You're choices are perhaps attempting to compare apples to oranges the Fairmont Southampton Hotel hotels (as opposed to the Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel) and Elbow Beach hotel are large, full-service, resort hotels. Cambridge Beaches is a smaller, more intimate, Bermuda '..cottage colony..' property and would compare with other similar properties and small hotels (The Reefs Hotel, Pomapno Beach Club, Horizons & Cottages, Ariel Sands, Pink Beach Club, etc).

So it depends on the sort of hotel services, amenities and ambience you want...and your expectations.

Of the two full-service hotels selected, my choice would be the Elbow Beach Hotel, which is more conveniently situated to downtown Hamilton and offers both the ambience of a large hotel as well as that of some '..cottage colonies..' with it's detached, multi-unit 'cottages' situated around its lushly landscaped grounds.

In so far as Cambridge Beaches is concerned, it is among the three or four best 'cottage colonies' / small hotels on Bermuda--along with The Reefs Hotel, Pompano Bech Club, Horizons & Cottages. Quantatively, there is little that separates these fine properties. The '..proop..' of their quality resides in the fact that each have amongst the highest '..multi-repeat-visit..' rates on Bermuda....past guests '..voting..' with their wallets.

Depends on what your lookin for..If your looking for secluded and more private, then cambridge Beaches..Which is pricy...but more luxury, and vey large (kind of like a hilton hotel) would be fairmont ...Elbow Beach is similar to Fairmont, but honestly does not get that many great reviews....You will see mixed reviews on Cambridge Beaches, but I absolutely loved it there..They seem to cater more to there upscale repeat crowd....It money is an issue with a cottage type place like Cambridge beaches, another great option is Pompano, Reefs, and Pink Beach Club..I think Pink Beach Club would be more like Cambridge beaches, and alittle more privacy...check out the websites, read the reviews, and try to get a feel for what you are looking for....good luck!

Thanks ladies! I usually do lean towards the bigger full service hotels but have heard great things about Cambridge. I agree the reviews on Elbow Beach worry me. Has anyone stayed recently? Thanks so much in advance!

nycgirl

you should check out the Reefs!!! You would not be dissapointed.

No, Have never been to Elbow....Are you considering going for a romantic time? or with friends? Cambridge Beaches is very romantic...We did the private beach dinner , which is amazing, and totally secluded and private from anyone..If you have any questions, let me know..I have also been to the Reefs, only for dinner, and did not enjoy the atmosphere as much as CB....The Reefs though is everyones #1 choice...It really depends on the person...

Thank you! Why does everyone prefer the reefs? Also, has anyone seen the new pool at cambridge beaches?

I have been to both CB and the Reefs but never to Elbow. I went to CB once because we could not get into the Reefs on late notice. I will be traveling to the Reefs next week for my 10th visit. I really can not say anything negative about Cambridge. The property is beautiful and the rooms were very nice. Although it is not centrally located it is very easy to get in and out of Hamilton and St. George by Ferry. Dockyard is very close to CB. The atmosphere at CB was alittle stuffy and they do seem to cater more to the repeat visitor. The atmosphere at the Reefs is more clubby and friendly. Alittle more relaxed and friendlier. My expierence while staying at one or the other is when you do the dine-around and visit the other properties-your reception is never what you get from where you are staying (did that come over right?) Therefor I never do the dine-around. It's always a dissapointment

Well, many love the Reefs and Pompano...Just for different personal reasons..The Reefs food is actually better then Pompano, but some may enjoy the smaller n\beach at Pompano better because you can walk really far out without the water getting deep ...depending on what is important to you, we can all try to help you make the best choice.....Let me know..

Very true!!

nycgirl....

I think what Bermuda said deserves consideration . What kind of vacation is this? personally, I think of Reefs/CB as being more of a "couples/romantic" type of resort. Although Pompano has many couples and honeymooners, I found when visiting on the din-around one evening many families/groups of friends visiting as well.

Elbow and Fairmont will have it's share of families, also. Cannot comment on Fairmont, but we drove through Elbow one day, and had lunch at Mickey's.....and both the grounds and the beach are gorgeous. That's only a small part, however, if the service and the rooms are not up to par....which is what I think most of the negative reviews of late reflect.

By the way, when selecting a honeymoon resort (we stayed at the Reefs).....we made a T-chart, of all the different properties on the island. We were rating service/beach/food as our main criteria....

We read all of the reviews of the main resorts on the island, and The Reefs just consistently came out ahead on all three criteria.

Also, one big feature for the Reefs that we loved, as that every room has a great view of the ocean.