We had the pleasure of staying at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda. This resort is one you can spend your entire vacation at and not get bored. However, we chose Bermuda because we wanted to get out and sightsee a little. We did spend at least 3 full days of our week-long vacation completely at the resort.
What drew us to this hotel in particular was the size of the rooms and that all rooms have a water view. We did not want to travel to Bermuda and have a garden view. Traveling with a toddler, we spend a lot more time in our room than ever before because of his naps. Therefore, having a nice view is important!
Our Room at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda
We waited until within 2 months before our trip to book and there was only one type of room available for our party of 3. There are several other options for families or large parties but they were all booked. Our room was the Reimagined Deluxe Water View Room and the pictures on the website do not do it justice. We were blown away when we opened the door and saw the space.
You walk in to a foyer that has a bench, table, and hooks to hang jackets and hats. This was a great space for us to leave the stroller and car seat without taking away from the living space.
The Closet
The closet was huge. It houses a vanity table, built ins with drawers, a hanging area, a full size ironing board, and safe. We did hang some clothes in here and use some drawers. However, the main function of the closet for us was a place to put the hotel provided pack n play out of the way. There is only one window in the closet so it stayed pretty dark at night while he slept. There is not a door on the closet but we brought his sound machine. This enabled us to talk and watch TV on our laptop while he slept.
The Bathroom
The bathroom is also very large featuring a double vanity, a Jacuzzi tub, shower, and a separate room with the toilet. Bath amenities are full size Molton and Brown bottles and we did not use even half of any of them during our week there.
Main Living Area
The main living area offers a king size bed, a mini fridge, more shelves for storage, a Nespresso machine, a table and chairs for eating. There is also a table with a bucket that housekeeping refilled with fresh ice daily, a pitcher for mixing drinks, and a wine/bottle opener.
Outdoor Space
My favorite part of the room was the balcony. It offers two lounge chairs and a table and chairs for dining outside. Every afternoon while JL napped I went out to the balcony to enjoy the view while I read or listened to a podcast. It was so nice to be able to enjoy Bermuda while he was napping and not be stuck inside.
Dining at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda
Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda offers 4 different restaurants on site with a variety of menu items. We tried all the restaurants during our stay and enjoyed every one of them. High chairs are available at all of the hotel restaurants.
Breezes
Breezes is my favorite restaurant at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda. As the name implies, you can enjoy the ocean breezes as you sit outdoors right on the water under the covered patio. I also enjoyed the variety of their menu offerings, the starters, entrees, desserts, and mocktails. Breezes offers a kid’s menu and JL enjoyed the kid’s fish and chips.
Breezes is only open from 12-3pm for lunch in early April but I read that they begin serving dinner in late April.
Pastel
Pastel is the restaurant by the outdoor pool and is probably where we dined the most because they were open from noon to 5pm. Most of the room service items are also on their menu and we had room service for dinner several times. They have some covered tables and chairs by the bar in addition to tables in the sun or under umbrellas.
Shoreline
Shoreline is the breakfast restaurant open from 8am-1015. Be sure to check in with the hostess, it is not a seat yourself hotel breakfast.
Sunken Harbor Club
Sunken Harbor Club is the dinner restaurant and reservations are required. The dress code is resort casual but I definitely felt like people were dressed up. Meaning, I would not be comfortable showing up in a swimsuit and coverup like the restaurants listed above.
Dining Schedules at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda
My biggest complaint about the resort was the timing of the restaurants serving food. It is definitely a complaint unique to our situation and schedule and would not deter me from staying there again. It is something to consider thought if you are traveling with kids and want to stay on a certain schedule. Our stay was before peak season so that was also a factor in timing.
Breakfast
They serve coffee and tea in the lobby from 7-8am for those who want something more than the Nespresso in the room. Breakfast is served from 8am-1015am which is fine. JL typically wakes up between 6 and 7 so we could just feed him a snack in the room before breakfast.
Lunch
The big issue for us was none of the restaurants start serving lunch until noon which is typically when JL goes to sleep. So we either had to give him a snack and put him down early then eat lunch when he woke up. Or go eat at noon and put him down for a late for nap time which cut into our afternoon. The other thing we did some days was feed him a snack and pick up something to go from the restaurant while someone stays in the room with him. I recognize this situation is unique to us but we find everyone is happier when we keep him on a certain schedule.
Afternoon Tea
Afternoon tea is available in the lobby building. We never went to this due to our meal schedule but I am sure it is great like all the food at Cambridge Beaches.
Dinner
Dinner was also a little tricky for us. We typically eat early at 5pm. Pastel, the restaurant by the pool stopped serving food at 5pm. Sunken Harbor Bar does bar snacks starting at 4pm. We went there for dinner one night but it is a small menu so we opted not to do that multiple days.
The Sunken Harbor Restaurant starts serving dinner at 6pm which we did one night. However the big conflict with this is the indoor heated pool is for guest 13 years old and older until 6pm. After 6pm, the indoor pool is family friendly and open to all ages. Since it was too chilly to get in the outdoor pool in our opinion, we enjoyed taking JL to the indoor pool at night. Most nights we ordered room service so we could have dinner when we wanted and still take JL to the pool.
Pools at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda
There are 2 pool areas at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda.
The indoor heated pool I mentioned above is in the same building as the spa which is why young children are not allowed until after 6pm. This is the time the spa closes. Understandably, they want it to be quiet and relaxing for guests enjoying the spa services. There is also a hot tub in this same building.
The outdoor pool features several levels of pools including an infinity pool and a smaller pool that is only 3 ft deep. This pool area is adjacent to a beach so you can easily hop between the two areas depending on your preference. There is an umbrella to every 2 lounge chairs so you can be fairly certain you will be able to get shade if you desire it. We were there before peak season so there were always chairs available but obviously this may be different in peak months.
The restaurant, Pastel, is poolside if you want to order food or drinks. While we were there they did not have servers going to those on the beach but the bartender said they do this in peak season.
Beaches at Cambridge Beaches Resort in Bermuda
There are 3 beach areas open to all at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda. There is one adults only beach, Turtle Cove Beach, that I only saw from the water during our boat ride. I cannot speak to my experience on that beach since I did not visit because JL was with us. As we drove by, it did look like people obeyed the rules and did not take children on the beach.
Long Bay Beach
In my opinion the best beach at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda is Long Bay Beach that is adjacent to Breezes restaurant. There is a long stretch of beach. There are lounge chairs as well as beach chairs if you prefer to sit with your feet in the sand or water. They also have tables every 2 or 3 chairs for you to keep your drinks while on the beach. The water there is calm and shallow so you can walk out at least 30 feet with the water up to your calves and still see the bottom. I get nervous about jellyfish, sting rays, and sharks so I really enjoyed the visibility. I saw a baby sea turtle swimming at this beach which was one of the highlights of the trip.
Morning Beach
Morning Beach is adjacent to Pastel and the outdoor pool located on Mangrove Bay. It is a much smaller beach area than Long Bay Beach. The water here is also clear and calm but I imagine it is much harder to get a chair here during peak season since it is smaller. It does have the benefit of being by the pool if some people in your party prefer to dip in the pool rather than the ocean. Pastel also has longer hours depending on the season than Breezes which may also draw you to this beach.
Pegem Beach
Pegem Beach is also on Mangrove Bay but does not attach to the poolside beach. It is the least busy because of its location not being at a restaurant. So if you want to relax somewhere quiet this is probably your go to beach even if you have kids. Our room was right above this beach and I imagine it is mostly utilized by people staying on that side of the resort that do not desire an accessible bar or restaurant.
H2O Sports
H2O Sports is at Cambridge Beaches Resort and offers rentals. Paddle boards, kayaks, motor boats, etc. they have it here. Before we rented our boat I checked to make sure they had a life jacket to fit JL. The employee I spoke to said they have lifejackets for about 1 year old and up. I am not sure if they require children to wear lifejackets at all times but this is my preference.
We rented a motor boat for 3 hours and had a great time and got to see some parts of the island we would not have seen otherwise. There are so many neat coves in Bermuda to check out we could have easily enjoyed it for much longer.
The Ocean Spa at Cambridge Beaches in Bermuda
The only service I had the pleasure of using at the spa was a maternity massage which was amazing! It is so hard with my work schedule to fit something like this in at home. My only complaint was I wish it was longer. I feel like 50 minutes goes by so quickly. I waited to book upon my arrival to the resort on Saturday and I could not get an appointment until Thursday. So if you are going for a few days, be sure to book before you arrive.
The spa also offers facials, manicures, and pedicures. I wish I could have gotten one of each but there was just not time for it since I waited to book.
Upstairs in the spa area there is a sauna and a cool mist room. I could not use either of these due to my pregnancy. They are open to all guests of the resort.
Gym
The spa building houses the gym. They had a mixture of machines including a Peloton in addition to free weights. I did not spend any time here as I am loyal to Tracy Anderson Method but it looked nice for those who prefer a traditional gym setting.
The resort also offers pilates classes. The front desk can give you the schedule at check-in. Each room has a yoga mat if you prefer to do a workout in your room.
Tennis and Basketball Courts
The resort has 2 pickle ball courts, a tennis court and a basketball goal. There is also a covered ping pong table in this area. Gear such as a basketball is available at the front desk but they keep a few tennis balls at the facility. We never played while we were there but we did enjoy tossing the tennis ball around with JL in the mornings.
Putting Green
We basically spent every morning after breakfast on the putting green. It kept all of us entertained and everyone could participate. They have plenty of putters and golf balls available in the equipment shed.
Croquet Lawn
I had not played croquet since I was a kid but it was a fun thing to do when JL got bored of the putting green mornings. It is right beside the putting green so it gives you something to do if the putting green is already in use.
Scooter, E-bike, and Electric Vehicle Rental
We did not use any of the rentals while we were on the resort but they are available on site if you desire exploring on your own. The Bermuda Railway Trail is an 18 mile path you can bike or walk along the island. My husband does not trust me on a bike pregnant because cycling is not something I do often. However, I think this would be really fun and a great way to see the island. The e-bike rentals have large baskets if you want to pack a picnic for your ride.
Cons
As I explained above, the biggest drawback to the resort to me was the dining schedule. I would have liked more hours of operation. However, I understand why this is not in place. Before I had JL, I never ate dinner before 6pm so I understand that the current dining schedule accommodates most guests.
The other con is that all food and beverage includes a 17% gratuity. This is completely understandable to me but there were a few times I picked up lunch to go from Pastel. In these cases, I paid 17% gratuity even though this is more than I would tip for a pick up order at home. This is not a huge deal to me because I understand that is how the staff make money. However, I wanted to mention it so that future guests can prepare for this expense. Even with the gratuity, it is still cheaper comparably to all-inclusives I researched in other countries.
The only other potential drawback to Cambridge Beaches Resort is the location. It is about 45 minutes from the airport. It is not within walking distance to many attractions on the island. I liked the location for the most part because it was peaceful and private by not being in a touristy area. However, if you want to go out at night and try several different restaurants, this will require a taxi. Just something to keep in mind depending on the goals of the trip.
Cambridge Beaches Bermuda
We loved our week at Cambridge Beaches Bermuda! I highly recommend it for vacation. There is so much to do on the resort that you never have to leave if you do not want to!
Let me know if you have any questions!
Bon Voyage,
Meg
