Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa
Grotto Bay stands apart from every other resort in the Atlantic because of what is literally under it. Cathedral Cave, a limestone cavern with stalactites overhead and clear water up to 30 feet deep, is a few steps from the rooms and reserved for guests, and the Natura Cave Spa sits inside a second cave, Prospero's, where massages happen on floating beds in mineral water. Add a private dock, two sheltered beaches on a 21-acre estate in Bailey's Bay about five minutes from the airport, and a water sports operation on site, and you have a resort built around doing things rather than just lying on a lounger. The staff culture is warm and personal in the way Bermuda is known for.
Traveler Insights
Pros
- +Swim in Cathedral Cave, a limestone cavern with stalactites overhead and clear water up to 30 feet deep, steps from the rooms, open to resort guests only from 9am to 5pm
- +The only hotel in Bermuda selling an all-inclusive supplement, and on an island where eating out is famously expensive, having meals, drinks and food-and-beverage gratuity covered takes real pressure off the trip
- +Natura Cave Spa sits inside Prospero's Cave, where treatments happen on floating beds in turquoise mineral water among stalactites the resort dates to 500,000 years
- +Calm, sheltered Main Beach with soft sand and a sunken barge you can snorkel right off the shore, plus the smaller Honeymoon Beach and a Jacuzzi above it
- +Blue Hole Water Sports operates from the resort dock with kayaks, paddleboards and Boston Whaler rentals to the Castle Islands, and there is a dive shop for wreck and reef trips
- +Staff are the thing guests write about most, with waiters and restaurant captains named in review after review, and guests in August 2026 still praising the food
- +Live local music most nights, from steel pan and guitarists to a Monday manager's rum swizzle reception, without anything as loud as a production show
Cons
- −It is a regular hotel with a paid add-on, not a true all-inclusive: the supplement is $139 per adult and $85 per child (4 to 17) per day, three-night minimum, rising to $155 and $95 for reservations made from March 19, 2027
- −Room bills carry an 11.75% hotel occupancy tax and tourism fund plus a $13 per person, per day gratuity, which adds up fast on top of Bermuda room rates
- −Most rooms are older and, in guests' own words in 2026, not the most modern or fanciest; the new Castle Lodge rooms are the exception, so ask for them if décor matters
- −Cathedral Cave water is cold, and plenty of guests manage only a short dip
- −The supplement's lunch and dinner are at a choice of two restaurants, so the variety is limited over a week, even with weekly theme-night buffets
- −No pink-sand south-shore beach here: the north-side beaches are calm and pretty but not the Horseshoe Bay picture many people have of Bermuda
- −Several of the best extras cost more: dives start at $140, cave yoga is a private booking, and the inflatable water park only runs May to September
The all-inclusive here is a supplement on top of a normal room booking: $139 per adult and $85 per child per day, with a three-night minimum, covering a breakfast buffet, lunch and dinner at a choice of two restaurants, weekly theme-night buffets, afternoon tea, unlimited drinks at two bars and the new Panorama rooftop lounge, non-motorized water sports and the food-and-beverage gratuity. Those rates rise to $155 and $95 for reservations made from March 19, 2027. On an island where meals out are expensive, guests generally find it worth it. The restaurants are the Hibiscus Restaurant and Palm Court in the Great House, with the casual Bayside Bar & Grill by the pool, and recent guests praise the food. The pool is heated in winter, live music runs most nights, and a seasonal inflatable water park and a playground keep kids busy. Rooms are mostly older; Castle Lodge, the resort's newest building, has freshly designed rooms looking over Castle Harbour and the Castle Islands.
Grotto Bay is best for active couples and families who want Bermuda itself, not just a beach chair. Blue Hole Park and Tom Moore's Jungle are next door for walking trails, Crystal and Fantasy Caves are a five-minute walk, the Railway Trail is close by, and St. George's, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a short ride east. Oleander Cycles has a rental shop right at the resort for scooters, e-bikes and electric cars. If you compare purely on food variety and pool size, a Caribbean all-inclusive will give you more for the money, but nowhere else in the region pairs a swimmable cave, wreck snorkeling off the beach and national-park trails before dinner.
Common Questions
Is the cave swimming worth it, and how cold is the water?
How does the all-inclusive supplement work, and is it worth it?
What is the beach like, and how is the snorkeling?
What extra charges should I expect?
What is there to do near the resort?
Are the rooms dated, and is there anything newer?
Restaurants (3)
| Type | Restaurants |
|---|---|
| Mediterranean & Spanish | Palm Court |
| American & grill | Bayside Bar & Grill |
| International & fusion | Hibiscus Restaurant |
From the resort's own dining pages. Only restaurants the resort lists are shown.
What's nearby
St. George's15 min drive · 3.9 mi
Horseshoe Bay Beach25 min drive · 12 mi
Crystal and Fantasy Caves10 min walk · 0.5 mi
Spittal Pond Nature Reserve8 min drive · 4.0 mi
Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo8 min drive · 4.3 mi
Hamilton14 min drive · 8.4 mi
More things to do (24)
- Clearwater Beach · beach15 min drive · 4.7 mi
- Blue Hole Park · nature11 min walk · 0.6 mi
- Devil's Hole Aquarium · wildlife5 min drive · 3.0 mi
- John Smith's Bay Beach · beach6 min drive · 3.2 mi
- Flatts Inlet · marina8 min drive · 4.3 mi
- Shelly Bay Beach · beach10 min drive · 2.8 mi
- Ocean View Golf Course · golf11 min drive · 6.3 mi
- Masterworks Museum of Bermuda Art · museum12 min drive · 6.5 mi
- Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (Ocean Discovery Centre) · museum13 min drive · 7.5 mi
- Bermuda Botanical Gardens · nature13 min drive · 7.1 mi
- Ferry from Hamilton to Royal Naval Dockyard · excursion14 min drive · 8.3 mi
- Glass-bottom boat and shipwreck snorkel cruise · excursion14 min drive · 8.3 mi
- Humpback whale watching (March to April) · excursion14 min drive · 8.3 mi
- Sunset cruise · excursion14 min drive · 8.3 mi
- Fort Hamilton · historic site14 min drive · 7.8 mi
- Tucker House Museum · museum14 min drive · 3.8 mi
- Bermuda National Gallery · museum14 min drive · 8.3 mi
- Bermuda National Trust Museum · museum14 min drive · 3.9 mi
- Unfinished Church · historic site15 min drive · 4.0 mi
- Elbow Beach · beach15 min drive · 8.4 mi
- St. David's Battery · historic site20 min drive · 5.2 mi
- Cooper's Island Nature Reserve · nature20 min drive · 4.9 mi
- Tobacco Bay · beach20 min drive · 4.4 mi
- St. Catherine's Beach · beach20 min drive · 4.7 mi
Amenities
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Style & Rooms
Atmosphere
Google Reviews★ 4.4 · 1,228 reviews
“My wife and I enjoyed a lovely week (seven nights), all inclusive, at Grotto Bay Beach Resort & Spa in late November 2025. There were many things we liked: The all-inclusive product was very good, with three meals, a good choice of drinks at three...”
“I would like to rate this resort 4.5 however that’s not an option. I decided to round up to 5 as I had a great experience ! I went to Grotto Bay last week for my honeymoon. Positives- Location is on point. Super close to airport, but hardly see/ hea...”
“We had a wonderful time at Grotto Bay Resort. The Staff was the best. We visited on the All-inclusive plan and found both restaurants excellent. I need to mention one staff member who went above and beyond to make our stay special, Andi who was our w...”
