Coco Reef Resort or Elbow Beach Resort

[NJ Johnny]

Does anyone know if they take credit cards at Coco Reef (for the day pass) or if you have to pay cash?

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Yes, they do accept credit cards for the day pass.

[tikilover]

Thank you!

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[JCFollower]

Coco Reef sounds like such a great deal! How big is the beach tho? Some pictures I saw on line did not look very big. Any descriptions as far as rocky, how wide the area from water in is, etc? Doing Oct. 13 RC cruise from NJ. Thanks for any info! Can't wait!:D

[castle701]

.....for the Cabana and Chair Rental.

 

Cabana

 

POOlsidE sPA CABAnAs

 

Experience the ultimate in comfort and relaxation in one of our five poolside spa cabanas located at

the Eastern end of our free-form temperature-controlled swimming pool. The cabanas offer a multitude

of amenities for comfort. Poolside attendants will cater to your every need. Our spa cabanas are large

enough to accommodate up to six people and have all the amenities you could need for a day of

fun in the sun. The cabanas are equipped with wireless internet and a flat screen television with over

200 channels of high definition cable for when you’ve had enough of the bright Bermuda sunshine.

Additionally, guests can experience a variety of spa treatments in the privacy of their cabana.

 

 

POOlsidE sPA CABAnA

•

Private Poolside spa Cabanas accommodating up to six guests

•

Ample supply of large pool towels, sun block and magazines

•

Complimentary water and sodas available in well-stocked mini fridge

•

Food and Beverage service from the Poolside Blue Point Restaurant

•

Flat screen Television with 200 Channels of High definition Cable, Telephone, Personal Music

system and Wireless internet Access

•

Video and board games can be arranged upon request

•

Full bathroom with shower and safe in cabana

•

spa Cabana Treatment Menu available for private in cabana treatments upon request

•

Access to hotel’s private beach and amenities

Poolside Spa Cabana experience is available for $495 per day from 10am to 5pm.

The Spa at Elbow Beach Bermuda

60 south shore Road, Paget Parish, Bermuda PG 04

Telephone +1 (441) 239 8900 Facsimile +1 (441) 236 8043 mandarinoriental.com

 

Public Beach

Elbow Beach Public Beach Amenities

 

Experience the ultimate in luxury and relaxation on the public side of Elbow

Beach this summer. Elbow Beach is now offering rentals for visitors to enjoy the

pink sand and turquoise waters in extra comfort. You will receive two lounge

chairs with an umbrella, along with two beach towels and bottled water.

Advanced Booking for Premium Seating - $65 per day

 

For advanced bookings and more information, please contact The Spa at Elbow

Beach at +1 (441) 239 8900 or ebbda-spa@mohg.com.

 

Hope this helps.

 

wasiii

do you know if these cabanas are far from the beach - it seems like they could be? We are 6 adults thinking about this?

[Dspcentury]

What kind of cusine does the Coco Reef have for the price?

[camp85]

do you know if these cabanas are far from the beach - it seems like they could be? We are 6 adults thinking about this?

 

We just did this last week. It was an outstanding day. The cabanas are at the hotel pool which is up a hill from the beach. It's not really a very far walk but a little steep. They have shuttle service via a van or golf cart type vehicle to take you up and down.

 

You are provided towels at your cabana and are provided towels at the beach. At the beach you go to the towel desk area and give them your name and they will already have loungers and umbrella with a small table reserved for you. You also have cocktail service at your loungers. Drinks were pricey, two drinks cost about $8 more than same on the ship.

 

The cabanas themselves are more like a hotel room without a bed. There are 5 of them and they were all sold. At least 4 of them were from cruisers.

 

As stated in earlier posts there were no other cabanas nor were they selling day passes for the beach. Beach access was strictly for hotel guests and cabana rentals.

[CruisinBrills]

We are thinking of doing Coco Reef on our last day in port. The ship pulls out at 5:30, if going by cab, can somebody tell me how long it would take and is this doable on our last day in port?

 

Thanks.

[SailBadtheSinner]

We are thinking of doing Coco Reef on our last day in port. The ship pulls out at 5:30, if going by cab, can somebody tell me how long it would take and is this doable on our last day in port?

 

I would estimate for travel time from the Coco Reef Resort to the Dockyard to be about 35-40 minutes, maybe a little less. The fare for up to 4 passengers is about $33.00; 5 or 6 passengers, $42.00.

 

As long as you understand the risks involved and accept them; and you have a good watch and don't fall asleep, I say go for it.

 

Just remember Murphy's Law with corollary - If anything can go wrong, it will at the most inopportune time.

 

 

SBtS

[CruisinBrills]

I would estimate for travel time from the Coco Reef Resort to the Dockyard to be about 35-40 minutes, maybe a little less. The fare for up to 4 passengers is about $33.00; 5 or 6 passengers, $42.00.

 

As long as you understand the risks involved and accept them; and you have a good watch and don't fall asleep, I say go for it.

 

Just remember Murphy's Law with corollary - If anything can go wrong, it will at the most inopportune time.

 

 

SBtS

 

 

Thanks for the information. We are going for it

[castle701]

We just did this last week. It was an outstanding day. The cabanas are at the hotel pool which is up a hill from the beach. It's not really a very far walk but a little steep. They have shuttle service via a van or golf cart type vehicle to take you up and down.

 

You are provided towels at your cabana and are provided towels at the beach. At the beach you go to the towel desk area and give them your name and they will already have loungers and umbrella with a small table reserved for you. You also have cocktail service at your loungers. Drinks were pricey, two drinks cost about $8 more than same on the ship.

 

The cabanas themselves are more like a hotel room without a bed. There are 5 of them and they were all sold. At least 4 of them were from cruisers.

 

As stated in earlier posts there were no other cabanas nor were they selling day passes for the beach. Beach access was strictly for hotel guests and cabana rentals.

 

Thank you very much! WE are looking forward to our day there.

[Got2Cruise]

You do realize that the public beach at Elbow is free? Directly in between these two resorts? Also both resorts have restaurants open to the public.

[cruisintwinsmom]

Coco Reef sounds like such a great deal! How big is the beach tho? Some pictures I saw on line did not look very big. Any descriptions as far as rocky, how wide the area from water in is, etc? Doing Oct. 13 RC cruise from NJ. Thanks for any info! Can't wait!:D

 

The beach was not very big, but if you go to the right (looking at beach) and around the rocks there is a longer stretch of beach.

[cruisintwinsmom]

What kind of cusine does the Coco Reef have for the price?

 

Included in the price was a starter and entree or an entree and dessert. The starters included soups and salads and the entrees were barbeque sandwich, fish sandwich, crab cakes and I can't remember what else. Didn't get dessert. It also included a glass of wine. The prices for the starters on their menu was $12 and the entrees around $16 - I'm assuming the size of the day pass entrees/starters were the same as the regular menu.

[scili]

We just got back from visiting both resorts so I thought I would post a comparison of the two. Apologies in advance of the long post.

 

Our family, which includes a 5 and 3 year old, went to Coco Reef Resort the first day and Elbow Beach Resort the second day out of the three days in Bermuda. This is the third year in a row we have gone to Bermuda via a cruise ship but the first year that we went to Elbow Beach instead of Horseshoe Bay, Warwick Long Bay, and Jobson's Cove.

 

While the public beach area of Elbow Beach was accessible from both resorts, given varying toddler interests and naps, it was very nice to be able to switch between the beach and the pool at both resorts. We also really liked being able to clean up and rinse off before taking the taxi back to the ship. While Horseshoe Bay does have facilities to do this, we have found it to be a bit hectic and crowded at times. We also liked how both resorts could easily call a taxi. Elbow Beach Resort had a taxi cab queue so there wasn't a need to have the front desk call a taxi.

 

Coco Reef Resort

Overall, we liked Coco Reef and thought it was a great value for the adults. For me (although others could easily differ), it wasn't ideal for the young kids for the reasons to be described below.

 

There was a hose at the top of the stairs leading down the beach where you could hose off the sand and also women's and men's facilities near the pool where there was a small changing area, shower, and toilet. Basically, one person or family can go into one of the two applicable facilities at one time.

 

The private beach area is nice as others have mentioned, but it is small. It's maybe around 50 yards, but it is all rocky. The public beach portion is accessible past the rocks to the right.

 

The pool area is also nice, but also small. The secret is definitely out about this resort, as the day that we went, I would guess that they had sold out or nearly sold out of their max day pass capacity. At one point, it felt that a majority were in the pool.

 

Lunch was tasty. The adults' meal, consisting of a drink, appetizer and entree, were delicious and included in the day pass price. The kids menu was also pretty good and between the drinks, entrees (around $12 each) and desserts ($10 each for ice cream), and tips, it ended up costing us around $60.

 

Now for why I think the place is great for adults but not for young kids. In the morning when we went to the beach area, it wasn't a big deal to walk past the rocks to get the public beach area. However, after lunch, my 5 year old and I went to swim in the ocean in the public beach area. It was a little tricky walking there. Around 20 minutes later as I noticed the tide rising, we tried getting back to Coco Reef and ran into a lot of difficulty. I could no longer see a path without rocks and the constant waves from the high tide made it difficult to do so. I was wearing heavy duty scuba shoes and generally am comfortable in rocky, sandy areas as I used to be an avid scuba diver pre-kids and would often go shore diving with just my diving buddy. It was too dangerous for the 5 year old to walk alone so I had to carry him. I fell really hard multiple times on the rocks and couldn't get past the rocky area back to Coco Reef's sandy beach area. Between the tides and the rocks, I just couldn't walk a few steps on a non-rocky or less rocky area. My son was begging me to get out of the rocky area and I was seriously concerned about my ability to do so. Luckily after 15 minutes of this, my husband and other child came to get us and my husband was able to pull my son to safety. We had originally decided to do 2 days at Coco Reef but after that incident, we went to Elbow Beach Resort instead the next day.

 

I don't attribute this incident to the resort, but wanted to warn others that the set up is what it is. Maybe stick to the beach area in the mornings.

 

Elbow Beach Resort

We absolutely loved Elbow Beach Resort. We rented a private pool cabana, which was considerably more expensive than the Coco Reef day pass but worth it for us. There's both a private place to lounge inside and outside of the cabana. They say the cabana is for 6 people, but I think they mean adults. The other cabanas were rented out by what appeared to be other cruise ship passengers, but 3 of the cabanas seemed to be rented out by a large extended family/friends that had more than 18 people.

 

The beach area is very nice, and we took a shuttle back and forth. The pool area is much bigger than Coco Reef's, and had a significant portion that was 2-3 feet deep, which the kids loved. There's plenty of deeper water for swimmers too.

 

The cabana area was terrific. As others have mentioned, it's basically a hotel room without a hotel bed. After spending time playing in the hot sun, either at the beach or the pool, it was great to go back to an air-conditioned room that was stocked with a refrigerator full of water and soda and a TV. We loved taking a hot shower and completely cleaning up before heading back. The 3 year old took a nice nap on the lounger sofa.

 

The main reason why the cabana was ideal for us was that there were quite a few thunderstorms that day, some of them on the more severe side. We were able to duck in and out of the storms by going into our cabana and eating or relaxing. We wouldn't have been able to do this at Coco Reef Resort or at some other beach. We were lucky to have gone to Elbow Beach Resort the day that we did.

 

Hope this review helps and thanks to the previous posters for the recommendations for both of these places. We'd recommend both and the advice from others definitely helped us.

[nkwoman]

We just got back from visiting both resorts so I thought I would post a comparison of the two. Apologies in advance of the long post.

 

Our family, which includes a 5 and 3 year old, went to Coco Reef Resort the first day and Elbow Beach Resort the second day out of the three days in Bermuda. This is the third year in a row we have gone to Bermuda via a cruise ship but the first year that we went to Elbow Beach instead of Horseshoe Bay, Warwick Long Bay, and Jobson's Cove.

 

While the public beach area of Elbow Beach was accessible from both resorts, given varying toddler interests and naps, it was very nice to be able to switch between the beach and the pool at both resorts. We also really liked being able to clean up and rinse off before taking the taxi back to the ship. While Horseshoe Bay does have facilities to do this, we have found it to be a bit hectic and crowded at times. We also liked how both resorts could easily call a taxi. Elbow Beach Resort had a taxi cab queue so there wasn't a need to have the front desk call a taxi.

 

Coco Reef Resort

Overall, we liked Coco Reef and thought it was a great value for the adults. For me (although others could easily differ), it wasn't ideal for the young kids for the reasons to be described below.

 

There was a hose at the top of the stairs leading down the beach where you could hose off the sand and also women's and men's facilities near the pool where there was a small changing area, shower, and toilet. Basically, one person or family can go into one of the two applicable facilities at one time.

 

The private beach area is nice as others have mentioned, but it is small. It's maybe around 50 yards, but it is all rocky. The public beach portion is accessible past the rocks to the right.

 

The pool area is also nice, but also small. The secret is definitely out about this resort, as the day that we went, I would guess that they had sold out or nearly sold out of their max day pass capacity. At one point, it felt that a majority were in the pool.

 

Lunch was tasty. The adults' meal, consisting of a drink, appetizer and entree, were delicious and included in the day pass price. The kids menu was also pretty good and between the drinks, entrees (around $12 each) and desserts ($10 each for ice cream), and tips, it ended up costing us around $60.

 

Now for why I think the place is great for adults but not for young kids. In the morning when we went to the beach area, it wasn't a big deal to walk past the rocks to get the public beach area. However, after lunch, my 5 year old and I went to swim in the ocean in the public beach area. It was a little tricky walking there. Around 20 minutes later as I noticed the tide rising, we tried getting back to Coco Reef and ran into a lot of difficulty. I could no longer see a path without rocks and the constant waves from the high tide made it difficult to do so. I was wearing heavy duty scuba shoes and generally am comfortable in rocky, sandy areas as I used to be an avid scuba diver pre-kids and would often go shore diving with just my diving buddy. It was too dangerous for the 5 year old to walk alone so I had to carry him. I fell really hard multiple times on the rocks and couldn't get past the rocky area back to Coco Reef's sandy beach area. Between the tides and the rocks, I just couldn't walk a few steps on a non-rocky or less rocky area. My son was begging me to get out of the rocky area and I was seriously concerned about my ability to do so. Luckily after 15 minutes of this, my husband and other child came to get us and my husband was able to pull my son to safety. We had originally decided to do 2 days at Coco Reef but after that incident, we went to Elbow Beach Resort instead the next day.

 

I don't attribute this incident to the resort, but wanted to warn others that the set up is what it is. Maybe stick to the beach area in the mornings.

 

Elbow Beach Resort

We absolutely loved Elbow Beach Resort. We rented a private pool cabana, which was considerably more expensive than the Coco Reef day pass but worth it for us. There's both a private place to lounge inside and outside of the cabana. They say the cabana is for 6 people, but I think they mean adults. The other cabanas were rented out by what appeared to be other cruise ship passengers, but 3 of the cabanas seemed to be rented out by a large extended family/friends that had more than 18 people.

 

The beach area is very nice, and we took a shuttle back and forth. The pool area is much bigger than Coco Reef's, and had a significant portion that was 2-3 feet deep, which the kids loved. There's plenty of deeper water for swimmers too.

 

The cabana area was terrific. As others have mentioned, it's basically a hotel room without a hotel bed. After spending time playing in the hot sun, either at the beach or the pool, it was great to go back to an air-conditioned room that was stocked with a refrigerator full of water and soda and a TV. We loved taking a hot shower and completely cleaning up before heading back. The 3 year old took a nice nap on the lounger sofa.

 

The main reason why the cabana was ideal for us was that there were quite a few thunderstorms that day, some of them on the more severe side. We were able to duck in and out of the storms by going into our cabana and eating or relaxing. We wouldn't have been able to do this at Coco Reef Resort or at some other beach. We were lucky to have gone to Elbow Beach Resort the day that we did.

 

Hope this review helps and thanks to the previous posters for the recommendations for both of these places. We'd recommend both and the advice from others definitely helped us.

I concur with your thoughts on Coco Reef. We were there for one day and I was surprised at how rocky it was. The weather was a little wild so that may have made the tide worse but it was not safe for young kids. I did enjoy a swim with my older son, but we got out around noon and the water got more dangerous in the afternoon. We did walk to the right to the public area which was far less rocky but the tide was strong. Coco Reef had a great lunch though....and with the wine it was a good value. Perhaps on a better weather day it would have been less dangerous. I didn't try Elbow Beach Resort so I can't comment on that.

[cruisintwinsmom]

It looked like Coco Reef had some chairs and umbrellas to the right of the rocks - at least they were the same color style as those we were using by the rocks and there was a sign posted saying it was private property. If that is the case, then it appeared that one could walk up the land path to avoid the rocks when the tide got high. We stayed in the 'cove' area because it was windy and that was the area that Coco allowed use of the umbrellas.

[Dandelion Sunflower]

Just returned from our cruise and did the day pass to Coco Reef on Sep. 5. I'll admit I am truly baffled on the "rocky" beach comments. We were there both in the morning and afternoon and the only rock to be seen was the huge rock in the middle of the beach and a few very flat rocks about 30 feet offshore. There was not one single rock on the beach. Maybe it was a tide thing and we were lucky to catch it at the right time.

 

We had a wonderful day. True the pool area is more basic, but our kids, ages 10 and 12 loved it and spent most of their time there. It is a deeper pool on one side, so probably not the best for really little ones. Maybe about 20 people were there that day with the pass. Just on a side note, you don't have to pay for kids under 12, but you do have to pay for their lunch. Lunch prices are do-able, but skip their dessert if you can. Our 10 year old ordered ice cream (no price on menu) and it was 10, almost as much as her entrée. Not a super big deal, but a little galling!

 

They do have an outdoor shower by the pool that most people didn't notice, so the hose on the walk up from the beach really isn't necessary to subject yourself too.

 

The beach was super clean with ample beach chairs and umbrellas.

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Does anyone know if the snorkeling is any good at Coco Reef?

 

Thanks! :cool:

[gaylemh]

Just returned from our cruise and did the day pass to Coco Reef on Sep. 5. I'll admit I am truly baffled on the "rocky" beach comments. We were there both in the morning and afternoon and the only rock to be seen was the huge rock in the middle of the beach and a few very flat rocks about 30 feet offshore. There was not one single rock on the beach. Maybe it was a tide thing and we were lucky to catch it at the right time.

 

We had a wonderful day. True the pool area is more basic, but our kids, ages 10 and 12 loved it and spent most of their time there. It is a deeper pool on one side, so probably not the best for really little ones. Maybe about 20 people were there that day with the pass. Just on a side note, you don't have to pay for kids under 12, but you do have to pay for their lunch. Lunch prices are do-able, but skip their dessert if you can. Our 10 year old ordered ice cream (no price on menu) and it was 10, almost as much as her entrée. Not a super big deal, but a little galling!

 

They do have an outdoor shower by the pool that most people didn't notice, so the hose on the walk up from the beach really isn't necessary to subject yourself too.

 

The beach was super clean with ample beach chairs and umbrellas.

 

How was the water for swimming at the beach? The last time I was there it was a little rocky. We were there after a storm so that could have been why. We walked a few feet and swam at Elbow Beach.

[Dandelion Sunflower]

There were a few people snorkeling and from the kids expressions they must have seen a few fish. I saw larger ones swimming around and wished I had thought to bring one. There are a few stone formations off the shore (about 25 to 30 feet from shore) that are almost shaped like big donuts. You have to be a strong to medium decent swimmer, but there seemed to be fish out there as well to see. I would be in the medium decent swimmer category and didn't have too many problems swimming out to them.

 

There was maybe two of those flatter rocks under the water, but they were only about 3 feet wide and very easy to avoid and only in one small area.

 

 

I thought the waves were gentle compared to the Jersey Shore where we usually go. It wasn't like a bay like Tobacco Beach, but the waves were not the crashing kind, more like the bobbing and jumping over variety. I prefer to hang out where I can stand, but the times I swam a bit farther out didn't really intimidate me. In comparison when in NJ I never go any farther than I can stand because I hate when waves crash over me and knock me down!

 

If for any reason, that part of the beach doesn't look good for swimming, the beach goes on for a long distance past Elbow Beach Resort and to the free beach. It wasn't super crowded and not a far walk. We didn't stray too far because our kids were at the pool and I didn't want to be too far away from them if they needed us. I really can't say enough good things about our day. We are not crowd people and the beach was both beautiful and not crowded.

Edited September 9, 2013 by Dandelion Sunflower
grammatical error

[JuneauWhatIMean]

Thank you! :D

[racepoint]

I'm trying to bump this up to get current information on Elbow Beach. It appears the resort there rents chairs/umbrellas to non-guests. This info. was from 2013. Can anyone tell me the current status? We are arriving in Bermuda on Sunday, May 10th, and I am considering taking a bus (or ??) to Elbow Beach. I would like to know about rentals, facilities, and snack bar/adult beverages at the beach. Any current info would be greatly appreciated.

[smile1234]

Following and would like same info

[BeachMartini]

From my confirmation email:

 

The cost is $69 for

adults ages 12 and older. It includes a 2 course lunch, glass of wine, beer

or a soft drink, use of the beach and pool facilities and towels. Children

under 12 are complimentary but it does not include their lunch, which can be

purchased from the kids menu. We have 2 small changing rooms but we do NOT

have lockers to store belongings. Reservations are required in advance but

payment is not. The passes can be paid for and picked up at the front desk

the day you arrive at the Resort.

 

VAngelo@CocoReef.bm

[racepoint]

Thank you for the reply re Coco Beach. I think $69 is fair for what you get and to (hopefully) dodge the crowds. My inquiry to the Elbow Beach Resort for a day pass came up negative. They do not sell passes and their property is exclusively for the use of resort guests. Understandable. I get it. They DO offer cabanas at $500/day. I'm just not thinking in that direction.