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Bermuda excursions


Essie

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I can let you know in about 32 days.  I am on the August 13th cruise so will be in Bermuda on the 15th and 16th.  Taking my adult daughter with me.  Planning to spend the first day off the ship exploring Hamilton and Horseshoe Beach.  The second day will be cut in 2 because I have a girlfriend getting married at Noon on Elbow Beach.  Just a quick little ceremony but since it splits the day…I won’t be planning anymore island adventures!  Hoping for decent weather so we can truly enjoy this experience.

 I will follow since there may be others offering tips and advice which might also help me out!

 

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Back recently from Bermuda. Took the Hidden Gems Adventure Tour through Royal. Here's the itinerary.

We started at Tom Moore's Jungle hiking through Subway Cave (entered one side then exited another), then swam in Walsingham Cave (swam back into the passage beside the entrance to see a rock face), before ending with cliff jumping in the Blue Hole. The taller of the two spots to jump from, 15 feet, is apparently easier than the shorter due to how the cliff juts out. Spent about 2.5 hours in the Jungle. The morning part of this tour was fantastic.

AllTrails: https://www.alltrails.com/explore/trail/bermuda/hamilton/blue-hole-and-walsingham-cave

LonelyPlanet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/bermuda/st-georges-parish/attractions/blue-hole-park-walsingham-nature-reserve/a/poi-sig/1544638/357985

After lunch, we went over to the Cooper Island Nature Reserve for snorkeling (about 45 minutes of water time). Beautiful above water, lackluster below.

The tour was well worth the fee, however, it'd also be easy enough to do on your own if you were so inclined. Do be aware that while Subway Cave isn't that big, I wouldn't attempt navigating through it on your own unless you've got spelunking experience or have already been with a guide. The exit we took didn't look like an exit until we'd squeezed past a certain point and some of the navigation within the cave was slightly tricky. There was nifty things to see in the main entry room without needing to go further.

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  • 3 weeks later...
9 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Thanks for the tips @tagpsu.  I am thinking about heading over to Hamilton with my daughter and possibly renting mopeds?  We a,so want to check out Horseshoe Beach.  That restaurant sounds great again thanks!

You're very welcome. We liked Horseshoe Bay Beach more than Tobacco Bay Beach, but both were great. If you enjoy seafood and you are there during spiny lobster season, definitely try that. There is a wonderful jewelry store in Hamilton called Alexandra Mosher. I have spent way too much money in that store LOL. Have fun. We are going back to Bermuda next June.

9 minutes ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

 

 

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I LOVE BERMUDA!!! My favorite port I have ever traveled to.

Highly recommend Bermuda Byways tour. This isn't an excursion booked through RC, but Heidi is a 6th generation Bermudian and gives an incredibly comprehensive tour of the island. She will personalize the tour based on what the group wants, so no two tours are the same. For instance, my group didn't care to stay long in St George's, but she made a stop for all of us at the Swizzle Inn to try the original, legendary rum swizzle. Her tours give you a good sense of the island and its historical background for an incredibly good price. I cannot recommend her enough. 

Royal Naval Dockyard (the port town) has tons to see, if you're in a crunch for time. Make sure to grab a bite at Frog and Onion!! It's in a historic building and the drinks and eats are fantastic. 

Though it is "touristy", Horseshoe Bay is stunning and does not feel crowded. If you get there and walk left past the first set of "rock formation", you'll fine some seemingly unspoiled stretches of beach...all while being a 5-10 minute walk from the main drag/easy access back to the port/a tasty beach shack with food and drinks. Warwick Long Bay is worth a stop, if you have the time, but HB has that characteristic pink sand and is much easier to get to from Dockyard.

Take the ferry to Hamilton, time permitting. It's a nice ride, and some of the best shopping on the island is there. You won't find much authentic Bermuda merch in Dockyard, you'll want to save the shopping for Hamilton or St George's.

HAVE FUN!!!

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On 8/7/2022 at 9:34 AM, VeronicaS1970 said:

Quick question- when did you get your notification about the Bermuda travel authorization? We applied the first day we could, and sail on 8/18 and have not received any further information.  Just wondering when to panic!

I sail this Saturday and just got my approval Monday night.

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2 hours ago, ejp0514 said:

I LOVE BERMUDA!!! My favorite port I have ever traveled to.

Highly recommend Bermuda Byways tour. This isn't an excursion booked through RC, but Heidi is a 6th generation Bermudian and gives an incredibly comprehensive tour of the island. She will personalize the tour based on what the group wants, so no two tours are the same. For instance, my group didn't care to stay long in St George's, but she made a stop for all of us at the Swizzle Inn to try the original, legendary rum swizzle. Her tours give you a good sense of the island and its historical background for an incredibly good price. I cannot recommend her enough. 

Royal Naval Dockyard (the port town) has tons to see, if you're in a crunch for time. Make sure to grab a bite at Frog and Onion!! It's in a historic building and the drinks and eats are fantastic. 

Though it is "touristy", Horseshoe Bay is stunning and does not feel crowded. If you get there and walk left past the first set of "rock formation", you'll fine some seemingly unspoiled stretches of beach...all while being a 5-10 minute walk from the main drag/easy access back to the port/a tasty beach shack with food and drinks. Warwick Long Bay is worth a stop, if you have the time, but HB has that characteristic pink sand and is much easier to get to from Dockyard.

Take the ferry to Hamilton, time permitting. It's a nice ride, and some of the best shopping on the island is there. You won't find much authentic Bermuda merch in Dockyard, you'll want to save the shopping for Hamilton or St George's.

HAVE FUN!!!

Thanks for such a great explanation of the sights to see.  I will be there Monday and Tuesday so plan to take your info with me.  What is the best way to get to Horseshoe Bay?  My daughter and I haven’t booked any excursions but were thinking about purchasing transportation tickets at the dockyard for the ferry?  I believe someone mentioned somewhere on this blog that it’s easy to do that.  
We were also considering renting mopeds somewhere?  Thoughts?

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1 hour ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Thanks for such a great explanation of the sights to see.  I will be there Monday and Tuesday so plan to take your info with me.  What is the best way to get to Horseshoe Bay?  My daughter and I haven’t booked any excursions but were thinking about purchasing transportation tickets at the dockyard for the ferry?  I believe someone mentioned somewhere on this blog that it’s easy to do that.  
We were also considering renting mopeds somewhere?  Thoughts?

Best way to get to Horseshoe Bay IMO is minibus. These are readily available right at the port and run pretty frequently. If memory serves me right, it is $7/per person each way. The bus is air conditioned and the drive is lovely. I definitely wouldn't waste money on an excursion there, it's usually just the same transfers you can get at the port if you're willing to wait a few minutes for the bus to fill up (the minibus drivers will wait for an adequate number of passengers before heading out). If you're in a time crunch, taxi fare is $32 total each way to Horseshoe Bay. The advantage of this is that you do not have to wait for the bus to fill up and can usually schedule a pickup time. If you're directionally savvy, I know there are public bus routes that can get you relatively close to the beach itself. It really is just a few dollars more to do the direct minibus and saves the headache of having to walk from the bus stop and figure out the bus routes, so I wouldn't use the public buses unless you are trying to go to Warwick Long Bay.

It is easy to purchase ferry tickets at Dockyard, just look for the small circular building that says "Visitor Information Center" right outside the port gates. You can also pay in cash as you get on the ferry, if you don't have time to purchase a ticket/token. There is free wifi at the Visitor Center, too!

We didn't rent mopeds, but everyone who I spoke to that did rent mopeds agreed that unless you have a decided route beforehand, it just gets confusing to try and navigate the island that way. 

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1 hour ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

We were also considering renting mopeds somewhere?  Thoughts

Scooters (mopeds) aren't the safest anymore on the Bermuda roads.  I have been going to Bermuda since the late 70's and started riding the mopeds (now scooters) back then.  I love riding them but didn't feel as safe when I was riding one in 2019.  My friends that have lived in Bermuda forever even told me to be careful.  In 2021 & 2022 I have rented the Twizy which is a 2 person electric vehicle and I love them.  This is the link to the website that rents them but you MUST reserve them online before you even get to Bermuda   https://www.currentvehicles.com/.  Also remember that they drive on the left.

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2 hours ago, MaryS said:

Scooters (mopeds) aren't the safest anymore on the Bermuda roads.  I have been going to Bermuda since the late 70's and started riding the mopeds (now scooters) back then.  I love riding them but didn't feel as safe when I was riding one in 2019.  My friends that have lived in Bermuda forever even told me to be careful.  In 2021 & 2022 I have rented the Twizy which is a 2 person electric vehicle and I love them.  This is the link to the website that rents them but you MUST reserve them online before you even get to Bermuda   https://www.currentvehicles.com/.  Also remember that they drive on the left.

Sounds like fun!  Thanks for this info

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/9/2022 at 9:28 PM, ejp0514 said:

I LOVE BERMUDA!!! My favorite port I have ever traveled to.

Highly recommend Bermuda Byways tour. This isn't an excursion booked through RC, but Heidi is a 6th generation Bermudian and gives an incredibly comprehensive tour of the island. She will personalize the tour based on what the group wants, so no two tours are the same. For instance, my group didn't care to stay long in St George's, but she made a stop for all of us at the Swizzle Inn to try the original, legendary rum swizzle. Her tours give you a good sense of the island and its historical background for an incredibly good price. I cannot recommend her enough. 

Royal Naval Dockyard (the port town) has tons to see, if you're in a crunch for time. Make sure to grab a bite at Frog and Onion!! It's in a historic building and the drinks and eats are fantastic. 

Though it is "touristy", Horseshoe Bay is stunning and does not feel crowded. If you get there and walk left past the first set of "rock formation", you'll fine some seemingly unspoiled stretches of beach...all while being a 5-10 minute walk from the main drag/easy access back to the port/a tasty beach shack with food and drinks. Warwick Long Bay is worth a stop, if you have the time, but HB has that characteristic pink sand and is much easier to get to from Dockyard.

Take the ferry to Hamilton, time permitting. It's a nice ride, and some of the best shopping on the island is there. You won't find much authentic Bermuda merch in Dockyard, you'll want to save the shopping for Hamilton or St George's.

HAVE FUN!!!

The idea of leather mouse pad is crazy. It would definitely be a good suggestion.

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