The Fairmont, Southampton

Author's product rating:   

Advantages:	Best dining in Bermuda by a long way, good facilities .
Disadvantages:	Service problems are too frequent .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

As you may know, until earlier this year I was living in Bermuda and my house was very close to this hotel. In normal circumstances, I would be most unlikely to book a hotel a mere few hundred yards from my own home. However when we joined the hotel golf club we were presented with a non-transferable voucher for two night's accommodation. We eventually decided that we would book two nights for the weekend around my birthday and make full use of the amenities with the added advantage of being able to take the elevator home after a nice meal and a few glasses of expensive plonk. On a small island like Bermuda, it is very common for locals to make use of the various hotels' facilities, I have done so on countless occasions and so this is a hotel I feel I know very well as you might notice from the length of this review!

Location and arrival

The hotel is in Southampton (well obviously), which is towards the west of the island. The journey from the airport will normally take about 35 to 45 minutes and cost about US $50 or $60. Hotel to Hamilton, the main shopping area, is about 20 minutes assuming it is not rush hour. Triple that time if it is, there are only two roads into Hamilton so they can get pretty congested.

The hotel with its pastel pink exterior is easy to spot being situated on one of the highest points of the island. It is set back a long way from the south shore road, the golf course separating the two for a start. I was never envious of the hot and bothered tourists tramping uphill to the entrance after a long and tiring day of sight seeing. There is a little trolley bus that runs between the hotel and its beachside complex and it is possible to catch this from the main road as well if you can time it right though.

The hotel has an impressive entrance and there are always several friendly and courteous bellmen at the door meeting, greeting and attending to luggage. The lobby is large and impressive and I would describe the style as "traditional English" with lots of rich colours and dark wood. Reception is to the right. I have been to the desk precisely three times; check in, check out and a week before my planned stay I popped in to confirm my reservation as my telephone booking was not handled well and I had some concerns.

The service is certainly very friendly, but it is not smooth and lacks the level of professionalism one might expect upon walking through the door of a Fairmont. I personally would be happy to forgo a little bit of the friendliness for a little bit more efficiency at this particular reception desk. My three experiences were all quite a chore and very time-consuming (can't find booking, bill wrong, that type of thing) and unfortunately I happen to know my experiences are not unusual at this hotel. Everything was fine in the end and my best advice is probably to bring patience and a sense of humour. Welcome to Bermuda.

Accommodation

We booked a "Fairmount Room" with ocean view. It was a large and comfortable room, decorated in pastel shades and the furniture was bamboo or wicker with flowery patterns dominating. Not to my personal taste and probably not used in many other Fairmont hotels, but it is a popular style in Bermuda and seemed fitting. The bathroom was an average size, perhaps a little bit dated but fully functional. In the bedroom, as well as a large king size bed, we had a sofa, armchair and of course a desk. I thought all the furniture and décor looked to be in very good condition, although the TV was small and pretty old and it provided only the most basic TV program package, meaning it had about eight pretty dire channels. Our room had a balcony, large enough for two chairs and a small table and we found it a nice place to have our breakfast each morning.

As far as I can tell every room has a balcony and according to my internet research all rooms (excl suites) are of a similar size 450 square feet to be precise, which is well above average hotelroom size. There are different prices for similar rooms however and the higher priced rooms come with the best views. We had an ocean view room, as the hotel is on one of the narrowest parts of the island you can see the ocean both to the north and to the south depending on exactly where you are. The ocean views to the south are over the beautiful golf course and are simply stunning from this high vantage point. We got an ocean view looking to the north coast, which we were more than happy with as we already had unspoilt ocean views to the south from our home which is also on high ground. But for anyone else, if you choose an ocean view room I recommend trying to get one facing the south coast, the views are more impressive and less obstructed this way.

On our first night we decided to stay in and have room service. We also had room service breakfast both mornings. The orders arrived within about 30 minutes each time and were always served with a smile and some friendly chat. No complaints about the food either, always served on a big wheeled in trolley that doubles as a table, with quality silver cutlery and all the extras such as warmed bread, iced water and suitable condiments.

Various Resort Amenities

The main hotel is not actually situated on the beach, but the hotel does have a separate beachside complex which you can either walk (estimate about 15 minutes) or take the trolley bus to. Down by the beach, there are tennis courts, outside swimming pools and plenty of sun loungers both around the pool and on the beach which is just in front of the pool area. I have never spent any time here but have passed by on many occasions and it has always been a bit too busy for my liking. On a raised area, there is another of the hotel's restaurants, I have never eaten there but it does have some great views and having seen the menu I would be happy to do so in theory. It is also possible to get snacks from the immediate poolside area.

The hotel's golf course lies between the main hotel and the main south shore road. It is kept beautifully and I still admire it and the little pink golf buggies being driven around every time I pass by. The course is not for very serious golfers as each of the 18 holes is a par three and there are not many holes longer than 200 yards. I think this makes it a great course for both novices (like me) and for holiday makers that would love a round but are not regular players and might be intimidated by a full size course. A round cost $60 last time I went and the buggy which seats two people is another $20. Clubs are available for hire as well for a small charge.

On the first floor of the hotel there are several shops offering the usual tourist souvenirs and lots of T-shirts and beachwear. The goods are pretty inexpensive on the whole and I have bought things there myself on more than one occasion.

Also on the first floor is the gym, a hairdressers and the Willow Stream Spa. A gripe of mine is that hotel guests are not allowed to use the gym or the general spa areas without paying an additional fee, which is $15 for one day although you can pay once for access throughout your stay which could bring this average cost down. Nonetheless this is not something I expect a hotel to be charging extra for and I would be aggrieved to pay this kind of room rate only to find gym access is not included.

The fee can only be avoided if you have a spa treatment costing over $99 that day, which effectively means any spa treatment as none of them cost less than this. I have found the Willow Stream to be one of the better value hotel spas that can be found in Bermuda, not that I have experienced them all. Before and after my treatments, I enjoy being able to go for a swim in the indoor pool or pop outside and enjoy the plunge pools or relax on a lounger on the large south facing terrace which again affords those great ocean views. It is a lovely way to spend an afternoon.

There are several restaurants in the hotel, some in the main building and others separate but nearby. Two of the three top restaurants on the island are part of the Fairmount Southampton. The first is the exceptional Newport Room, which is on the ground floor of the main hotel and is in my opinion the best restaurant in Bermuda. Indeed this is a widely held belief and not just mine. It won't be cheap but is well worth it and I will review this restaurant separately. The other fine dining restaurant is the Waterlot Inn, which is situated in its own building on the water's edge away from the main hotel. I was surprised to find this was even more expensive per head than the Newport Room, although we were here with my sister which significantly increased the average wine bill.

A less expensive and more family orientated alternative is Bacci, which is an Italian restaurant located beside the golf club house. I have had a very agreeable meal here, it is not on a par with the other two but it costs far less too. I have also eaten in the Jasmine lobby lounge several times, it offers quick snacks like sandwiches or salads. I find it a very comfortable lounge, lots of big sofas and there is an open fire place, but service is often inattentive. We have vowed never to return many times but somehow we always do for convenience I suppose. I understand there is another casual dining place on the lower ground floor and I also believe there is an English pub style bar and night club somewhere, but I have never tried these and indeed I have still not even managed to locate this English pub.

A final note and not something I would normally cover in a hotel review is the business facilities. Bermuda is extremely popular for international conferences, particularly in the financial services world and the Fairmont Southampton and its sister hotel in Hamilton have pretty much cornered the market. I have attended several of these conferences myself in both hotels and can confirm that they do it very well. They have spacious and comfortable facilities and can accommodate hundreds of delegates at once, the technology required for speakers and presentations always works without a hitch and they do a good job to ensure that the tea, coffee and lunch arrives when it is supposed to and there is enough to go around.

Obviously I don't stay at the hotel when I am booked on a conference but I have always thought that it would be a very satisfactory place to stay at and enjoy at the end of the meetings. On the flip side, if I were a hotel guest, I am not sure whether I would enjoy staying at the hotel at the same time as a conference group, the lounge can be rather noisy at these times.

To wrap up

I did not pay for my room, but my research shows that room rates vary a lot depending upon the time of year and can be anything from $250 to $600 a night or even more. The Southampton Fairmont is typically cheaper than the Hamilton Fairmont, because business people tend to prefer to be central which pushes up the prices there. I definitely recommend the Southampton one to holiday makers as it is near the beaches, has better views, costs less and when you do want to come into Hamilton you can be there in twenty minutes so long as you avoid the folks going to and from work.

If I were to pick out things I feel the hotel could tighten up on, I would choose the customer service in a few areas; notably reception, manning the telephones and waiter service in the lobby lounge. These staff probably interact with more guests than most and whilst they are usually friendly, they do not prove five star efficiency. Ideally I would like the hotel to rethink its policy on gym access for hotel guests as well.

Otheriwse this is more than a hotel, it is a resort offering a whole range of amenities and I would have been more than happy to spend a week here on holiday if I could afford it and if I didn't live a few hundred yards away.