Front Street Tours

great quiet and relaxing convenient 10 minute walk to town and bus stops shuttles to beach

The cabana king room was lovely, but generally, I did not think the service lived up to the Rosewood brand. The staff were all very friendly, but perhaps they were spread too thin? Examples: the staff in London never ask for our name (and room) as they learn them immediately. Not true here. More importantly, the service throughout was slow. I had to call twice for more bottles of water (they were too small) and waited 45 minutes to get them replenished in our room despite the room having earlier been made up. I wanted to order at the pool (open at 8am) but there was no one there at 9:50. I was told pool service started at 10am. At 10:15 when staff appeared, I was told it started at 11am. In the Conservatory, we watched 3 staff members at the end of the bar for 15 minutes before we got eye contact, and then it was a few more before someone came to see us. By that time, we could no longer order another drink because our dinner reservation was minutes away. Text messaging helped with some things, but it often took a long time for a response; calling the front desk helped. The food at Sul Verde was just okay (we both had pasta); the service was disorganized (for example, 2 servers asked to take our order). The $135 ribeye at the Brasserie was cooked as ordered but was chewy. My best meal was a smash burger served poolside. With the prices the Rosewood charges, expectations run high. Unfortunately, only the spa seemed worth the premium cost. We won’t return.

The room was beatifully decorated and the kitchennette allowed for me to prepare many of my own meals. I had a slight leak behind my toilet which was fixed very quickly after I called the Front Desk. The information sheet on local restaurants, ordering groceries and the island in general was useful and clearly presented. I appreciated the instructions on using the TV. The ferry across the Harbour allowed me to explore Hamilton without worrying about having to pay for parking (I am local and have a car), although the long break in the middle of the day was a bit frustrating. The shuttle to the Coco Reef private beach is also really useful. I found the posted rules about the pool being open til sunset and under 12's use restricted to specific hours a little strange. However, I didn't see these being strictly enforced. My room WAS far from the lobby with lots of steps and there was no help getting my luggage to the room. I am local, so perhaps if I were a foreign tourist more help would have been offered. The Aurora restaurant experience was amazing the food was tasty and well presented and staff was pleasant and attentive. I but was a bit disappointed that my birthday was not mentioned at all, other birthday staycations both local and abroad the Front Desk wishes me a happy birthday, or there's a note or something in the room acknowledging it. I also mentioned it when I checked in. Overall I was very happy with my stay at Newstead and will return as a treat to myself soon.