Casual dining

Another thing that I realised while playing tourist last week is that Bermuda doesn't have many places to go for a fancy meal after a day of sightseeing in shorts and T-shirt.

On my cousin's last night in Bermuda, we found ourselves up at Dockyard wanting to go somewhere special for dinner. We could have driven back to St. George's to change, but we wanted to stay in the West End as we were thinking of going to the Gombey Carnival Beach Fete at Horseshoe Bay afterwards.

First we tried making a reservation at Coconuts. When we told them what we were wearing, however, we were politely informed that that wouldn't be appropriate.

That's fair enough. When I go out to a posh restaurant I normally smarten myself up first, and like my fellow diners to have done likewise. But after a day of sightseeing, when your hotel (or in our case, house) is at the opposite end of the Island, that really cuts down your options.

So kudos to Bermuda's newest resort, 9 Beaches, whose slogan "flip flops required" had stuck in my mind from their advertising earlier this year. Having noticed the sign to the resort as we drove to Dockyard earlier that afternoon, we decided to stop by to see if they had an upmarket restaurant and if their dress policy was really as relaxed as they claimed it was.

They did, and it was. We had an excellent meal with friendly service on the veranda of their "Hi Tide" restaurant and our attire wasn't a problem at all.

In light of this, it was a shame to learn that the resort is struggling with financial difficulties. Hopefully they'll find a way to stay afloat.

Comments

[Triforce on 19.09.05 at 10:10]

I also visited Hi Tide over the weekend, and everything was first-rate. Food, ambience, service... except for a strangely enormous moth hovering around at times ^_^.

To the point of your article, I guess the problem is that if you want a fancy meal they want you to get a little fancy yourself, otherwise dinner will have to be at a less glamorous location.

[Slowhand on 19.09.05 at 10:22]

I have a birthday coming up, and have decided to take advantage of the $199.00 deal they have at the Resort... 1 nights stay, dinner and Breakfast included.... I'm looking forward to it.

[loki on 19.09.05 at 10:30]

Yes, the restaurant has picked up very nicely after the previous restaurant, 'Daniels', which was part of the former eco-village. Not an extensive menu, by any means, but very good and interesting food. When we went, there was a live band, which I thought detracted from the charm of the restaurant somewhat (one of the things that I enjoyed so much about 'Daniels' was that the setting was so quiet and relaxing that you actually caught yourself chatting to your dining companion via whisper).

[ace on 19.09.05 at 10:39]

Well...they should stick to the restaurant business and get the heck out of the hotel business.

I've had two clients stay up there...the first when it was Daniel's Head and more recently a client who stayed at Nine Beaches.

Let's just say the reports on the rooms were not favourable. Paper thin walls, no air conditioning and proximity to other rooms were the biggest complaints.

These clients did enjoy Elbow Beach though...that is where they both went after the first night in the Eco-nightmare in the west end.

[Two Cents on 19.09.05 at 10:55]

Ace,

Although I sympathise with your clients, most of the complaints I hear from "former" guests at 9 Beaches are from people who book at the hotel knowing that it's a casual, more laid back hotel, and arrive expecting the "Elbow Beach / South P" experience.

I can't really see why one would book casual ($250-$300/night) and expect "up market" ($450-$550/night).

This may not be the case with your clients, but I just wanted to point out my experiences with "complaints" RE Hotels.

[Bermuda 4u on 19.09.05 at 10:56]

The report in the RG states that 9 Beaches spent a staggering $8 million on marketing the resort. I have no idea what proportion of this was spent on internet advertising but I suspect it was a significant proportion.

Earlier in the year, they were HEAVILY involved in Google’s Adsense program. These are the sponsored links that appear at the side of the regular Google search results. Basically every time a user clicks on one of these links, the advertiser pays Google. For hotel and travel related searches this is typically $1 to $3 per click. Google’s Adsense program allows sites that don’t appear in the ‘natural’ search results to appear alongside these, although as stated, there is a significant price to pay.

My site (www.bermuda4u.com) appears ranks #5 for both searches on Google for ‘bermuda hotel’ and ‘bermuda hotels’. These are great rankings for extremely competitive and popular search terms. It seems strange therefore that they didn’t even approach me to obtain a FREE top 5 listing for a Google search position they were clearly targeting and paying a hefty price for.

I’m not pretending for 1 minute that a listing on my site would have saved them from the perilous financial position they appear to have found themselves in. But for the time it would have taken to write a short profile and submit it to me, it wouldn’t have done any harm.

David

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 19.09.05 at 11:29]

Bermuda 4U they probably didnt know about your site.Send David Doddwell an e-mail at the Reefs and hip him up Later da ^..^

[ace on 19.09.05 at 11:42]

"Although I sympathise with your clients, most of the complaints I hear from "former" guests at 9 Beaches are from people who book at the hotel knowing that it's a casual, more laid back hotel, and arrive expecting the "Elbow Beach / South P" experience.

I can't really see why one would book casual ($250-$300/night) and expect "up market" ($450-$550/night)."

I appreciate what you are saying BUT most people who see a $250-$300 rate expect some level of creature comforts. The reports I heard were that the rooms were more like tents than hotel rooms.

I think the reports of financial difficulties are directly related to the poor accomadations they have there. I could be wrong.

I recently paid $89.99/night for a Best Western in Toronto. Indoor pool, gym, big room with two double beds, restaurant, air conditioning, free TV, pay per view movies available that are still in the theatres....etc etc etc. Imagine what $250-300 would have gotten me?

Gimme a BW anyday over 9 Beaches.

Oh...and another thought for the day...9 Beaches sits right on top of some of the largest sea grass beds in Bermuda. They have already destroyed a whole bunch of the grass when they built those abortions on the water...and continue to endanger the fragile eco-system up there. It is about as Eco a resort as the former baselands IMHO.

[newbee on 19.09.05 at 12:28]

I tried to organize an event at 9-beaches - with food, drinks, and activities - and had the horrible experience of dealing with their staff. To start off, the "event organizer" told me they didn't want my business - so I worked around her. Then they tried to sell me food at individual prices. eg: $15 for salad per person. When you have 30 people – that’s $450 for one big bowl of salad!! They wouldn’t return phone calls. When I had a question they would pass me on to someone else who then wouldn’t return phone calls… and would eventually tell you to ask the first person I talked to. The only competent people I spoke to were the staff at the SurfShack.

[Bermuda 4u on 19.09.05 at 13:22]

Big Bad Wolf

2,500 people find my site through Google searches every day. If somebody is involved in Bermuda tourism and aren't aware of it, then frankly they need their head examining.

Furthermore, if someone is prepared to PAY to appear alongside the top 10 results for searches for 'Bermuda hotels' and 'Bermuda hotel' when there is a FREE option to list on the site that appears at number 5, then frankly I'm bewildered.

If they're paying for the Google Adsense listings, you'd think they'd have a look at what was in the ordinary listings. Wouldn't you? Or is that just too obvious?

[Triforce on 19.09.05 at 13:38]

The only bad thing about my visit to 9 Beaches was making the actual reservation. I dialled the number on the website to reach the restaurant, was told that it was the number for something else, was given the correct number, however on dialling that I was transferred TWICE and then had to repeat my request to no less than four people. So that's a strike against the hotel itself. Sorry for the additional off-topic bit there.

[The Limey on 19.09.05 at 13:45]

ace

I don't think it's fair to compare the price of 9 Beaches to a chain hotel in Toronto. Bermuda is always going to be more expensive for all the usual reasons of high labour costs, economies of scale etc etc.

[ace on 19.09.05 at 14:03]

I wasn't trying to be fair Phil, just pointing out that $250-300 for anyone is alot of money, especially when you get so much for comparatively low price in a big chain hotel elsewhere. It is only in places like Bermuda, or some large cities like London, New York etc. that you get the bottom of the barrell for that kind of rate.

[Adjustah on 19.09.05 at 14:15]

The missus and I took advantage of the 9 Beaches overnight dinner special that they were running and had a fantastic time. It's worth it just for the meal alone - the restaurant was top shelf.

The only problem was a complete and utter lack of AC which wasn't too bad as we went before the real summer heat, but it was noticeable. If you're looking for a five star hotel experience, keep moving, but if you want the best camping out ever, give it a try. As I said, it's worth it for the restaurant alone.

[ace on 19.09.05 at 14:25]

Fair enough...I go back to my original post, stay in the restaurant business but get the heck out of the hotel business.

Personal question here, so you don't have to answer, but was there any hanky panky going on when you stayed there overnight Adjustah? I only ask because one of my clients mentioned that he could hear people roll over in the next cabin and was afraid to use the toliet at night fearing people would hear the "plops". If there was hanky panky you gave everyone an earful around you.

lol

;-)

[Adjustah on 19.09.05 at 14:36]

Ace,

Yeah, I have to admit, you could hear a flea fart from clear across the complex. Somewhat amusing, in a university dorm sort of way.

Also, there were some severe Austin Powers moments with the shadows cast on the inside of the canvas. Camp Cup Match, indeed! We kept the lights off that night rather than risk playing shadow puppets!

[ace on 19.09.05 at 14:52]

LOL!!!!

I rest my case.

:-)

[preppy on 19.09.05 at 16:32]

are you only talking about the two ends of the island? because there are tons of places for casual dining in town. the pickled onion is laid back, reasonably priced, great atmosphere and service and the only dress code is shirt and shoes. other great places are hog penny and flannagins. and in dockyard, there is also a restraunt called pirate's landing. there are tons of options, just ask around!

[The Limey on 19.09.05 at 17:43]

preppy

Pickled Onion, Hogpenny et al are great. I was talking about smart restaurants where you can go dressed casual.

[Philip Barnett on 19.09.05 at 18:09]

Phil,

Barracuda Grill dress code is encouraged as "smart casual", but as long as you are not wearing beach wear (i.e. swim shorts and tank-tops), we have happily served many guests in t-shirts and shorts.

You would have been very welcome.

Phil Barnett

[Big Bad Wolf ^..^ on 19.09.05 at 18:37]

Re 9 Beaches ..Yes the show starts every night with honeymoon couples getting on.It can even inspire other older married couples to nights of passion.It is a real challenge for the hotel, the tents can be very hot from about July to October. I think they are trying to do a redesign of the units so that they can be insulated and air conditioned.Yes puppets indeed if you leave the lights on at night.Still if your not going to 9Beaches to give a command performance it can be a great deal of fun.It certainly is not a conventional hotel experience but that would be why you would go...you luxury lot that desire all the modern cons...I suggest you give it a miss but do visit the resturant.

[The Limey on 19.09.05 at 18:39]

Thanks Phil, I wouldn't have expected that at all. Will bear it in mind for the future.

[Greta on 20.09.05 at 13:48]

You want great food, without the chichi surroundings? SOMERSET COUNTRY SQUIRE.