Expert: Aruna Dismont - 9/12/2007

Question
QUESTION: Hello, in Oct of 2008, my wife and I are thinking about taking our honeymoon to Bermuda. I have been doing research on privatly owned apartments and cottages that people own. I am heavily considering looking into one of these places instead of a hotel. Can you tell me what you know about these places. Are they clean? Are they safe? Are they worth the month? Do you recomend one over the other? I am listing the names of some that I am looking at. Thanks for your help and your time. Also if you know anything about bed and breakfast's please comment on them also. Here are the places.

Devonshire Cottage, Spanish Port Studio Apartment, Warwick Cottage, Hamilton Waterside House, Shelly Bay Beach

ANSWER: Andrew,

   I myself have not heard of these places in particular. The reason for this is that they are most likely privately owned by families with more than one house, so they rent these houses or cottages as a second income, or they are cottages similar to bed and breakfast type places.
   I have mixed opinions on these accommodation choices. They will probably be quite safe and well designed, but I cannot be sure as these are privately owned houses. I would be happy to do some research for you! They will be the best choice, financially, if you are wanting to stay for a whole month. Also, the seclusion and privacy of one of these cottages would be great. But the downside is, if you have never visited Bermuda before, having the amenities of a hotel (Concierge, reliable access to dining, etc) is a big plus. If you are looking to stay for a month on your own, you will need regular provisions; groceries, help in getting around, cleaning help, etc. A hotel can provide more for these things, with their concierge desk, housekeeping facilities, etc. Staying in a hotel for month may not be feasible, but it really depends on what the cottages are priced at for the month. I would contact a couple of hotels on the island (some of the best are the Fairmont Hamilton, Fairmont Southampton, Elbow Beach Hotel, Pompano) and see if they can give you a rate as you would be a long stay guest. You should compare the two before you make your decision. If you considered bed and breakfast type places, I would recommend Edgehill Manor (a walk from the main city of Hamilton, down the street from the Fairmont Hamilton) or Aunt Nea's Inn (in the town of St. Georges which is a little farther from Hamilton, but a beautiful, quaint place). If you do decide to stay in one of the cottages, the people who rent it to you may be able to guide you in regards to provisions, transportation, etc. Also, there are various visitor information centers across the island that also may be able to help you.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello, thank you for getting back to me. I wanted to clear up some issues so you can better understand what we are doing and maybe offer more help. We will be staying in bermuda for 1 week. Also we will be renting a scooter to get around so buses and ferry's are not real important. We have a budget of $4000 that we have to stay under. This budget must include airfare, hotel, scooter, food and drink and activities. I looked at the hotels that you mentioned and the cost to stay at one of those would exhaust a large portion of our budget. This is why we were looking at cottages/apartments or bed abd breakfast's. I looked at the bed and Breakfast places that you mentioned and they are nice. Can you recommened any cottages/apartments that you have heard of that are nice and inexpensive? The ones that we looked at are privatly owned. Do you think a privatly owned cottage would be clean and nice? My future wife is worried that they might be poor quality once we get there. You offered to do some reasearch for me and I would really appreciate that. Any info on places or your guidence on which Parrish to stay in would be great. Thank you for getting back to me and I look forward to hearing from you. The website that I found these cottages is www.bermudarentals.com

Thanks again,
Andrew

Answer
I'm sorry I misunderstood you, when you asked if they were worth the month, I assumed you wanted to stay for a month. But now that I see you are only staying for a week,and your budget that changes things greatly. The hotels I recommended would be quite costly then, I didn't realize. I do believe that the privately owned cottages should be clean and reputable, especially since they are offered on Bermuda Rentals. I had a look at them, and they look quite nice. For which parish to stay in, the central ones Paget, Pembroke/Hamilton, Devonshire, Warwick and Smiths are best, as Bermuda is not round, but long, so travel can sometimes seem tedious.  
For a cottage colony type accommodation, I would definitely recommend the Four Ways Inn Cottages and Dining Room. Not only do they have a lovely, private property, their dining room is a favorite all over the island. They have a lot of repeat guests who come from abroad to stay on the island, and re-visit their restaurant. It has original Bermudian architecture with high beamed ceilings and has a wonderful atmosphere. A great place for a romantic dinner, especially on your honeymoon! Their website is www.fourwaysinn.com. You can find rates on there also.
A guesthouse/cottage accommodation is Greenbank. They are a bit more modest, but quite nice. www.greenbankbermuda.com
Also, there quite a few more on www.bermuda.com. Granaway Guesthouse, Dawkins Manor, Robin's Nest and Rosemont are a few more I could recommend. They are a guesthouse, apartment rental, guesthouse and apartment rental, respectively.
I hope this information was helpful!
Aruna