This was our very first visit to Bermuda, so we wanted a place that would allow us a central location to walk around and take in all that Hamilton...and the rest of Bermuda has to offer. Our visit was from Nov 1 -4th,2012.

We really got the best view in the hotel, room 220 at the very end of the "Poinciana" Wing.... magnificent waterfront suite , with THREE balconies and the waters of Hamilton Harbour a few feet away. It was great to leave the patio doors open and hear the gentle lapping of the waves against the seawall ...plus the strong winds of the water as well.

Location wise the hotel is right on the very edge of the busiest part of downtown, you can walk to everything ( which we did) and yet it still quiet enough and has the beautiful gardens to make you feel you are in the countryside. It's about a five to ten minute walk to great pubs like the "Hog Penny" ( our fav) , and all the other great shops and restaurants along Front St.

The hotel has 2 pools ( one fresh water and quiet warm ...could have even been heated...and one salt water which definitely was NOT heated!) The pools both have very deep ends 11 ft , so watch your kids while they swim. there is also a putting green , and some of the biggest coy fish in the gardens ponds.

The hotel DOES NOT have a beach ( nor does anyone else on Hamilton harbour) but guest do have free access to the private beach club at the Fairmont Southampton which is the Princess's sister hotel on the western end of the island. We took our rented mopeds there ( approx. 45 minutes leisurely ride) , showed our rooms keys to the attendants and received free beach towels and access to the private beach. We even charged our lunch there to our room back in Hamilton, staff were very friendly and glad to have us there. There is also a regularly scheduled free ferry service that leaves from the Princess and take you to the Southampton as well...great way to get some time on the water ( about 25 minutes ) Be sure to confirm the return time with the ferry captain...you miss the last opne at 6:30pm its a $45 cab ride back to Hamilton.

Room amenities are very nice for an older hotel ( the TV are still CRT 's with a decent choice of channels...but who goes to Bermuda to watch TV eh?) Complimentary Keurig coffee maker is a nice touch.

We dined out every meal so no reviews on the restaurants, but keep in mind that ALL restaurants and bars automatically add a 15%-17% gratuity to your bill. ( but there NO TAX so who can argue with that ) Things are generally about 20% more than in Canada, great deals on Goslings rum at Duty Free ...$13 a bottle!

Staff are always happy to see you. If you want to mail some postcards the Front Desk will not only post them for you, but they even include the postage stamp which is a very nice touch. The Gift Shop in the hotel surprisingly had the BEST prices for postcards (60 cents) and souvenir fridge magnets ( $3), snacks and sodas were about the same price as the local supermarkets we found, not the usual high prices you'd expect in the lobby gift shop.

We accompanied our elderly parents to Bermuda to visit our son and his wife. On an earlier visit this summer, I had searched for accommodations in Hamilton with elevators and full air conditioning and decided my family required the Fairmont. The hotel prices were high but Bermuda is simple expensive. The Fairmont Gold was ideal for my elderly parents – and perfect for us too. The fabulous gold lounge was reminiscent of the elegance of days gone by. Included is a delicious buffet breakfast (fruits, pastry, and always a few hot items including yummy eggs Benedict), high tea with sweets (even the scones and clotted cream) and in the evening an honor bar & hot and cold appetizers. Teas, coffee's (latte etc) and cold drinks were always available. The quality of food was excellent. The Gold staff provided exceptional friendly, professional service. I loved it as you can tell.

I am NOT a fan of the large hotel nor of Fairmonts in general. But I will be returning to the Hamilton Princess. We booked the Hamilton Princess because of the price. But every single member of the staff went out of their way to see that things went smoothly. Even though we officially had a non-cancelable reservation, when Hurricane Sandy prevented a timely arrival, our changed arrangements were handled calmly and very fairly. We had a delivery not show up, the staff took the problem in hand. We splurged on one meal in the restaurant. The service was fabulous (food too.)

The location is great. You can safely walk (not all Bermuda roads have sidewalks or even berms) to many restaurants and other Hamilton locations. The bus stop and ferry terminal are not far.

Our room was on the fifth floor of the main building with a very nice balcony. View of the harbor. Only downside of these rooms were the acoustics. You could hear every word on the patio below, we were not able to sleep with the door open even though the nights were mild.

Air conditioning was great. The fan ran constantly, (and relatively quietly) so we got good sleep.

Room was a bit shabby, but clean and just fine for the price. We will go back.

We had a great stay at the Fairmont Hamilton. Enjoyed the location - easy walk into town for the restaurants and bars in the evening. Ferry to Southampton property was easy to use, and well worth the trip. The beach there was beautiful and could access Horseshoe Bay as well. Would strongly consider staying here again on the next trip to Bermuda.