My husband and I spent 6 nights at 9 beaches in the middle of August 2008. We loved the main beach, beautiful views and the snorkeling. And, we would return...but not in August, and probably not July either. I read reviews talking about how warm the rooms are, but figured between the wind (we were in a cabana on the windward side), fans and the a/c unit, we'd be fine. Boy was I wrong!

I enjoy summer and warm temperatures, but nonstop sweating while on vacation in your room/cabana takes its toll. It was really uncomfortable, especially while trying to sleep. During the day we escaped it by being in water. We spoke to other guest who were worn out by the unbearable heat as well.

Also, the cabana had quite a bit of mold growing on the ceiling, walls and lamps. Those poses a bit of a problem for people with mold/mildew allergies.

The previous reviews of the food seemed accurate. Breakfast is free and decent. Lunch and dinner are quite expensive and not very tasty. Though, the desserts were pretty good.

Aside from Dockyard, 9 Beaches is located quite a distance from other parts of the island. The 9 beaches minibus goes to a few places (Dockyard - $4, Horseshoe Bay - $7), but overall traveling is tricky and expensive if you take a taxi. The ferry from Dockyard to Hamilton and St. George's is a nice way to travel. But, be sure to check the times. The last ferry to St. George's leaves at 3 pm from Dockyard. Hamilton ferries run later.

Snorkeling is amazing at 9 Beaches. There are tons of fish and coral around the reef right off of the main beach. We went to Horseshoe Bay, but it was overcrowded and the waves did not make for good snorkeling. We also tried Church Bay, but the water was choppy, and there is a hard reef where the waves crash that make it difficult to get to the calmer water. We were lucky to have the best snorkeling right at our resort. We also rented a kayak and paddle boat, which was fun. If you do this, look out for rays and sea turtles!

The views from our cabana (Sea Forever) were incredible. It is amazing to stay that close to the water. And, the main beach was never crowded and had calm waters, which made snorkeling, swimming and floating on a raft really pleasant. The pool was small and clean, but we never went in since the ocean water was so warm and beautiful.

Here is how I came up with a rating of 4 out of 5:

Beach - 5
Views from cabana - 5
Snorkeling - 5
Pool - 4
Staff - 4
Location of resort - 3
Dining - 1-2
Cleanliness of Cabana - 1-2

My husband and I just returned from Bermuda last night and I'm missing the island already. Our stay at 9 Beaches was wonderful. We stayed in a Sea Forever cabana on the point and it couldn't have been any better. Our porch looked over a high cliff with a secluded beach underneath. The breeze blew through our front doors and windows all day and we closed up and turned on the air at night (this worked well because of the nightly storms that were very romantic). During the days we layed on the beach, went snorkeling and scuba diving, took a Hobie cat out for a sail, and toured around the island by scooter. In the mornings we ate a good breakfast at High Tide, checked in with delightful Concierge Willy, and went on our way. The buffet luches and all inclusive dinner events weren't our thing so we found some nice low key, good food restaurants near by. Loved the Salt Rock Grill!
Tips to share- Have your taxi stop for snacks and drinks on the way to the resort. Bring coolies to keep your water cool and plastic baggies for snacks during your outings. Only turn your air on after the sun goes down. Rent a scooter to have freedom to come and go as you please. Go to the dockyard and Horseshoe bay when "cruisers" aren't in town. Always wear a bathing suit and bring a towel because you'll never know when and where you'll find the perfect beach. Wake up early and go for a walk-mornings are beautiful and quiet. Bring a transportable speaker for your ipod in the cabana. Fill a little trashcan with ice and drinks and spend an evening watching the sunset at the little beach facing Daniel's Head island.

9 Beaches is exactly what we wanted- a beautiful place to enjoy ourselves and relax. I believe that if you have the setting put in place for you, you can make the experience a great one. The people from Bermuda are beautiful, positive, easy going, and welcoming to visitors. If you are not willing to fit in, then maybe you should decide to stay home. The only negative about my vacation was hearing others complain. People should want what they have and not always need to have what they want.

My husband and I spent five glorious days at 9 Beaches, and it was everything we wanted it to be and more! First of all, being only a two hour flight from NYC was fantastic! The staff was accomodating, friendly and helpful in every way. Willy, the conceirge, was simply the best. He put all my fears to rest, and did everything he could to make our stay as peaceful and stress free as he could. Of course when you are in paradise, it's hard to be stressed. We loved the casual atmosphere, and the cabanas were amazingly comfy and sturdy! Everything was clean, neat, and attended to, all throughout the resort. The food was wonderful, attention to detail on the dinner menu was suberb. my only critique would be they could probably do a better job of the breakfast buffet, even though it is included in the price of your stay, they could've done a bit more with the buffet, maybe more variety of fresh local fruits, someone available for omelets, belgian waffles, etc? They have a wonderful golf cart that goes around the resort delivering all sorts of food items that you can order through the cell phones you are given at check in, and the food and delivery of same is suprisingly great! (didn't know what to expect from a golf cart)
Laurie at the front desk is a gem, as is Lucinda in the restaurant. Lillian and Happy made our special "platinum dinner" a seamless wonderful last night to our stay, they are both very special people..
Whoever is in charge of hiring at 9 Beaches should be applauded, as all of the staff my husband and I had any dealings with all went well above what was expected of them.
Both my husband and I can't wait to return to 9 Beaches, as it was one of the best vacations we have ever enjoyed!

9 Beaches’ slogan “Do the unexpected Bermuda” is completely accurate as well as misleading.

When planning our honeymoon, we did a great deal of research on 9 Beaches and read many reviews. Deciding that we fit better into flip flops than stilettos, we booked our nine day honeymoon at 9 Beaches. While the ultra casual environment, beaches, and breathtaking snorkeling make 9 Beaches a perfect weekend getaway location, the “unexpected” aspects of 9 Beaches make a longer trip less than ideal.

Snorkeling/Beaches: True to its name, the beaches were the most amazing part of 9 Beaches. We brought our own snorkel gear and had the most amazing time. Unlike Hawaii, the Bahamas, or other beach destinations (even those in Bermuda) the beaches (except for the main and public beaches) were largely unspoiled, relatively secluded, and the snorkeling was breathtaking. We saw hundreds of fish, amazing coral reefs, and even small boat wrecks. We swam each day for hours and hours and this was truly the best part of our vacation.

Cost: We selected 9 Beaches’ “Romance Package” in a “Top Banana Cabana” which cost us an average of $467.03 per night, but when factoring in taxes our actual cost was an average of $555.72 per night not including food or activities. When we arrived, we were issued a coupon book to redeem the items included in the Romance Package and sent off to cabana #15 (the subject of a July 6, 2008 review). Later when we tried to redeem the coupon for champagne and chocolate dipped strawberries we were told 24 hours notice was required and we were given a lengthy order form that we had to complete and submit to the front desk—not very romantic. Surprisingly, the bottle of “champagne” included in this costly package was actually Korbel Brut sparkling wine (average retail price $11.00 US).

Service: We were extremely surprised by 9 Beaches’ lack of hospitality. Staff members ranged from pleasant to morose, with the vast majority of staff acting simply indifferent. When the tropical storm (Hurricane Bertha) hit, the social atmosphere became gloomy and most staff seemed downright depressed. It appeared that many of the staff members reside in a complex on the resort property and we observed some staff working what appeared to be over 12 hour shifts—which may explain the lack of morale. Some mornings the wait staff at breakfast sat us and offered us coffee or tea, and some mornings they ignored us. The fact that each day there was a yummy display of fresh fruit at the complimentary breakfast with a sign that read something to the effect of “Please Do Not Take The Fruit, It Is For Display Only” summed up 9 Beaches’ approach to hospitality.

Cabana #15: The location of our cabana, at first, appeared perfect. It was relatively secluded compared to the opposite side of the resort which looks like a densely populated campground, and our cabana was located right on the glorious ocean. The furnishings were spartan, but comfortable. It wasn’t until the tropical storm hit that we realized the limitations of our cabana. Thankfully we remained safe, but the power went out, the smoke detector wailed, the interior got soaked, and because the soft-sided cabanas on stilts have plenty of give to withstand hurricane forces we felt seasick literally days after leaving. Even without the fluke tropical storm, the cabana was consistently hot and muggy with little relief from the ineffective air conditioning unit, there was a great deal of subtle swaying movement, and we experienced another power outage not related to the storm.

Housekeeping: Housekeeping certainly kept us guessing. Our bed got damp and our bedspread was soaked during the tropical storm. When housekeeping took our soaked rugs out of the cabana they also took our bedspread and used a double beach towel we received as a wedding gift as a makeshift bedspread. Oddly, after a day they brought back the rugs, but they never brought back our bedspread—instead they continued to make our bed each day with our beach towel (see photo).

The Public Beach: As evening fell on our first day, we quickly discovered we were not as secluded in our cabana as we thought. In fact, our cabana was located on a public beach that on Friday and Saturday nights serves as the place for Bermudians to be and be seen. As dusk fell, several cars with amazing rims, motorcycles, and scooters passed our cabana with blaring music and thumping bass. When we ventured out on the path behind our cabana to walk to the lobby, we were honked at to get out of the “road.” During the course of our stay the public beach was filled with parties, kayak tours, and daycare fieldtrips. We also were hit with the odor of the farm on one particularly hot day. When we spoke to 9 Beaches they offered us a cabana change, but it was to a unit tucked closely between other cabanas so we stayed put.

Location: 9 Beaches is far removed from most of the restaurants, activities, and sites in Bermuda and transportation is very costly. We found our options for exploring or dining beyond the resort very limited—thankfully we were able to walk to town to get groceries which we kept in our cabana’s mini-fridge. We even had to walk to Cambridge Beaches for the couple’s massage that came with our Romance Package. While normally a 20-minute walk would be great, the sweltering mid-day heat coupled with the extremely narrow road littered with junk and road kill did not set a very romantic tone.

Overall: The natural beauty and beaches make 9 Beaches a great place to go for perhaps a weekend, but at over $550 per night, the lack of service, extremely high cost of food, activities, and transportation, coupled with the secluded location makes 9 Beaches a poor choice for an extended vacation—particularly a honeymoon. Thankfully, 9 Beaches permitted us to break our reservation and leave early. We scurried off to the Fairmont Hamilton Princess where we missed the beaches, but for about the same nightly price ($561.39 including fees and taxes) we were greeted with amazing hospitality, service, and entertainment. The Princess staff even congratulated us on our marriage—a small gesture that meant a lot to us after a long seven days at 9 Beaches.