Depending on which side of the peninsula your cabana is on, you can either watch the sun rise or set over the ocean from the comfort of your bed. Each night we were treated to the warm ocean breeze and the sound of the gentle lapping waves of the incoming tide. It felt like being at sea in our own little houseboat.
On a peninsula in Sandys Parish, where during the Cold War a Canadian military base once stood (Bermuda is a British colony), the west-side resort is a casual alternative to some of the island's more upscale accommodations. Its slogan is ''the unexpected Bermuda," which is refreshingly appropriate.
''It's a different kind of vacation," said Matt Raio, here with his wife, Michelle, and daughter, Hailey. ''We're used to air conditioning and TV and none of that is here."
''I think once you get over that, it's very relaxing," added Michelle with a smile. ''We have to actually talk to each other now."
Richard and Leslie Franko from Westfield, N.J., celebrating their 20th wedding anniversary, also experienced the unexpected.
''It's a little bit more rustic than we thought Bermuda would be, but it's so relaxed," said Richard.
Added Leslie, ''Normally we stay in more upscale places, so for us this is a little bit of an adjustment. One thing that drew us to it was that it was right on the beach, and many places in Bermuda are not, so that was a plus. It's just something to stand on your porch and there are these gorgeous views with beautiful blue ocean."
Owner Russ Urban, also an owner of Bermuda's luxury resort The Reefs and The Colonial Inn on Martha's Vineyard, said the ideal 9 Beaches customer is a ''soft-adventure-seeking individual."
''It's such a different product that it takes reaching out to the right customer," he said. ''It's not for the type of customer that expects a Ritz-Carlton experience."
