The manor house suite at Rosewood Tucker’s Point comes with a terrace, offering waterfront views  of Castle Harbour.

The manor house suite at Rosewood Tucker’s Point comes with a terrace, offering waterfront views  of Castle Harbour.

 

Luxury Travel Advisor recently toured the beautiful island of Bermuda and came back with hotel options that advisors can pitch to just about any client, from the family man to the businesswoman.

And although the three upscale resorts we toured were unique in their own right, this trio had one attribute in common: privacy was not hard to find.

Elbow Beach Resort

Elbow Beach Resort in Bermuda offers a sense of place by utilizing its space. You can say that Elbow Beach Resort offers plenty of elbow room.

During Luxury Travel Advisor’s recent onsite coverage of the popular luxury property, the resort was nearly at full capacity and home to both families and couples. Yet, we never once heard a child splashing recklessly in the pool, we never fought crowds for a lounge seat on the beach and we always had our table of choice at the restaurants.

Simply put, the resort spreads itself over 50 acres and thus creates an environment where anyone can find peace and quiet even if the property is full to the max. There’s always a place to escape to, whether it’s finding one of the hammocks that are tucked away amongst the resort’s gardens or watching the sun go down while sipping a local cocktail at the pool bar. Hint: Between 5 and 6 p.m. is the best time for that.

There are 98 rooms and suites here. We stayed in room No. 610, an Ocean View Junior Suite that affords both ocean and garden views with a king-size bed and flat-screen LG TV. The room’s veranda provides guests with what is virtually their own backyard. The best feature of the room, like many at this resort, is its easy access to the beach and close proximity to the resort’s main swimming pool, spa and fitness center.

The fitness center is pretty modest but offers all the amenities one would expect from a gym, including ample space, free weights, complimentary headphones, fluffy towels, a good sound system and plenty of TVs. Nice Touch: Most of the treadmills and bikes offer views of the gardens and partial views of the ocean.

The Spa at Elbow Beach was also fairly impressive. There are six private treatment suites, including four single units and two couples rooms. We were treated to what may have been the best couples massage we’ve ever been a part of. The couples treatment room is what truly made the experience. We were escorted to a large room in the back that got ample amount of light and was home to a soaking tub adorned with red rose petals, two treatment beds and a day bed to lounge on while sipping a glass of champagne.

We went with the Oasis treatment, which is a simple, basic massage. But if your clients are a bit more adventurous, the spa has an array of unique offerings, from its Aroma Stone treatment, which uses heated stones to generate energy and create a sense of balance and calm, to its Thai treatment, which does not use oils or lotions and requires the guest to remain clothed as there is constant body contact between the therapist and the guest. The body is compressed, pulled, stretched and rocked in order to clear energy blockages and relieve tensions. The spa also offers a host of body scrubs, wraps, facials and more.

The best place where we had our dinner at the resort was Cafe Lido. Tip: The earlier guests get there, the better. The restaurant is surrounded by large windows and offers sweeping ocean views, so it’s best to dine while it’s still bright outside. We would suggest anytime before 8 p.m.

VIPs looking to venture off property will find a couple of exceptional options for relaxing just a few minutes away, including the much-underrated Warwick Long Bay Beach. While most advisors will recommend the island’s famous Horseshoe Bay, we think Warwick is a far better option simply because of the privacy it affords. You will find other tourists there, but nothing compared to the scores of people covering every inch of sand at Horseshoe Bay. In fact, our visit to Warwick was one of the very few times we were able to photograph the beach with just the ocean and the sand—zero people. Tip: There is a small vender outside Warwick that sells light snacks, soft drinks and hot dogs. Umbrellas and beach chairs can be rented here as well, so no need for VIPs to lug too much to the beach.

Another great option to blow off some steam is the nearby Swizzle Inn. Like Warwick, it is about a five-minute drive from Elbow Beach. There are two Swizzle Inns on Bermuda. The one near the airport is more popular since it is the original, but the one near the resort definitely had a healthier mix of tourists and locals. The Rum Swizzles, which are one of the island’s most popular cocktails, are just OK here as they use a cheaper brand of rum than the hotels do, but the scenery and food definitely make for a great night out when VIPs feel like being adventurous.

The Skinny on New Rooms: During our stay, we sat down with Ed Burns, the owner’s representative of the Elbow Beach Resort, and learned of the hotel’s plans to add 35 new rooms that are expected to be the property’s new highest room category.

There are about 130 rooms in the main building of the hotel that have been closed off for some time, says Burns. There are 70 in the front of the building and 60 in the back. Burns says the plans call for wiping out the 60 in the back—“because who wants to look at the back of a building”—and then dividing the 70 rooms in the front into 35, which would create huge, 800-square-foot rooms overlooking the ocean.

Rehanna Palumbo, director of sales and marketing for the property, tells us that a model room could be ready by December. The rooms are expected to be fully complete by the second half of 2015.

Advisors looking to customize a VIP’s stay at Elbow Beach should reach out to Palumbo ([email protected]).

THE FAIRMONT SOUTHAMPTON is said to have the largest guest rooms in Bermuda.

The Fairmont Southampton is said to have the largest guest rooms in Bermuda. 

 

Rosewood Tucker’s Point

Luxury Travel Advisor also had an opportunity to tour Bermuda’s very elegant Rosewood Tucker’s Point, a haven for affluent families on holiday.

There are four categories of rooms here and five categories of suites. We were told one of the most popular suites, because the family market is very strong here, is the Two-Bedroom Villa Suite. Overlooking Castle Harbour, these two-bedroom suites are housed in three independent buildings separated from the Manor House. Each consists of a living room and two connecting deluxe bedrooms. Nice Touch: The living room has a wet bar, shower bath, dining table and a sitting area with a fireplace.

The sofa converts into a queen bed for added sleeping capacity. The bedrooms have teester beds and walk-in closets. The living room and bedrooms open onto expansive balconies furnished for al fresco dining and relaxing with waterfront view of Castle Harbour. Villa Suites are accessed via the 77 steps of the Castle Harbour Grand Staircase.

Although none of the suites were available for us to see, we did see and were quite impressed with room No. 11, a Poolside Deluxe Room. There are eight of these rooms at the property and they each come with a private poolside cabana at one of the hotel’s four swimming pools. Two pools can be found at the property’s main building and the other two are at the hotel’s private Beach Club. Note: The Beach Club’s Sur Mer restaurant is the only dining option at the hotel that is exclusively for VIPs.

Rosewood Tucker’s Point’s Sense spa has eight treatment rooms, including one for couples. It offers everything from massages and facials to manicures and pedicures. Hint: Perhaps the spa’s most interesting amenity is its TAG Shower, a special shower with 18 shower heads hitting every inch of your body. Salon services are also available for advance bookings.

There are three restaurants here—including The Point, which offers international cuisine made from fresh local ingredients, and Sur Mer, simple al fresco dining overlooking the beach. We dined at the elegant Italian restaurant, Sul Verde, and feasted on the amazing “Mare E Monti” (bacon wrapped angus tender-loin, grilled jumbo shrimps, Tuscan cabbage, garlic butter sauce). We were attended by at least three servers at this elegant restaurant, which has a classic ambiance with dimmed lights and even a fireplace.

Advisors looking to make special requests for VIPs should reach out to General Manager Paul Telford ([email protected]; 441-298-4000).

The Fairmont Southampton

We found The Fairmont Southampton to have simply the ideal mix of business and leisure guests. The hotel is said to have the largest guest rooms in Bermuda. The Fairmont Southampton features 593 spacious accommodations, including 11 junior suites, 23 one- and two-bedroom suites, two split-level duplex suites and two penthouse suites.

In addition, it has 74 rooms on the Fairmont Gold floor, a unique lifestyle experience offering luxury accommodations, service and amenities, including private registration and concierge, plus a private harbor-view lounge where clients can enjoy complimentary breakfast each morning, afternoon tea and canapés every evening.

The Willow Stream Spa at The Fairmont Southampton, voted “Best Spa in Bermuda” for more than a decade running, is perhaps one of the hotel’s strongest selling points.

Clients can cleanse and rejuvenate their body with deep heat, hydrotherapy and massage. Even the most discerning spa enthusiasts will enjoy everything from a workout in the hotel’s fitness center, which offers views of the South Shore, to a round of sweat therapy in the sauna and steam rooms, to a pampering in the on-site salon or simply relaxing amid the property’s landscaped gardens. Tip: If the Bermuda weather isn’t cooperating, the hotel also has a huge indoor swimming pool.

There are eight restaurants at the resort, including the very popular, AAA Four Diamond award-winning Waterlot Inn, which is housed in a large, traditional Bermuda cottage. Note: This is perhaps the ritziest dinner clients can have on the island and usually calls for the male to wear a jacket and tie and the woman to wear a formal dress.

For a more casual restaurant option, we suggest the beachfront Ocean Club. This is where we dined. The food was amazing (get the tuna tartare), but the views of the beach and water, especially if you’re lucky enough to catch a rainbow like we did, put this dining experience over the top.

For the business traveler, there are six meeting rooms in the main lobby. Three of these can be turned into one big ballroom. The resort is also home to perhaps the most popular golf course in Bermuda, the Turtle Hill Golf Club at The Fairmont Southampton. Here, golf enthusiasts will enjoy myriad bunkers and two water hazards, as well as three tee options on each of the 18 holes. Ranked one of the top five par-3 courses in the world by Golf Magazine, Turtle Hill is well equipped to accommodate golfers of all skill levels.

Advisors looking to make special requests for VIPs should get in touch with Karen Corburn ([email protected]), director of travel industry sales.

ADVISOR INSIGHT:

“My top beachfront hotel pick is Elbow Beach, a luxurious property with beautiful rooms, fantastic service and excellent restaurants located directly on one of Bermuda’s prime stretches of sand,” says Caroline Fridley Bracewell of Easy Escapes Travel in Atlanta, GA. “There are a number of great restaurants on the island, so don’t just dine at your hotel. For a view every bit as delectable as the food, ask for a rail-side table at the Fairmont Southampton’s Ocean Club. With approximately 63 beaches on the island, it’s hard to pick just a few to visit. But it’s hard to imagine any could be more stunning than Warwick Long Bay Beach, with long stretches of pink sand, crystal-clear aqua water, and lush foliage covering rocks that lead to hidden coves.” 

The Fairmont Southampton’s Windows on the Sound restaurant affords guests scenic views of the ocean.

The Fairmont Southampton’s Windows on the Sound restaurant affords guests scenic views of the ocean.