While 9 Beaches Bermuda is billed as "a casual and romantic resort, ideal for unhurried Bermuda vacations", the staff at the Sandys resort haven't been sitting around wasting their days away.

They have been busy hiring a new chef to revamp their food and beverage offerings, bringing on local Tony Brannon as the new entertainment director to develop a live music and entertainment schedule as well as partnering with Fantasea Water Sports to offer a full range of water activities. For vacationers and locals, 9 Beaches just may be the new summer hotspot.

This summer, the resort is trying out a new deal: an all-you-can-eat buffet and drink along with entertainment from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at the Dark 'n Stormy Beach Bar and Grill located directly on the water.

The resort is also offering an all-you-can-eat BBQ buffet deal on Sundays that will include assorted salads, chicken, sweet and sour ribs, penne pasta along with hamburgers and hot dogs. While there won't be any live music entertainment - boats are permitted to moor up at the resort's buoys and a tender will make 'door-to-door' runs from boats to the dock.

There will be live music five nights a week featuring the Better Days Band along with singer Lamont Robinson performing songs from the 60s, 70s, Bob Marley, Jimmy Buffet and assorted soca tunes. This Tuesday night was the first of the summer's "Island Nights" featuring the Dark 'n Stormy Dancers from Hawkins Island performing their fun and family-friendly limbo show.

"Besides performing live music, we built a stage for the band, added lighting, put a tent over the eating area of the deck and brought in the Dark 'n Stormy dancers," explained Mr Brannon.

One local resident who was at Tuesday night's show said, "When my wife and I first moved here a couple years ago, we immediately thought we would be listening to a lot of live music on the beach in our flip flops. That just hasn't been the case. We love the band here tonight - it's the first we have heard of them. Plus, the staff thought I was overdressed in a button-down shirt - it's definitely an atmosphere we've been looking for. And, you can't beat $75 all you-can-eat and drink deal."

In April of this year, 9 Beaches hired Chef Joseph Dolby to take over the food and beverage service at the resort. Chef Joseph earned his credentials at Canada's Chateau Lake Louise, a five-star Fairmont property where he oversaw 120 cooks in seven restaurants. He then moved to Grand Cayman to manage Breezes by the Bay, a lively local restaurant on the water.

At 9 Beaches, Chef Joseph developed what the resort describes as an "eclectic, ever-changing menu with internationally inspired modern cuisine" made with local and homemade ingredients.

"We make our own breads, fillet our own fish and meats, and make all of our desserts in-house. We try and support the local economy by purchasing local produce such as carrots, romaine lettuce, potatoes, tomatoes and fish like wahoo, tuna, rockfish and snappers from the local fisherman when the water temperature is right," he said. In an effort to go 'green', Chef Joseph also provides all the leftover foodstuffs to a local pig farmer.

The improvements and changes are certainly a reflection of the success they've had since the resort opened in 2005.

The ultra-casual, "flip-flops required" resort opened to hopeful beginnings offering travellers a completely different vacation experience from the traditional luxury resorts in Bermuda at a third of the price. Being that Bermuda is synonymous with luxury in the eyes of many travellers - the resort had to make it clear what the 9 Beaches experience is all about. In an effort to be as transparent as possible and provide potential customers with accurate information about the resort, management of 9 Beaches added TripAdvisor to its website, a feature which allows visitors to post unbiased reviews - the good and the bad - of the resort for the public to read.

Once the resort's ultra-casual vacation concept began permeating the tourism market and reaching the resort's target audience - laid-back, "outdoorsy", individuals that love the beach, water sports and don't need five-star luxury service - it's been smooth sailing ever since. By 2006 revenue increased 65 per cent and by 2007 revenue had more than doubled since the resort's opening season and there were record occupancy levels. So far this season, even on the heels of a tough opening month due to the unpredictable weather and the collective wallet-tightening due to the declining US dollar, the resort states that it is "running ahead of 2007" in terms of revenue.

All the while, good TripAdvisor reviews increased as well. TripAdvisor attracts nearly 30 million monthly visitors and features real advice from real travellers covering more than 300,000 hotels and attractions. According to the site, 9 Beaches is now ranked as the 6th most popular hotel out of 33 in all of Bermuda.

"Every hotel has its place," explained Robin Gilbert, who has been the general manager of 9 Beaches for the past year. "But we feel our time has come. There is an ever-decreasing amount of people that want a brick-and-mortar type hotel.

"We have had people coming off cruise ships who took tours of the property and then have come back to us the following year. While a majority of our customers are from the U.S., we have seen an increasing amount of people coming from the UK.

"Baby Boomers like us because they have done the whole five-star hotel thing and are looking for something totally different. Our over-the-water cabanas concept is similar to what you would find at a resort in Fiji or the Pacific and we are the closest thing (in proximity) that people are looking for. We are the hotel of the future."

Local residents can get a great deal, too, says Mr Gilbert. "It's a fun and invigorating environment where locals can get a great local rate - $199 for two people, which includes tax and gratuity and breakfast."

For more information on this summer's entertainment options visit www.9beaches.com. Dinner and entertainment tickets for 9 Beaches' "Island Nights" can be purchased at bermudatix.com.