Monday, January 21, 2013

Apr 2012 - Newstead Belmont Review

Hotel Stay Details 
Hotel: Newstead Belmont Hills 
Dates: April 6-8, 2012 
Rate Paid: $276/night 
Regular Rate: $468/night 
Total $ Savings: $384
Points Earned:  0 pts 

As I mentioned last time, thanks to reading TripAdvisor, we found out that Newstead Belmont ran sales on Vacationist.com so we saved a few hundred dollars on a 2 night Easter weekend trip. I don't really understand the concept of money yet, but my mother tells me it means I can have more toys and clothes, so I'm all for it.


The shuttle from the airport was included so we found our ride (CEO Transportation) as soon as we walked outside the BDA Airport and waited for the rest of the group while I was getting strapped into my car seat. The ride only took about 20 minutes to the resort and went through all the lush forest and farmland on the island. Location wise, Newstead Belmont (B on the map) is located in the middle of Bermuda across the bay from the main town of Hamilton so ideally situated to access all the parts of the island.  Their golf course in located nearby (A on the map) but we didn't really go there.




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My father reserved a large 1 bedroom which was TONS of space for our family of 3 - especially when compared to our 1 bedroom apartment in Manhattan. The furniture was "island chic" but not in a gaudy way like you'd find in the Caribbean. I didn't get to enjoy the king sized bed, but my parents were pretty happy with all the space.  Luckily for me, the hotel had a crib available (with bumpers) - otherwise, I'ms sure I'd be sleeping on the floor or the bathtub.  Best of all we had a large balcony overlooking the bay from both the bedroom and the living room.





And how can I forget the spacious bathroom?  My mother loved that it came with a Jacuzzi and separate stand up shower.  Unlike some hotels my father takes us to, this bathroom was immaculately clean and very well kept.  The finishes were very modern and appropriate for a high end hotel.




And finally, since Newstead Belmont is more of a condo complex than a hotel, we had access to a full kitchen (stocked with plates, silverware, etc).  We ate out at restaurants half the time, but also stopped by the grocery store in Hamilton to pick up things to cook for lunch and breakfast on other days. We love eating out but my parents find it really hard to justify so much $ for basic breakfast eggs or lunch salads etc. But since I came along on their weekend getaway, having a kitchen available was a great benefit that a regular hotel room couldn't provide.





The rest of the resort was very clean and the multiple balconies were great for us to all sit outside at night where my parents drank the complimentary white wine they got at check in. It was too cold to swim in the pool (only 72 degrees in early April), but it looked beautiful. We took advantage of the free ferry to Hamilton on Saturday morning (it wasn't running on Good Friday or Easter Sunday).



The hotel service was very accommodating. They found me a babysitter within 1 morning's notice ($23 for the first hour, then $15/each additional hour). My parents took the hotel's recommendation for a place to rent a motor scooter and spent the afternoon driving up the scenic route to St. George and back while I hung back and chilled with my Bermudian sitter.  More about that in a future post.


Did I mention I loved the balconies?




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