We spent 5 days and 4 nights at 9 Beaches recently. It was unlike any other vacation we've had. On 2 previous trips to Bemuda, we stayed at conventional hotels: the Hamilton Princess and The Reefs.
9 Beaches is a laid-back resort where you stay in soft-sided cabanas - ours was on stilts hugging the rocky coast with the surf breaking directly below us. Admittedly, it was noisy at times, especially with the fierce wind and rain that dampened our time there. Next time, I'd book a cabana on terra firma. We found the accommodations suitable for our needs. However, there were some things that may need attention.
Plastic cups for beverages in the cabanas were not wrapped in plastic protective covering...not very hygienic.
At the main restaurant, Hi Tide, even though they serve a palate cleanser between courses, they do not have cloth napkins. Thought this a bit unusual. The addition of cloth napkins, not the flimsy paper ones, would enhace the dining experience in our estimation. Complimentary breakfast was nice and menu items for lunch and dinner were varied. Although after seeing the same selections during our stay, we were looking for something new to try at dinner. We had chosen to go "all inclusive", so all our meals were on property.
There was only one internet station available to guests who did not bring their own computers. At times, there was more than a 15 min. wait to get to use it - perhaps make another internet terminal available somewhere else on the property?
Even though there are no tvs in the cabanas (there is one in the main lobby area and another one in "The Den"), it would have been nice to have one in the cabana to satiate my tv-addicted husband.
A note about the concierge - he was not very knowledgeable......maybe new to the job??
All-in-all we would go back to 9 Beaches and I would also recommend it to someone who is looking for a unique experience.

First, let me begin by stating 9 Beaches is NOT a 5 star resort. There isn’t a spa; there isn’t a priceless art collection, it lacks a mammoth pool with water features, it doesn’t abut a tournament length golf course and it doesn’t have high end suites. If you’re looking for “luxury”, this probably isn’t the resort for you.

9 Beaches is, however, a uniquely comfortable and enjoyable, if perhaps a bit off the beaten path, resort that should appeal to the young and young at heart who are somewhat adventurous.

The resort is situated near Somerset Village, Sandy, at the tip of a small West End peninsula known locally as Daniel’s Head. The shoreline is comprised of numerous beaches (seemed like more than nine… didn’t stop to actually count), ranging in size from postage stamp, affording intimate privacy, to the larger and more social beaches on either side of the main resort buildings.

Although the resort's rooms/cabanas/upscale tents are a bit small and on the rustic side, they’re clean, comfortable and, due to the raised pole construction of sail cloth material stretched over an aluminum frame, very unique. Many are over or right on the waters edge and each has a great ocean view from the abundant windows and private deck, as well as easy and often adjacent beach access.

There are no TVs, stereos or CD players in the individual cabanas, but the resort does provide wireless internet access with adequate signal strength in most cabanas. The resort’s main building has a comfortable restaurant with interior and exterior seating, as well as a lounge area with satellite TV and internet connected computer for those who need to stay in touch with the world.

The resort is somewhat isolated, so offsite dinning and entertainment requires, at minimum, a 15-20 minute vehicle trip to The Dockyard, which is the closest commercial area with multiple dinning and entertainment options. Transportation is available from the resort by scheduled mini-bus service at $5.00 per person each way, or by taxi at approximately $12-14 each way. The center of commerce in Bermuda is the city of Hamilton, which can be accessed via a twenty minute ferry ride from The Dock Yard, for an $8.00 per person roundtrip fare.

A few cons. Limited dinning & entertainment onsite, less than attentive service in the restaurant, small hot water heaters allowing little more than a quick rinse, easily audible noise from adjacent cabanas (due to fabric construction), lack of a music source in the cabanas (presumably to limit audible noise from adjacent cabanas) and the occasional wafting aroma of the nearby dairy farm. Gym facility has been remodeled but only equipped with a few tread mills and a single multi-position strength machine... no free weights or dumbbells.

Major gripes. The weather in mid-April ’08 sucked (constant rain, low 70’s) which is no fault of the resort. The only other onsite restaurant and lounge wasn’t yet open for the season, which precluded live entertainment as advertised, and for which I do hold the resort accountable. Most island events and many activities don’t occur / open until May.

The pros. Affordable rates, clean and comfortable waterfront rooms. Casual, friendly and relaxing atmosphere. Friendly locals and staff. Resort provided pre-programmed cell phone. Beautiful white and pink sand beaches. A well stocked (if a bit pricey) grocery store within an easy ten minute walk of the resort. Less than a two hour flight from most of the U.S. east coast.

All in all, the 9 Beaches resort is well worth the very affordable rates, certainly when considering the beachfront location in Bermuda.

(Written at length on the third consecutive rainy day !) :-(

My wife stayed at 9 Beaches from April 6th to April 10th, 2008. First of all, the staff, like most Bermudians, were wonderful. Karat and Laurie at the front desk, they were great and very helpful. Shaine the bartender was a great guy, always ready with a joke and some great history of the island. Joseph the head chef, great guy and always making sure everything we ordered was right. We opted for the April mid-week special and chose the Aqua Vista cabana. We were happy to find out that we were treated to a free upgrade to Top Banana #59. Fantastic spot! Overlooking Daniel's Head Island and the wreck of the HMS Vixen right outside our door. We had the Paradise Pier to our right and nobody to our left. This is one of the best cabanas on the property. We were pretty far from the main area of the resort but we still had a full wireless internet signal, so we were able to upload photos to our website and download music and movies from itunes right in our room. The cabanas are great and have everything you need. If you’re complaining about these cabanas you’re the type of person that is never happy. There were some complainers there that were griping about the noise. We thought it was great, the sound of the ocean under your bed was the perfect way to sleep. The one day it rained we turned the heater on and listened to the rain hit the canvas walls and roof, it was great. The have clean beds, towels, full plumbing, plenty of hot water and electricity and the best view you could ever imagine. The cabanas are fantastic, don’t be a wimp, go enjoy.

We were disappointed by a couple things however. One, the Dark n' Stormy bar and grill was not open yet even though the weather would have permitted it. Very disappointing! We felt if that the resort is open, everything should be. Bummer.

Two, dinner was very good at Hi-Tide, I had the butter chicken which was great. My wife had the stuffed chicken breast but there was nothing in it. The chef said the goat cheese must have melted out when it was grilled, but offered nothing but that explanation. Oh well.

Three, they have happy hour from 4-7 PM and drinks were reasonably priced during that time, but we found out the next day that happy hour is only on Mondays. Hmmmm... We left scratching our heads on that one. EASY FIX: The rooms have mini-fridges, ice at the resort is free and Arnold’s market is only about 15 min. away in Somerset village. Go get a $20 bottle of Goslings and a 6 pack of Ginger Beer and save yourself a bundle.

9 Beaches is a wonderful resort, but could benefit from just a few simple tweaks. For example, it is a big piece of land, if they offered golf cart service from your cabana to the main lobby / restaurant area it would be great. They should also offer a shuttle to the end of the long road to get to the bus stop. There is a soccer field at the end of the road by the bus stop where local kids hang out and drink at night, a woman by herself walking by here could run into a potential problem. 9 Beaches should really offer their guests some way to bypass that when going to and coming back from town. We actually enjoyed the walk to the bus stop but not everyone would, the roads are dark and very narrow and dangerous.

TIP: Load up on the breakfast. There is tons of food and it is good. We ate breakfast late, got some cheese and crackers at the market for a mid-day snack and saved our money for dinner. It was the way to go.

TIP: Buy a multi-day bus pass. We had a 3-day pass and the bus drivers didn’t even punch it until day 2 of our trip, we got a full day and a half of free transportation. I think they work on the ferries too. You cannot go wrong, the buses are, fast, fun and clean.

Hey. One more thing that bugged me. If anyone tells you that the water is too cold in April, they are wrong, the water was in the mid-70's. We snorkeled for hours and had no problems. I went all the way out to the wreck and saw the giant rockfish that lives in the bow. He's a monster.

We (a family of four) have just retruned from 9 Beaches, which is everything they say it is on the tin; relaxing, friendly, efficient and stunningly beautiful. What really sets it apart though is the attitude of the staff who are all, without exception, wonderful. The cabanas (cabins) are perfectly adequete for a family of four, so long as you don't squabble, remember - the walls are canvas so you could be overheard by your next door neighbour if you are too noisy. All nine beaches are stunning and very clean as they are swept clean every day, the water sports are great and the marvellous "Chef Joe" presides over a good set of menu's that cater for most tastes. If you are looking for a kickedback, flipflop type of holiday you will go a long way to beat this.