We read many reviews before embarking on our first visit to Bermuda and the tips given were of great value. The hilly terrain would be something of a challenge to many. Food at the resort is average and expensive. Our tips for you: If you are staying for 2 weeks and will be using the excellent bus system, opt for the 1 month bus ticket. The resort didn't sell 1 month tickets and we could have save ourselves $70. Pay for your first bus trip then purchase your ticket in Hamilton. The Shell garage a must, that too will save you a fortune. The slow Noddy train around St Georges was a rip off. The video shown at the World Heritage Visitors Centre, Penno's Wharf, is more informative and interesting. We visited most of the historical sites on the island and attended the first night of the Re-enactment at St Catherine's Fort. The island has definietely done a great job in promoting their 400th anniversary. We enjoyed meals at Bolero, Harbourfront, The Carriage House, Tavern by the Sea, Rustico, Cafe 4 and especially Greg's steak house. The Chef, Colin, must be the only Nottingham Forest FC fan on the island, so take him some memorability! All in all we had a great time but would not stay at Grotto again.

I just wanted to say that Indygirl174 gave a thorough and truly honest review. Read hers first if you haven't.

I just came back from 4 nights/5 days at the hotel and I had a wonderful time. I had read some comments about the airport and had concerns about it being so close. It really was a non issue and came in handy when we had to rush to the airport. The roosters were somewhat of a pain at times, but they could be ignored if you tried. Entertainment at the resort was a little slow and my wife complained a bit because she likes music and dancing any time of the day!. Even when they provided some entertainment, the guests didn't really stick around very late. Now I see why they didn't provide too much of that. The guests were more laid back and didn't seem to want to stay up too late anyway.

All inclusive is the way to go at this resort. You will save money in the end. It also comes with bus and ferry passes, which is a great way to get around the island. Buses run very frequently. All the staff personnel were great and had a great attitude. I guess you can run into a bad apple or two or someone having a bad day During my stay, they were all great and we tipped them extra in the very end.

The mixed reviews made us hesitate about this hotel. However we found the hotel to be worth every star. In my opinion it is a 4 star.

Closeness to the airport is not an issue re noise, but it certainly is handy for arriving and departing. TIP:- if you arrive early in the day (before noon) your room will likely not be ready. Check in is 3pm. SO, make sure you have your beach attire handy because the hotel does provide change facilities for just such a purpose.

The bus pass is indeed the best way to get around. We bought a three day for $28.00 but felt we got value out of it even though we only used it two days. The pass can be obtained at the desk.

The room was apparently a deluxe or refurb room. We were down on the same level as the pool area which was convenient, even though we had a bit of a climb for breakfast. Rooms are in separate buildings as you can see from the hotel website. We had a great view of the bay. The tiled floors always cause a problem in any hotel because of inconsiderate lodgers who decide to re-arrange furniture every evening. The hotel is not responsible for this. Ask for a higher (top floor) room if this would bother you.

The resort is hilly, but it seemed to me that if steps were a problem there was always another gentler path to climb to the restaurant area in the main building. The pool area is next to a bar and fast-food restaurant. If you are in a room "up top", try to remember all you will need before going down to the pool area (and ocean) The "ocean" is very calm and is a bay rather than crashing waves...

A dive shop is feet away if you scuba. The pool area was very relaxing with NO blaring boom-boom music. It was quite a wonderful break for four days.

Food and drink are expensive anywhere in Bermuda, and Grotto Bay is no exception. We had an all inclusive plan, and it is to be recommended. $20.00 for a beer and white wine spritzer with tip, is a bit heavy for me...so I was glad of the AI plan. All food was excellent. The restaurants were first rate in my opinion and we did not have a bad meal. The only bad meal was a very expensive one off the hotel site for a significant birthday!!!

Yes. we shall return to this hotel.

My husband and I stayed at Grotto Bay for a six-night anniversary get-away last week. I read many reviews (on tripadvisor as well as other sites) and felt like I had a pretty good idea of what to expect at this hotel. The rating on Expedia is 3.5 stars and that's pretty much what you get. So set your expectations and you won't be disappointed. We found it quite nice and comfortable but to be honest, if you're looking for a lavish 5 star hotel, this is not the place for you.

If you're still with me, here are some points, I think, worth making:

- The location is nice. Just a few minutes from the airport and as most have said on here, this is not an issue at all. I swear, you'll barely notice it. Decent beach area. Yes, it's a bit small but never seemed too crowded. Nice little shipwreck area to snorkle. Pool was adequate also. Kind of busy on the weekend but not at all through the week. If you're looking to stay closer to a lot of restaurants and shopping, I'd recommend staying somewhere in Hamilton.

- We did not take advantage of the all-inclusive plan and food/drinks at the hotel are very expensive. I'd say AI is probably worth it if you plan to spend most of your time at the resort . . . however if you want to get out and take some trips to St. George's, Hamilton, etc., as we did, you'll need to decide if it's worth the extra money. Just to give you an example, when we arrived and went to the pool bar while waiting for our room to be ready, my husband and I both had a mixed drink and shared an appetizer (four tiny spring rolls) and it was around $25 bucks (gratuity is always added in as well, keep in mind).

- Food at the resort . . . we only ate a couple breakfasts there, one snack, a pizza one night that we wanted to stay in and one dinner so I probably can't give a truly accurate review. What we had was just OK. Had a pretty bad experience with service the one night we ate at the Palm restaurant (confusion over which server had our table meant we waited for more than a half hour to even put in our order) but I will say, even without complaining, they comped our drinks so that was nice. Since we didn't have the AI plan, we went to many restaurants including Hog Penny, Bolero, The Swizzle Inn, The George & Dragon and Harbourfront, all of which had great food. Highly recommend Harbourfront, weeknights sushi happy hour from 5 - 6:30 . . . nice sushi menu and everything is $5.95, including glasses of wine! Another tip I had read on here, walk over to the Shell station to grab some cereal for breakfast or a sandwich and chips for lunch. I know, you really wouldn't list a Shell station as a hot spot to eat on vacation, but trust me, if you want a quick lunch at the pool, compare (for two people) $15 bucks to $40 and it'll do just fine.

- Get a bus pass. We wanted a two-day pass which for some reason, they didn't sell that specific one at the front desk (they sell others), but we got coins for a one-way trip to St. George's and bought the passes there. $20 bucks a person for a two-day pass and we found it well worth it. And actually, a driver didn't punch our passes until our second day so we ended up with them being valid for a third day.

- Overall, we found the staff to be friendly and helpful. Only one run in with the towel guy who seemed compelled to confront us (and was quite rude) about taking some chairs that had folded towels on them. Now I get why people try to "save" seats but if you're going to try to hold a chair for an entire day and never use it, sorry, I'm going to take your seat. The people next to the "saved" chairs encouraged us to take the seats, saying they'd been there for several hours and no one had been at those chairs. We were there for another two hours and no one ever came by to claim them. Why the towel guy felt like he had to say something to us irritated me, especially since it ended up being a non-issue.

- Rooms were fine. Going back to the 3.5 star rating, pretty much what I expected. Clean and comfortable enough. A small complaint that the volume button didn't work on the remote. Bathrooms must have been renovated as they seemed a little more modern than the rest of the room. Only strange thing is that there's only half a glass shower door and the nozzel wouldn't adjust so lots of water deflected out onto the floor. We just put an extra towel on the other side of the tub and that soaked most of it up.

- The hotel has lots of steps to and from rooms and the pool/beach. Didn't bother us but something to think about if you or someone you're traveling with might have difficulties getting around.

- Couldn't get a late check-out which was a bummer. Had to be out at 11:00 (even though Expedia said noon) and transportation didn't come for us until 1:45 so we had to sit in the lobby for a few hours and wait. I will say, they'll watch your luggage for you and it was quite safe there so if you want to run around the hotel or walk somewhere to eat, that's not an issue.

- Last note worth mentioning, not related to the hotel, I only used my debit card on the island a few times (we used mostly cash), but I was charged an international fee, ranging from $1.99 to $3.99 per transaction. I'm not sure if that's just my bank or if that's typical of all . . .

Overall, we had a very nice stay at Grotto Bay. It's not a huge resort and that's part of why we chose Bermuda and Grotto Bay. While there are certainly more ammenities (and luxeries) at large resorts in Jamaica, Mexico, etc., for this trip we wanted a place that was kind of quiet and that's what we got here. Bermuda is a beautiful and very safe place to visit. And coming from Indiana, a pretty quick trip as well. Bottom line, we'd stay there again.