
As my other reviews will show, I travel extensively, so I anticipate a certain amount of mark-up at hotels and restaurants. This time I got blindsided. Like many other booking sites, Continental does not exactly tell the truth about the costs. Although my reservation clearly says that the “total cost” is $600 for three nights, my actual hotel bill was $723.58. The receptionist didn’t tell me about this either. So, you should figure on at least 20% being added to your bill. This is not unusual, (major US hotels easily add 25-30 percent in local, state, and other taxes and fees and some top that with esoteric charges like “security fees” and “resort fees”), but I find the escalation of the practice becoming more and more aggravating because it makes planning difficult. If you travel with a budget, this can hurt.

The game of adding on taxes and fees is not going to go away, but it would be far more honest and practical to let travelers know what they will really be paying. As the fees and taxes continue to increase, more and more travelers are going to be unhappy about this sleazy method of attracting customers by showing only part of the actual cost. Yes, the airlines, car rental firms and vacation package providers all do it and other companies have followed suit, but the very least that could be done is to show the percentage of add-ons that users of the booking programs might expect. The fine print catch-all line about “other fees and taxes may apply” is not enough because it makes the final bill open ended. You might think you are going to get a bill for $600 and end up with one for $1,000!!!!

When eventually the total cost includes fees and taxes that actually exceed the base cost of the room, (as is already the case with many airline tickets), I wonder if people will wake up and insist on truth in advertising.

Travelled to Bermuda on business so booked into the Clear View through the companys travel agent. On our arrival we thought this place looked a bit grim and our fears were confirmed by our taxi driver. We had booked for about 10 nights, but did arrange that if the hotel was to far from our work place we could move hotels after the first night.
One of my colleagues did not last that long. He looked around the Villa, found cockroaches in the kitchen and his bedroom, so within 20 minutes he was out and had booked into the Grotto Bay. Myself and another colleague followed the following morning.
The place was filthy, smelled really damp, doors would not shut, broken windows. It was terrible.
The owner could not be seen, and there was some poor guy there taking all the flak.
We called the same taxi driver who picked us up from the airport to take us to theGrotto Bay, and he begged us to contact the local tourist board and lodge a complaint, as he has seen so many people arrive, then the next day leave. The locals believe this place is giving the island a bad name.
I advise you not to book into this dump, i know the hotels are not cheap on the island but pay a little extra and dont gamble on this one.
I have travelled a fair bit and this is a dump, and the cost here will break your heart.

I booked 8 weeks in advance on a business trip, my travel agent said there were only two places on the island with a room, one was $1,000 a night the other was $189. I opted for £189, I read the reviews and also thought, it can't be that bad, I'll never make that mistake again! The ajoining door is broken so whilst I cannot get into their room they have ful access to mine. The patio door is wedged with wood, the beds are truely awful, the pool was freezing, the furniture is passed tired, in fact the whole place wants demolishing. I am not even venturing into the restaurant following a conversation with the taxi driver on the way there. The taxi driver was kind enough to supply a list of alternative guest houses to try if I'm ever stuck for a place to stay, he was embarrassed for his island to subject tourist or business people to this establishment

This accomodation is a health hazard. Not only were the rooms disgustingly dirty, it is also unsafe. The main reception looks like a filthy minicab office. I had a piece of plastic in my dinner in the Landfill Restaurant. How this 'hotel' has still stayed open is a mystery, as according to the guest book, the last guest was in 2005.