After cobbling together a 14-member family reunion -- three of us siblings were born on the enchanted island of Bermuda -- over the course of nearly 2 years, we decided to stay at Watford Ferry Apartments and make it our base for a week of Bermudian bliss. I'm so glad we did. From the time one of my brothers found WFA's website and contacted Kathie, the owner, our experiences were nothing other than very positive. Kathie provided copious information about the WFA's accommodations, logistics of getting there, etc. I wouldn't have thought that there were many -- if any -- smaller lodgings on Bermuda that could absorb all 14 of us (from parents in their 70s to teenaged granddaughters to a finicky middle-aged solo traveler (er, me)), but WFA not only did so but did so with comfort and aplomb. Everyone has different experiences -- and differing views on them -- and WFA is apparently no exception to the rule. Before I go into more detail, though, I'll just say that I didn't encounter the problems mentioned in some of the other WFA reviews, although I can see where a first-timer to Bermuda might have had problems (but those could've been anywhere on the island).

There are so many pros and so few cons from my WFA stay that I'll quickly dispense with the latter first: (1) As mentioned by at least one other reviewer, WFA is a bit hard for some taxi drivers to find -- ours had a bit of trouble but then quickly got us to the place -- but it is on a main road and right next to a (surprise!) known ferry stop and bridge. (2) Taxis from the international airport -- which is at the opposite end of the island from WFA - are expensive, but that's Bermuda. Everything, including gas, is imported and more expensive than elsewhere. But when two taxis can quickly and comfortably get 12 of us (two had arrived to BDA earlier) and our luggage from the airport to WFA in less than an hour, I can't complain. (3) WFA's not for the traveler who wants pampering: it's a small collection of self-catering apartments. Travelers complaining about the lack of cleaning/catering perhaps didn't bear this in mind when booking and staying at WFA. There are luxurious tourist-rental apartments and villas on the island, but I'm sure they cost 2 to 10 times more per person than we paid ($48 per person per night) for our great stay at WFA. (5) Bugs -- I can't even cite this as a WFA con, because...Bermuda's a subtropical island, and guess what: it hosts a rich variety of climate-appropriate critters. While we did see a few roaches and other small fauna in our apartments, they were easily dealt with and never a bother.

Pros: Too many to list and describe, but let me start with (1) Kathie, the owner, who is absolutely delightful and the ideal combination of professional and friendly. We had four apartments altogether, and all were clean and properly kitted out. I was even able to avail myself of the fan that another kind TA traveler had purchased during his stay and left behind! There's a good deal of "pay-it-forward" spirit at WFA, and we left our share behind as well. Kathie answered all of our questions, made some great suggestions, and reserved our two taxi vans for our departure on 14 July.

(2) The apartments themselves: While our four units varied greatly in layout and size, we were all comfortable and experienced no problems during our weeklong stay. I slept on a sofa bed in the living room of the largest flat (Yellowfin, I think; it had 2 separate bedrooms, one bath, and a big kitchen in addition to the comfortable living room), and while it wasn't plush sleeping (when is a sofa bed?) and it was right in the middle of family traffic, I was perfectly comfortable. Each flat had a kitchen and various pots, pans, utensils, enough of everything for our daily use. The furnishings were fairly simple, but clean and comfortable. Each unit had good, strong A/C units -- three in our large 2BR unit -- although the "loft" apartment in which my brother and his two girls stayed was fairly warm in the loft area even with the A/C on.

(3) Location: While Bermuda's not big -- 21 miles long -- it takes time to get anywhere, due to the narrow, busy roads and correspondingly slow movement of traffic. We all rented scooters -- the only motorized self-drive option for tourists, as only BDA residents may own cars -- which made getting around the island easy and fun. We used Oleander Cycles, which I can only recommend on the basis of price -- pretty cheap, but many of their scooters are old, and several of my family had to replace their scooters, and more than once in a couple of cases. WFA is in Sandys Parish, close to the Dockyards and about a 15- to 20-minute scooter right from the nearest of the Southampton beaches, and another 20 or 25 minutes from those to Hamilton. I don't think BDA's for everybody; our family, of course, loves it, and we went all over the island during our reunion. But if you don't like getting around on little (and noisy, but that's part of their charm) scooters or expensive taxis (in which you miss BDA's delightful scents, sounds, and breezes), you probably won't enjoy BDA. We found WFA's location convenient for our needs.

In sum, I was delighted with our stay at WFA. Given our large number and corresponding needs for cooking family meals and cleaning up after ourselves, WFA made sense. The apartments exceeded our expectations, and I'll close by saying that I've stayed in lodgings of all kinds on every continent (er, except Antarctica) from tents to huge suites at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong, and WFA is one of the best values I've encountered anywhere to date. I highly recommend WFA, especially to couples and families who are looking for comfort, value, and a very friendly and professional owner/manager. Thanks to Kathie and WFA for providing such an excellent base for our family reunion; we'll be back!

Our group of 7 (2 couples - late 30's & 50's w/2 teen boys 13 & 19 & a teen girl 17) stayed in Barracuda & Yellow Fin (connected) for a week. Very convenient to bus stop and the ferry stop is literally right in front of the apartment. Our 13 yo thoroughly enjoyed occupying himself with fishing from the dock and it was fun to watch Kathie's husband feed his "babies" (aka the fish) every morning. Kathie & family were extremely nice. Prompt answers to any & all questions before our trip and Kathie even had a muffin pan waiting for us (I had asked if there was one). Any and all of our needs were met while we were there. I had arranged for a minibus to take us to/from the airport since we were a larger group & I wanted us to all be able to ride in the same taxi & we needed room for our bags as well. The cost of this was about $80 each way for all 7 of us including luggage. In reference to the review where the complaint was that Kathie had set up transportation but you had to pay for it, I'm pretty sure there is NO place in Bermuda that picks you up from the airport at the owner's/hotel's expense not yours. They may offer you "roundtrip transportation" that is SET UP by them (w/the driver holding the sign w/your name on it) at one of the nicest hotels but you will see that charge on your bill or as part of the expense in your package cost. Watford Ferry is almost at the opposite end of the island from the airport so the taxi ride is going to cost you between $75-$90 each way. Taxis are the most expensive form of Bermudian transportation. You could not have taken the bus (& a minibus is just a larger taxi) to get there either if you had any luggage because they do not allow luggage on the bus. Plus you would have a 40 minute bus ride to Hamilton, then needed to transfer to another bus where it would have taken you another 50 minute ride to Watford Ferry. It's Bermuda not Las Vegas.

The apartments were clean although a little musty smelling at first until we opened them up during the day but that was to be expected considering the building is like 200 years old. I have bad allergies and had no problems at all. Slight ant issue but being that this was our 6th trip to Bermuda, we knew about possible ant issues and knew how to deal with them (use vinegar to wipe down the counters or put a bead of liquid soap detergent where they are coming in, keep all opened food in the refrig, etc). We did see a few palmetto bugs (which look like large cockroaches). Beds were comfortable, lots of closet & dresser space. Kitchen was well stocked. Yellow Fin was large and nice that it had a seperate sitting area. We had to use the phone in Yellow Fin as the phone in Barracuda didn't work. Always plenty of hot water for quick showers in the evenings for all 7 people of us. Nice to sit on the porch and watch the traffic, people leaving/arriving the ferry, etc. Could walk to Somerset Country Squire or Bone Grill & there was a gas station with a little convenience store just over the bridge. Groceries a few bus stops away.

We did a fishing trip on the boat "Ellen B." with Captain Baxter and his son and it was the best! He picked us up right at Watford Bridge. We all had a great time & they were so helpful and made sure we had a good experience. We caught lots of fish which we ate right down to the last day we were there. I highly recommend it even if you are not excited about fishing (like me). You will have a marvelous time!

We ate at Kathie's family's restaurant, Freeport, and we were treated like royalty by her and her husband. They are very personable people. Kathie even delivered a VERY large bowl of potato salad to our apartment one day ( and it was delicious!).

Overall we were very pleased with the rooms and our stay. It is not a 5 star hotel but it is a comfortable place to stay if you are the type of traveller who likes to get more of the "local" & "home away from home" experience. Thank you Kathie & Family for a wonderful Bermuda holiday!

i have been planning to take a vacation to bermuda and after 2years of working nonstop we finally decided to go to bermuda i booked the watford ferry yellow fin. I arrived at the airport and as i was told a taxi driver would be holding a sign with my name, i thought this was nice, untill the taxi driver dropped me off at the wrong place and also asked me to pay for the ride. He than called the owner and she advised that she was not going to pay for it. i would have found some other way of transportation if i new i had to pay for it FYI taking a bus or mini bus is $4.00 i paid that taxi driver $60.00 i didnt ask for this transportation the owner arranged it and i had to pay. When i get there it was just ok looking after being there for a couple of hours i feel like dust mites were attacking me and this is a result of the owner NOT cleaning. i than get up to get a glass of water and i see two cock roaches, one on the wall and one crawling on the floor. also there was a moth flying around while i was in the bed and the unit had very bad ant problems. I wake up in the morning to find more cockroaches, that were dead by the bed. i left that day i absolutly could not stay there so i got another hotel and after that i began to enjoy my vacation. i would not recommend this studio/hotel/unit what ever you call it to anyone and i think someone would benifit from my experience. i dont think anyone deserves to have a horrible vacation so i am sharing my experience

As a 50th Birthday gift to my wife, I rented the Rainbox Runner for 4 days at the end of July just before the East-West Cricket Match was held. The apartments are extremely well located for those who wish to stay in the West End - 100 yards from the Watford Ferry Stop and a very accomodating coffee shop, easy walking distance to downtown Somerset and its restaurants, bus stops in both directions within 150 yards, and approximately 5 miles to the Naval Yard. We found the Owners, especially Kathie, to be gracious and very responsive to our requests. Before our arrival, Kathie arranged transportation to/from the airport at or below the "going rate". The first day we discovered that the coffee maker was broken. My wife is a coffee adict, so we immediately contacted Kathie. That evenning a new "in the box" Coffee Maker was delivered to our apartment. As luck would have it this Coffee Maker also did not work. We notifed Kathie again and the next evenning another new coffee maker was delivered - and this one worked great and had more than enough options on it to satisfy the most demanding. The one down side we observed was the ant population seemed to like the apartment as well. Although we were not too pleased, we did expect this based on the reading the other reviews. For those who do not know, Glass Plus/Windex etc. kill small bugs like ants immediately. As other reviews have indicated, the kitchen was well supplied - including Glass Plus. So without spending a dime or wasting any time, we were able to "attack" the ants. We would definitiely consider staying at these apartments again when we return to Bermuda.