Just got back from a short vacation at 9 Beaches. First, this place is not for everybody. If you want to be treated like a millionaire and pay the price accordingly, this might not be the place for you (try Elbow Beach). If you want action at night, this is not the place. If you want a truly relaxing no hassle eco-friendly “resort” – this is the place.

Arrived Thursday night via taxi - $50 total fare, cheaper and quicker than the bus- and checked in quickly. Here is a great feature; you get issued a cell phone when you check in pre programmed with hotel numbers. All local calls are free. With calls on a US phone costing $1.99 a minute, this is a great service. Saved at least $20 a day by using this service.

We were issued Cabana 29 in the Sea Forever category. Thank goodness I wasn’t in a room adjacent to a diary farm. Smell in that region is awful. Word of warning, if your room number is between 1-20 be careful, you could be living next to a manure pile. Make sure you do not have one of those rooms!

Took a golf cart to the room and here is where things get a bit different. The room is actually an approximately 12’x12’ canvas room built on an elevated Trex deck covered by a carpet. Seems every room is the same: queen size bed right next to the door, a small table, a coffee table, a futon, and a bathroom with a small shower. Very small. Two people can not fit into the bathroom comfortably at the same time. Notice one other thing, no TV. At first you might miss one, but trust me, after a few days you’ll be glad one wasn’t in the room. There are four windows (solid glass) that can be opened if needed to get an ocean breeze flowing through the room.

A small air conditioning unit is also in the room which works well keeping the room cool at night (must be used with a ceiling fan if you want to get under 70 degrees). The room opens to a wooden deck with two chairs offering an incredible ocean view. Like I said, this room set up is very different than any other hotel I’ve stayed at and may take a while to get used to. One example: at night, the canvas walls move in the wind, so yeah, it’s a bit like camping.

Had dinner at the hotel restaurant on Thursday night. Very decent…not 4 star but decent and for the price (average $20 entrée) it was really good. There’s a small bar upstairs that had a few people in it and the staff was top notch. They get to know you at 9 beaches and make you feel very welcome. Free internet as well. Breakfast every morning was also very good, not a ton of selection but very decent by American buffet standards.

Here’s a tip, taxi’s are really expensive and 9 Beaches is really not close to anything. Grab a scooter if you want to move around. The hotel will set up the scooter rental for you.

The Hotel really does have 9 separate beaches. All of them are unique and pretty good (although, head to South shore for a tip-top beach experience). We had an entire beach and cove to ourselves on a Sunday and decided to have lunch on the beach. We just grabbed our cell phone, called the restaurant, and 20 minutes later had our meal delivered right to the beach. A fantastic option if you so choose.

Here is one more action that won points in my book. Our plane was leaving at 8 pm on a Sunday night. I requested a late checkout and was very surprised to have them give us a 6 pm checkout for no charge. This was a huge deal as it allowed us to fully enjoy the day.

Overall, 9beaches offers great service, different and unique accommodations, great beaches, good food and a very relaxed atmosphere. What else could you ask for?

Two other observations:
Blu at the Belmont Hotel is the best restaurant on the island hands down. Best view, great food, great service. Its expensive ($300 for 2) but worth it. Lido at Elbow Beach is decent, but very pricy and not as great a view. Both restaurants are owned by the same group but if you need one really big night out, Blu is the call.

Drive carefully on the scooter. There were two fatalities the night of June 7th alone.

We just returned from a stay at 9 Beaches and loved it. We went to Bermuda for our honeymoon and were returning to celebrate our 30th anniversary so booked the "Romance Package" and a cabana on Paradise Pier (which we thought was worth the extra cost). We had cabana # 52 which had a great unblocked view of the ocean. We spent hours on our balcony watching quite a variety of fish swimming nearby - (including sea turtles sticking their heads up like little Loch Ness monsters one evening), boats going past and the Bermuda longtails flying around. Twice there was a barracuda lurking right under our viewing window. It is easier to see the fish when the water is calm and we had several very choppy days but still were able to see some fish even then. We enjoyed going to sleep with the sound of the waves and the bed (and the rest of the cabin) was very comfortable. It even had a drying rack to hang up our swimsuits and towels to dry.
The staff was very friendly and helpful. When we arrived, the safe wasn't working, so the manager, Robin, came to fix it. He told us several interesting stories (about the hotel we stayed at 30 years ago, and other things) and let us know where we could look for a book on Bermuda birds. Later we saw him in the lobby and he remembered our previous discussion, and suggested a great place for us to go watch birds (though summer isn't the peak birdwatching time). The waitresses were very friendly and one remembered that we were going to get our "romance package" massages one morning and the next day asked how we liked them. The young man who took us to our cabana on their covered cart even remembered us when he saw us a couple of times later.
We ate at High Tide for dinner twice and did enjoy the food - especially some delicious red snapper in saffron sauce that just about melted in my mouth. The breakfasts were good with juice, coffee or tea, fruit salad, cereal and milk, oatmeal, croissants and other rolls, bread for toast, bacon, sausage, and scrambled eggs with either potatoes, pancakes, waffles or french toast available.
The only thing that was slightly frustrating about our trip (and this doesn't specifically relate to 9 Beaches) was the transportation. Be sure to ask if you have questions about getting around and do plan your transportation and schedule ahead of time! Be aware that in the evening buses and ferries run much less frequently! The minibus is readily available for West End destinations, but the cost adds up quickly. Be sure to get tokens at the front desk for the bus/ferry because they are cheaper there. We found ourselves out late one night with no tokens so had to pay for the minibus instead of taking the bus. We wanted to go to Harbour Night in Hamilton one night so took the bus to the ferry only to find that the next ferry wouldn't be coming for at least an hour. We ended up only being in Hamilton for an hour before we had to catch the ferry back. We did end up waiting for buses at times, but did enjoy watching the people, traffic and scenery while we were waiting.
I would recommend 9 Beaches to anyone, unless you have trouble with walking or stairs (since the cabanas are spread around the property and most are accessed by stairs). We had a GREAT time at 9 Beaches, really didn't want to go home and we will definitely stay there if we get to go back to Bermuda again!!!

This is our third time at 9 Beaches, and we had another fabulous experience. The cabanas were clean and comfortable, the air conditioner was nice to have when needed, and the beach bag and robes are always a nice touch. The views over the water from our deck were magnificent. We tried out several different beaches and found a new favorite this trip.
Staff was much more attentive and responsive this time, food at the restaurant was excellent, and under the umbrellas at Dark N Stormy's was great for afternoon respite from the sun and a cool drink. The sports alternatives are what we love, from tennis to snorkeling, to kayaking to biking -- all was great fun. We walked or motorbiked to several nearby restaurants as well, but no setting was better than on the porch at 9 Beaches.

Yes, 9 Beaches really does have 9 beaches, and I found them all to be uniquely appealling. This was my first trip to the island, and I was pleasantly surprised with what I found out in Sandys. While somewhat removed from Hamilton (a short scooter and a 20+ minute ferry ride away), being out on the western part of the island was very relaxing and not remote in the least. I found myself content to spend my days on one of the 9 beaches or down at Dark n' Stormy's, the resort bar.

In regards to the accomodations, guests should be aware that the cabanas have canvas sides. This did not impact the quality of my stay at all (actually I found the cabanas to be very comfortable), but I am not sure most people realize this fact before coming to 9 Beaches. While I did not stay in one of the "top banana cabanas" (the ones over the water), mine was pleasant nonetheless with a nice view of the beach and a great reading porch.

Lastly, the best part of the trip were the activities--lest it sound like all I did was eat, drink and sleep by the water. There is a ship wreck a few hundred yards off from 9 Beaches which I explored with a 9 Beaches kayak equipped with a partial see-through bottom. The staff recommended I bring bread for the fish and watch the fish swim under my kayak and this was brilliant! Definitely a must do. Snorkeling was equally accessible as schools of assorted fish could be found amongst the rocks and reefs just off the beaches.

Overhaul I really enjoyed my stay at 9 Beaches (and in Bermuda in general). Definitely a good place to go for all, but maybe not ideal for the blazer and country club-minded folk.