The short version
- Eighty-six rooms, suites and cottages on a private 23-acre peninsula at the northwest tip of Bermuda.
- Four sand beaches and two coves, all reserved for guests. Nothing else in the archipelago matches that.
- Cambridge Beaches is not an adults-only hotel, whatever its reputation says. Certain areas are; the property is not.
- It is also the furthest from the airport: allow a good half hour by road, sometimes more.
Settling the adults-only question first
You often read that Cambridge Beaches is adults only. It is not, and the distinction matters in both directions.
The resort welcomes families, with two and three bedroom cottages and a five-bedroom residence, King's Point, built for multigenerational travel. A grandparent can gather everyone here without anyone living on top of anyone else.
That said, some areas do carry an age rule. The Ocean Spa and Aquarian Baths admit guests 13 and over, and spa treatments are reserved for 16 and over. The indoor pool is adults-only from 7am to 6pm.
In other words: couples get guaranteed pockets of quiet, and families are genuinely welcome. It is the best of both worlds provided you know what to expect. Your advisor can confirm the rules in force on your dates.
Four private beaches, and how they differ
This is the central argument for the address. The peninsula covers 23 acres, and the beaches around it belong to the hotel.
Long Bay Beach is the main one, with food service right on the sand. Turtle Cove is the small inlet where you put on a mask and snorkel, sheltered and full of fish. Pegem and Morning Beach are the discreet pair, the ones you walk to when you want to be alone, and often genuinely are.
On an island where the finest beaches are public and fill up whenever a cruise ship docks, having four of your own changes the nature of a stay. It is what loyal guests have come here for over decades.
Getting to Bermuda from Canada
A non-stop flight links Montreal to Bermuda, with a few departures a week in season. The window is narrow, and outside those departures you connect, usually through Toronto or the US east coast.
Combinations change from one season to the next. Call 1 866 628-6241 before you settle your dates rather than after.
Once there, be warned: Cambridge Beaches is the furthest from the airport of any hotel in the archipelago, about 27 kilometres, a good half hour by taxi and sometimes more at busy times. Have your advisor book the transfer in advance. In exchange for that distance, you get the most complete quiet in Bermuda.
When to go
Bermuda lies in the North Atlantic, roughly a thousand kilometres off the coast of North Carolina. The Gulf Stream softens the climate without making it tropical.
From June through October the sea is genuinely pleasant, peaking near 27 degrees in August. That is when the four beaches give their full measure.
From November through March, days run around 20 to 22 degrees and the sea drops to 19 or 20. Swimming turns bracing, but the spa, the baths, the indoor pool and the peninsula paths take over. A number of regulars come precisely in winter, for the peace.
April and May are the driest months of the year. Hurricane season runs June to November, peaking August to October.
Which accommodation to choose
The inventory runs from water-view rooms to three-bedroom cottages with full kitchens, by way of one and two bedroom suites and cottages with private pools. King's Point, the five-bedroom residence, is rented whole.
The choice comes down to two questions: do you want to cook, and do you want your own pool. Full-kitchen cottages change the economics of a two-week stay, and the private-pool cottages are the most sought after thing the hotel has.
The property is hilly and spread over 23 acres. If walking is a concern, say so: some units sit much closer to the main restaurant and reception than others. Your advisor has the request noted on the file.
Eating and drinking
Sunken Harbor Club is the evening table, the most polished, drawing on the local repertoire. Shoreline serves breakfast. Breezes is the relaxed counter by the water, and Pastel sits poolside.
Meals are not automatically included in the rate. Some packages add them, and it is among the first things to pin down before booking.
A word on position: you are in Sandys, at the western end. Somerset village is within walking distance and the Royal Naval Dockyard with its restaurants is close by. You are not captive, but you are far from Hamilton, and dining in town takes planning.
The spa, the pools and the activities
The Ocean Spa occupies a seafront position and offers massage and yoga. The Aquarian Baths, sauna and steam room complete the picture. Two pools, including the indoor one reserved for adults during the day, and a fitness centre.
On the water: kayaking, paddle boarding, snorkelling at Turtle Cove, sailing, and boat outings leaving from the property. Tennis is on site, and the golf courses of the west end are a short taxi away.
Getting around without a car
Visitors cannot rent cars in Bermuda. It is a long-standing government rule, made to protect the character of the island and its narrow roads.
What remains: public buses, ferries, metered taxis at regulated rates, 50cc scooters requiring no motorcycle licence, electric minicars restricted to drivers 25 and over, and bicycles. Multi-day passes cover buses and ferries together.
The right instinct here is the ferry. The Dockyard terminal is close by, and from there Hamilton is about twenty minutes away, seated, with the view. That beats the bus, which takes close to an hour from Sandys.
What to do in the west end
The Royal Naval Dockyard is the great neighbour: the National Museum of Bermuda set in the old fortress, the Royal Navy warehouses turned into shops and workshops, the arts centre and the glassworks.
Somerset village and its drawbridge, the smallest in the world, are walkable. Hog Bay Park nature reserve and the Railway Trail run close by, and they make the finest walking in the west.
For the south shore and its wide pink sand, plan a day out. Hamilton and St. George's too.
Who it suits
Cambridge Beaches is built for travellers who want space, quiet and beaches of their own, for couples seeking calm without giving up the option of hosting family, for an anniversary or a honeymoon, and for long stays in a cottage with a kitchen.
If you want to be in the thick of things, dine out in town every evening, or stay near the airport for a short trip, say so to your advisor. Hamilton Princess puts the town at your feet and Grotto Bay is five minutes from the airport.
What to know before you book
The distance from the airport is real and must be budgeted in time. The property is hilly, which you feel going back and forth between cottage and restaurant. And the style is Bermudian family house rather than contemporary palace: which is precisely what its regulars love.
None of that prevents an excellent stay, which is why we set it down. Four private beaches on a 23-acre peninsula exists nowhere else in Bermuda. Guests who know what they are buying come back year after year, and there is no better indicator than that.
Booking with an advisor
Three things are settled better by phone: the type of accommodation depending on whether you want to cook or have your own pool, where the unit sits on the peninsula if walking is a concern, and the airport transfer, booked ahead given the distance.
For the destination as a whole, see our page on travel to Bermuda and our selection of places to stay in Bermuda.
A Voyages AquaTerra advisor will take your call at 1 866 628-6241.
