There yet?

I can answer your question #2, at least! No, there are no grocery stores or shops nearby/ walking distance - the Southampton is really "away" from everything. However, it is REALLY easy to take the local bus system into Hamilton (or anywhere else you want to go), and there's a stop right at the hotel grounds entrance, from what I remember.

I didn't have a suite, but my recollection was that the rooms were spacious and very comfortable, and the entire property in fact was quite beautiful. This was in contrast to the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, where I DID have a suite, but really wasn't impressed much - greatly preferred Southampton. (And fortunately stayed there 2nd!)

I'm pretty sure we used US$ for everything (I don't remember going to get anything else...)

Jasper2009

Thank´s for your reply! Sounds like a really nice property worth staying at. Good to know about the Hamilton property, I was originally thinking about staying there for 1-2nights, but think I may forget about that.

Did you eat at the restaurant throughout your stay or are there any other places you can recommend?

sciguy0504

There is one grocery store you can walk to from the hotel (ask the concierge) but you will definitely have to cab it back with your purchases. I would buy snack food in the U.S. and take it over in my carry-on baggage. I've done it twice and no one has raised an eyebrow; the immigration agent on my last trip laughed and agreed it was a good idea. Food in Bermuda is very expensive, especially restaurants. Make sure to request that a refrigerator is placed in your room, this should be complimentary.

The hotel restaurants are very good and I would check out the Swizzle Inn, the Dining Room at Gibbs' Hill Lighthouse and Flanagan's Irish Pub in Hamilton.

U.S. dollars are used interchangeably with Bermudian dollars so there's no need to exchange currency. However, if you use a credit card you will be charged a currency conversion fee.

nickp7286

Hi everyone. I just have a few quick questions. I am staying at the Fairmont Southampton over Valentine's Day weekend and am using a suite upgrade voucher for the stay. I am currently booked in a junior suite. In reading this thread, I see that most were upgraded to a one-bedroom suite (which seems much larger) using the comp upgrade voucher. Is it worth calling to inquire about a one-bedroom suite or is it best to wait and request at check-in? Has anyone had experience with this?

Also, has anyone played the Fairmont Southampton Golf Course? If so, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Thanks!

sciguy0504

Are you booked on the Gold Floor? If so, the comp is not allowed when staying on that floor.

If you're on a normal floor, I would call ahead to ask and let them know what you would like to do. That way they can at least make a note in your reservation file.

Jasper2009

As I´m going to be staying at the Southampton myself next year, I can confirm that unfortunately the suite upgrade cert only entitles you to a Junior Suite, I believe the hotel changed the names of their suites accordingly about half a year ago, no more 1-bedroom suites.

This being said, it´s always worth a shot to contact the hotel directly, especially if you´re a Plat you may get the upgraded suite upon arrival if occupancy isn´t too high.
Another option is to contact the hotel directly and offer to book a higher room category in exchange for an upgrade to a 1bedroom suite, this has worked quite a few times for me.

nickp7286

I just returned from a long weekend at the Fairmont Southampton. All in all, I would say it is a nice hotel with some drawbacks. I upgraded using a suite upgrade cert, was originally told I'd receive a Jr Suite but was upgraded upon check-in to a 1-bedroom suite. The room was nice, very spacious and well decorated, however the one shortfall was the television (this may not seem like a big deal, but it came in handy during a rainy February weekend in Bermuda). The TV in the bedroom was an old probably 21 inch TV, slightly larger on the suite side. Both had terrible picture, even for an on-demand movie we purchased. This time of year in Bermuda was very slow, many of the hotel's restaurants were closed (Newport Room and Ocean Club). There was also limited service at the beach/pool. The beach was beautiful and easily accessible by trolley. The golf course was nice, great staff and wonderful conditions (however I'd definitely suggest playing the nearby Port Royal GC, it was incredible). Another thing as mentioned in earlier posts is the hotel is nowhere close to any restaurants/attractions. Downtown Hamilton/Crystal Caves/Golf Courses (except for Port Royal) are all a pretty far bus/taxi ride away. Spa was great, excellent service and very well appointed.

One last point which left me rather frustrated, when I received my folio I was overcharged by $250.00/night for the room. I kindly explained to the front desk agent (actually the same one who checked me in) that I was booked with a confirmed rate of $129/night however was charged $379/night per the folio. She did some checking on her computer and told me she couldn't do anything about it. I called the FPC Premier line when I returned home and after being on hold for about 15 minutes they were able to straighten it out. Apparently something changed on my reservation when they further upgraded me to the one-bedroom suite.

Jasper2009

Here´s a question for those who have stayed at this hotel: Can one walk from the hotel to the hotel beach or does one have to take a buggy?

Also, did you tip any of the staff? There´s a mandatory gratuity of $10 per person per day and a $10 resort fee per person per day which should cover everything in my opinion, but just wanted to check back what the experience of other FTers was.

nickp7286

To your first question, yes one can easily walk to the hotel beach. Typically we walked down the hill to the beach and took the shuttle back up the hill to the hotel. The shuttle service is very prompt, there's even a phone at the pick-up area where you can call the hotel lobby to request pick-up.

Regarding tips, we only tipped the bell staff when they brought up our luggage. Gratuities of 17% are automatically added to any food/beverage bills. I did not get the impression that the staff looked for tips as they do in other Caribbean destinations. Hope this helped, please feel free to PM me with any other questions.

sciguy0504

The buggy service to the beach is very frequent and the buggy is clean. I didn't tip anyone at the hotel as the automatic "gratuity" and resort fee cover it.

millere2

Staying here in July for our honeymoon. We have Ocean View Junior Suite booked. The reservations agent put in a request for a comp upgrade since its our honeymoon. I know its not guaranteed, but from reading this thread it looks like the next upgrade is a 1 bed suite? Does anyone know the size of the room? Thanks

nickp7286

The next upgrade is a 1-bedroom suite, as I mentioned above we were comp upgraded to this suite on our recent stay. The size of the room was rather large. Two separate entrances from the hall, one into the parlor room and one into the bedroom. Both sides had balconies and full bathrooms. Bedroom was average size, parlor room was large. Full size couch, 3 arm chairs, coffee table, dining table with 2 chairs, wet bar, full walk-in closet in both rooms. I would easily put the square footage over 1,000 for both rooms. We had 414/416, I would highly recommend it. Beautiful ocean/golf course/pool view.

millere2

Awesome! Thanks for the full details. Hopefully we get that, the reservation agent just put the room upgrade request in the notes so hopefully we get it when we check in.

MikeBOS

I have a stay coming up in May using a suite upgrade. I was hoping to book a Gold room and upgrade that, but found out that the upgrade coupons are not good on Gold rooms. The agent volunteered that sometimes the hotel will substitute an upgrade to a regular Gold room for a suite upgrade if there is availability at check-in. Has anyone had any experience with this? If so any tips on how to ask for it would be much appreciated.

Jasper2009

I´ve asked a few times about upgrades to/from a Gold room/suite at several properties, but my requests were always politely declined. I´ve had much better success negotiating an upgrade to a better suite, but no luck with Gold rooms/suites.

I´d recommend contacting the hotel directly via e-mail and ask whether it´s possible get
a) an upgrade from a Gold room to a Gold suite (basically you´re offering an extra $150-$200/night, so it´s not impossible they´ll say yes) or
b) an upgrade from a Fairmont room to a Gold room using a suite upgrade cert

If the answer is "no", you could always ask whether there is any chance of getting access to the Gold floor during checking in. If occupancy is low, they may offer an upgrade to the Gold floor or access to the lounge for a flat fee. (not very likely IMO, but it doesn´t hurt to ask)