Grotto Bay is built on a bluff / cliff, so in order to get to the pool and / or beach, you have to climb up/down MANY flights of stairs. Not a good hotel for the elderly (WAY too many steps) or the very young (almost impossible to push a stroller up the hill next to the steps). I guess you could ask to be transported via golf cart by the staff, but then you are at the mercy of their timetable, which tends to be S-L-O-W.
Also, the playground is in desperate need of repair or replacement.
The beach where you feed the fish was awesome - there are hundreds of fish swimming within your reach. The waiters give you the bread leftover from your lunch for you to feed them with.
You can only swim in one of the caves - VERY cool - such a unique experience. But the water in there is COLD!

We've just spent four nights in Grotto Bay despite the mixed reviews. We chose the hotel because 1) it was a short trip from Boston and 2) we wanted to dive and Triangle Divers is located on the property. If you don't have transportation and want to be in a city this would not be a good choice. Many people stay at this hotel as it's convenient to the airport which means 1) traffic noise 2) airplane noise. It's more like an airport hotel than a "resort". The two closest towns are Hamilton (and that's about 30 minutes away) and St. George (about 20 minutes away).
Good thing I remembered to ask for our $300 gift card because when we checked into the hotel the reservation person was not forthcoming in offering this to us. Nor were they that happy to greet us. In fact, outside of the doormen and the wait staff---the desk people, maids, bartender at the outside bar and towel guy were down right rude. Considering the hotel wasn't full-I was surprised by their attitudes. What happened to civility and good old customer service? A smile would have been nice.
The grounds haven't been kept up. Trash and litter stayed on the ground throughout our stay. We finally grew tired of seeing the same plastic bottle on the pathway everyday so we picked it up. The room had a nice view of the water but it was dirty. There was dirt across the wall that was obvious--a little fantastic and sponge would have wiped it away in seconds. All our drawers to our bureau were broken and down right dangerous. Everytime we opened a drawer we were fearful of it falling onto our feet. No screens on the sliding glass door which we didn't mind much but others that don't like bugs or lizards might. Forget trying to wash your face in the bathroom sink as the faucet is oversized and in the way. There is a refrigerator in the room which was helpful. The caves on site were pretty cool. The beach wasn't too crowded--we didn't have to 'compete' for beach chairs everyday, and it was raked every morning. There are two sunken barges to snorkel on as well as volcanic reefs in shallow waters. For the price of this hotel--it was just okay. Thank goodness for the Swizzle Inn just up the street as it was a pretty decent place to eat---although none of the food on the island was terrific.

The place was just horrible in person compared to stories and photos. Our beach front (more expansive) room faced the beach, but has a sports rental shop in the way of our view. The ice machine was broken, there was a cockroach in our hallway, the room looked like it was from the 80s, there was no room service menu, no laundry instructions/bag, the staff were rude. The restaurants and bars closed early (apparently no cruise ships = no nightlife). Front desk was overwhelmed. It just wasn't worth the money. We also ran into a fierce battle with mgmt when we wanted to cancel after 1 night. They were trying to force 2 night min. Well, I took photos of all the stuff, threatened them with Attorney General, etc. Finally they gave in, but all in all, it wasted a 1/2 day we could have spent on the beach or eating Fish chowder. Yeah, the caves are cool, but the hotel private beach is ugly & small. St George is a dead district, so don't expect anything convenient in that area. Go to hamilton. Try Fairview Princess - it was cheaper, better room and right near the shopping/restaurants.

The property is just a five minute ride from the airport. Instead of waiting 40 minutes for your tranfser bus to fill up, just catch a taxi and pay the 10 bucks.... you'll be checked in and on the beach ahead of the crowd.
Our room (#468) was just okay and needed an update. A/C worked great and was on when we walked in. Keep in mind -- there are no elevators to upper floors. All buildings are walk ups. I noticed that some of the other rooms appeared to have already been remodeled. Hotel buffet breakfast is good and on the expensive side (about $44 per couple), just like everything else on the island.
The beach had plenty of chairs and umbrellas along with a nice pool, outside restaurant for lunch, bathrooms, hot tub etc. There are two cool caves for a quick exploration. You can also swim in one. There is another larger one about a 10 minute walk away for $16 pp. The hotel beach offers flat calm water with a view towards the airport (no noise to speak of) and excellent snorkeling. There is also a dive boat on site.
The bus service however is not convenient at all. It only runs every hour and you have to figure out how far away your stop is from the time posted on the schedule. Not cheap either... $8 pp round trip and because it stops so frequently, expect to use up about 45 minutes to Hamilton. A taxi will cost you about $25 to Hamilton -- each way.