Going to Bermuda, any advice?

[aZnRYcEbOi]

I'm heading to Bermuda during the Canada Day weekend with a couple friends. Does anyone have tips to share?

Which beaches are good to visit? Pink sand??
What kind of scooters should we rent and from where?
Any must-see sites?
Where are some good places/restaurants to eat and hang out?

Thanks in advance.

[crashcourse]

hmm we stayed at the Fairmont Southampton which had lots to do.. pink sand beach, tennis, golf.. and also a free ferry to their sister hotel The Fairmont Hamilton Princess which is a short walk to the shops and restaurants on Front street.
We didn't do much but suntanning and eating in the various restaurants in the hotel... we did walk around downtown Hamilton one afternoon...

[Mulder and Scully]

Stay away from the Triangle!

[mlc2000]

I'm heading to Bermuda during the Canada Day weekend with a couple friends. Does anyone have tips to share?

Which beaches are good to visit? Pink sand??
What kind of scooters should we rent and from where?
Any must-see sites?
Where are some good places/restaurants to eat and hang out?

Thanks in advance.

OK....where to start....If you don't know already, Bermuda is very pricey.

I've been twice, always rented at Oleander Cycles. Good bikes.
There's one near the Southhampton Princess.

The most famous beach is Horseshoe Bay but there are so many 'deserted' beaches on the south side of the island, it depends on what you're looking for. crowds, or peace and quiet, The water is as clear as a swimming pool.
On the north east side of the island is Tobacco Bay Beach (good for snorkelling)

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/itsfatboy/Bermuda4128.jpg

Its very safe and easy to get around the island. I found that a new telephone book has a map of the island with every single street, very easy to get around. I did the whole island in 2 days of riding, never once got lost.
You can ride all the way to the western tip of the island, the Royal Naval Dockyard and from there, take the scooters on a ferry to the otherside of the island. Scooters have a 'red tourist license plate'. It alllows you to park virtually anywhere u want, without fear of a ticket, also Bermudians will recognize that any scooter with a red plate is not familiar with the roads, and may not be driving too quickly...speed limit is only 45km/hr on the whole island, we are were hard pressed to get the scooters to 55.

There's a great little Italian restaurant called Little Venice,
its pricey but the food is fresh. Keep in mind, tips are already added to the bill so no need to tip again.

There's a cool bar/restaurant called the Swizzle Inn. Swizzle in, stagger out.
Its in Hamilton Parish. Its home to the rum swizzle (amber and black rum, triple sec, orange and pineapple juices, and bitters). Grab a spot in the shadowy bar -- plastered with business cards from all over the world.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/itsfatboy/Bermuda4192.jpg




Another famous Bermudian drink is called Dark and Stormy (Goslings Black Seal Bermuda Black rum + ginger beer).

Theres an old church in dowtown Hamilton, they have tower u can climb (hope you're not claustrophobic) the tower climb is a pretty tight fit.
From there u get a great view of the city, when u enter, close to the front, on the left are the church offices where u pay to go up. its pretty cheap.

On the north east corner of the island is an old armoury, its pretty cool

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/itsfatboy/Bermuda4184.jpg

Near Horseshoe bay is Giibs Hill light house, great views from up there.
That the Southanpton Princess in the background.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/itsfatboy/Bermuda030.jpg


There's lots of interesting little places to stop and explore. like i said, its very safe.

[hordosr]

sigh, i miss the Caribbean

[mlc2000]

Actually, Bermuda is nowhere near the Caribbean.

http://www.antor.org/images/bermuda-map.jpg

[aZnRYcEbOi]

mlc2000, thanks for the replies and the pics!

I can't wait!

[savingcash]

For scooters, I second the suggestion for Oleander Cycles, although I've always rented from the depot outside the Hamilton Princess.

If you plan on visiting the St. George side of the Island (which you SHOULD!), then consider stopping at Tucker's Towne, which is where most of the richest estates are. People like Ross Perot, the Italian PM, Michael Douglas, etc. have their vast mansions out here with private beaches, etc. A real gem.

As said before, bring LOTS of money---Bermuda is very expensive. You won't find small shops to get a cheap bite----things are ridiculously expensive such as $50USD per person for breakfest! To give you an example, we paid $16 for a regular watermelon at a grocery store one time we were there. You'll see what I mean...

As for beaches, consider visiting Warwick Long Bay (the Island's largest--about 1.5 km of pink sand). Its in Warwick Parish, en route to Horseshoe Bay (another famous beach) and probably considered the best beaches on the Island.

If you're staying on the opposite side of the Island (ie. St. George's area), then the beaches are not as pink, but they are a lot more secluded----also where more of the locals go (to get away from the tourism a bit).

[mlc2000]

For scooters, I second the suggestion for Oleander Cycles, although I've always rented from the depot outside the Hamilton Princess.

If you plan on visiting the St. George side of the Island (which you SHOULD!), then consider stopping at Tucker's Towne, which is where most of the richest estates are. People like Ross Perot, the Italian PM, Michael Douglas, etc. have their vast mansions out here with private beaches, etc. A real gem.

Its worth noting that Tuckers Town is gated, you won't get to see the big estates.
Sweet talk the guard and he may let you drive down to see the Tuckers Point Beach Club,
membership is a paltry $25/yr. Here it is....

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/itsfatboy/DSCF0071b.jpg

Word to the wise. If you're not caucasian, you won't be getting anywhere near that beach.
Tuckers Town is segregated. No blacks. When I was visiting a friend there (he's black), I showed him pix of Tuckers Town beach.

He had never seen this beach. He had been there over 3 yrs.

Tiger Woods and Oprah tried to buy estates in TT, they were turned down.
Its Bermuda's dirty little secret.

Here's a pic from the 17th tee boxes at The Tuckers Town Golf Club.
Thats Tuckers Town on the strip of land in the background...
Houses there are between $40M and $170M

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y188/itsfatboy/Bermuda4199.jpg

As said before, bring LOTS of money---Bermuda is very expensive. You won't find small shops to get a cheap bite----things are ridiculously expensive such as $50USD per person for breakfest! To give you an example, we paid $16 for a regular watermelon at a grocery store one time we were there. You'll see what I mean...

Yep, I paid $9 for a pack of 10 Curad bandaids, at a grocery store.
A pint of locally grown strawberrries is $10USD.



As for beaches, consider visiting Warwick Long Bay (the Island's largest--about 1.5 km of pink sand). Its in Warwick Parish, en route to Horseshoe Bay (another famous beach) and probably considered the best beaches on the Island.

If you're staying on the opposite side of the Island (ie. St. George's area), then the beaches are not as pink, but they are a lot more secluded----also where more of the locals go (to get away from the tourism a bit).[/QUOTE]

[aZnRYcEbOi]

Thanks for the responses!

Had a great time in Bermuda over the long weekend.

My highlights were:
- scootering around the entire island (rented from Eve's Cycles, as they had an airport pickup/dropoff service, and they were cheap)
- Canada Day celebrations at Chaplin's Bay Beach
- Horseshoe Bay Beach - the sand was really nice, comparable to some of the beaches in Hawaii (Maui) and Thailand
- walking along Warwick Long Bay
- super clear aqua water...i want to jump in everytime!

Some pics:

Harrington Sound
http://img56.imageshack.us/img56/7/20080629181ch0.jpg

Chaplin's Bay
http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/9913/20080628166ng2.jpg

Flatt's Village
http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/5700/20080629201gv9.jpg

Horseshoe Bay Beach
http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/9488/20080630260hi6.jpg

Warwick Long Bay
http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/2291/20080701012el3.jpg

Warwick Long Bay
http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/2852/20080701026id8.jpg

Warwick Long Bay
http://img383.imageshack.us/img383/9622/20080701002vn8.jpg

From Gibbs lighthouse
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/3098/pict3710resizewq5.jpg

[notanexpert]

Pink sand??

Mostly finely ground coral and sea shells, that gives it the pink hue.
Very nice place, friendly and very safe. My wife left her purse on the bus one time, and the bus driver dropped it off at our hotel in Flatts village on his way back, doing the same route to Hamilton. If that happened here in Toronto, I don't think we'd see the purse again...

[matdwyer]

Op, (and the other poster), BEAUTIFUL photos. Great Job.

[mlc2000]

Saw the pic from Gibbs lighthouse....have they fixed the railing yet?
Or was it taken from indoors?

[aZnRYcEbOi]

Saw the pic from Gibbs lighthouse....have they fixed the railing yet?
Or was it taken from indoors?

THe pic was taken outside at the top, where there is a white railing. The railing looks like it's new?

Here's a panoramic from the top

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/262/panogibbslighthouserq1.jpg

[mlc2000]

new railing. I was there in Sept 2005 and it was fine.
In May 2006, the railing was rotten and rusted.