During this trip I’ll covering the arrival flight and hotel, Val will be writing up the island as a destination, the activities, the food, and the flight home so keep an eye out for that.
After arriving into BDA and receiving our COVID tests we are required to take a Taxi to the hotel. We are also required to give our names to the driver for contact tracing purposes. The view from the Taxi gave us our first up close view of Bermuda’s beautiful blue water.
In This Trip
1: CLT-ATL-BDA Delta 717 First Class and Delta A319 Economy. International vacationing in the time of COVID.
2 :Grotto Bay Beach Resort Review. Hamilton Parish, Bermuda
2.1: Ocean View Room
2.2: Hotel Grounds
2.3: The Caves
2.4: Roosters and Hens
2.5: Final Thoughts
3 :Bermuda Vacation Activities. International vacationing in the time of COVID.
4 :Bermuda Public Transport. How it works and how to use it
5 : BDA-ATL-CLT Delta A319 and 717 Economy Review. Pre-clearance arrival into the US during COVID.
After our short cab ride we arrived at Grotto Bay. The lobby is cozy and quiet these days.
Ocean View Room
After check in and an explanation of the quarantine rules we headed for our room. Knowing that we might have to spend up to 24 hours here, I opted to pay a few extra dollars for a ocean view balcony room.
The king bed was comfortable and the room was very clean.
Standard hotel things here. Nice and updated.
Lots of outlets near the bed, both 110v and USB.
Mini fridge that came in handy for leftovers, beverages, and breakfasts.
Very clean bathroom. This hotel is obviously an older building but has been well updated and then maintained.
The luggage rack that seems to come with all hotel rooms. Seriously, does anyone ever really sit in these chairs?
Lovely air conditioning. Bermuda is hot, even in September, a nice simple thermostat is perfect for the climate.
And our welcome gift was much enjoyed. We also grabbed a bottle of Goslings in the duty free shop on arrival. We though we had 24 hours of isolation ahead of us. Lucky for us, we received our negative results before we went to bed. We were test at 4pm and received full PCR results 6 hours later, Bermuda is putting on a clinic on how to reopen and handle COVID.
Hotel Grounds
This hotel is beautiful the part of the island is very interesting geologically, but we’ll get to that soon enough.
Beautiful view of the harbor within the bay.
Lots of individual buildings, most with an ocean view. This hotel is perched up on a hill giving a fantastic view for most rooms.
I really like these hand painted tile signs that show you around the grounds.
The central area of the hotel. Just beyond the pool is the beach. While small, it’s a nice protected area to go swim.
The floating play area is way too much fun, even when you’re 30.
The Caves
Just behind the pool, there is an entrance to the caves.
Once inside, it’s nice and cool in stark contrast with the hot and humid day.
This freshwater pool is perfectly clear but very cold. You are allowed to swim, but we didn’t partake.
It’s no Mammoth Caves, but it’s a cool little place to visit within the hotel.
Roosters and Hens
Throughout the area there are chickens. The mornings are loudly announced by them. Apparently they are a bit of a nuisance and should not be fed.
Final Thoughts
This hotel was exactly what we needed. All of the staff were exceedingly friendly. The location isn’t in town so you’ll need transport via scooter, electric car, bus, or taxi to see much of the island, but that’s another article.
I would absolutely recommend this hotel for anyone visiting Bermuda. I cannot wait to come back.