This was my first time to Bermuda and it blew me away. Especially the water. The water and its varying colors from aqua to turquoise to a deep blue stole my heart. Bermuda is such a charming island, from its colorful architecture, helpful locals, and beautiful beaches. We only had three days to explore, so we tried to make the most of our time seeing the beaches and tasting local foods. If you only have a couple days on Bermuda, here are some things I highly recommend checking out...
WHAT TO DO
1. South Shore Beaches
The beaches along the south shore are AMAZING, with each one being different than the next. Horseshoe Bay Beach is by far one of the most popular beaches on Bermuda. And for good reason! It has a large crescent shape, clear waters, and pink sands. It can get quite crowded during the summer, especially when the cruise ships are in. But if you venture off to the left side, behind some large rock outcroppings, you'll find less crowds. Jobson's Cove is another beautiful spot to visit, and a must-see in my opinion. Some other beautiful south shore beaches to explore include Church Bay, Warwick Long Bay, Stonehole, and Chaplin Bay. These are far less crowded, and sometimes you can even have one of these all to yourself!
2. Rent a Boston Whaler
We rented a boston whaler one morning and had such a great time exploring Bermuda's coastline, harbors, and islands. We rented our boston whaler through Somerset Bridge Watersports and I would highly recommend renting with them. We took our boat to a (REALLY) small island off of Somerset and had our own private beach for the morning. It was so beautiful!! And the sand was probably the softest sand I have ever felt! I could have spent the entire day on that little island with just my husband and baby and be perfectly content!
3. Visit the City of Hamilton
I didn't have any expectations out of Hamilton, and to be honest it wasn't high on my "must-see" list, but I'm so glad we ventured in, because it really is a charming city. We spent the afternoon in Hamilton grabbing a late lunch and then meeting up with a local friend for some frozen yogurt.
WHAT WE MISSED
Where ever we travel, I ALWAYS have a long list of places I want to see and experience. Most of the time my list is longer than we're capable of checking the items off. Here are some things that were on my list that we didn't make it to...
1. St. George's
St. George's is on the other side of the island from where we spent most of our time. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has an unfinished church that I would have loved to have seen.
2. The Caves
Crystal Cave and Fantasy Cave in Hamilton Parish were high on my list to see, but we never made it out there. I had originally wanted us to go the caves after walking around Hamilton, but we got to Hamilton so late that it would have been too long of a day for Corey. And I was kinda secretly looking forward to trying out this ice cream parlor, Bailey's, that's located near the caves. Hopefully next time we'll make it out to the caves and for some ice cream ;)
3. Art Mel's
When I was researching yummy places to eat in Bermuda, I came across Art Mel's. They supposedly make the best fish sandwich on the island, and many reviews have claimed it's the best fish sandwich EVER. They have two locations - one in Hamilton and another in St. George's. This place is high on my list when we go back to Bermuda!
IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING
Hike the south shore beaches between Warwick Long Bay and Horseshoe Bay. Hiking between the two, you'll find a beautiful cove (Jobson's Cove) and many secluded beaches with breathtaking views of the water. I'm not sure I'd even classify it as "hiking." If you don't stop at any of the beaches in between, it's only about a 10 minute walk from Warwick Long Bay to Horseshoe Bay. Tourists typically go to Horseshoe Bay first and then hike to Warwick Long Bay. But I suggest going the opposite way, start at Warwick Long Bay and then hike to Horseshoe Bay. When you get to Warwick Long Bay take in the views for a little bit then veer off to the right along the sandy path and you'll immediately arrive at Jobson's Cove. Definitely spend some time at Jobson's Cove. The water is clear and you can see HUGE parrot fish along the rocks. When you're ready to continue on with the hike, just walk away from Warwick Long Bay along the paths. At one point the path will go up a hill and you'll get these gorgeous views overlooking the beaches.
WHERE TO EAT
We had lunch at Flanagan's Irish Pub in Hamilton per a recommendation from a local bus driver. We tried the local catch wahoo bites for an appetizer, which were tasty! The food was pretty good, but I think this place is known for their cocktails. My husband had the "peachy picnic" or something like that, and it was GOOD! It was one of those drinks where its goes down faster than you realize.
We also had lunch at a Woody's in Somerset Village per the recommendation from our boat rental guide. Danny and I both ordered the burgers, and they were really really good. We had our rental boat at the time, so we just pulled up to the restaurant to dock our boat and then had lunch. It's that kind of restaurant where you don't know what to expect out of the food, but when you taste the food your blown away on how good it tastes. I'd definitely go back for another burger!
Some other places that were recommended to us that we didn't get to, include Barracuda Grill in Hamilton, The Swizzle Inn in Hamilton Parish, and Henry VIII Restaurant and Bar in Southhampton Parish.
WHAT I KNEW ON THE LAST DAY I WISH I HAD KNOWN ON THE FIRST DAY
The transportation around Bermuda is via ferry, bus, scooter, and taxis. Now the taxi are plentiful albeit expensive. We relied mostly on the public buses to get around Bermuda, but for the couple days we were visiting, both my husband and I agreed we should have just taken the taxis. There were several occasions where we waited between 20-40 minutes just for the bus to arrive. The time it took to wait for the bus we could have already arrived at our next spot had we taken the taxi. So if you can budget it, definitely take the taxi. And if you go without any kiddos then definitely rent a scooter!
BERMUDA AND A BABY
Bermuda is definitely do-able with a baby! The one thing I worried most about when planning our trip was the transportation issue with a baby. I called the Bermuda tourism office and they confirmed that you don't need to bring a carseat for the bus or taxi. That was a huge relief. I was dreading having to lug that thing around all day. The only exception to that is if you ride in a privately-owned vehicle, then a carseat would be needed. For traveling on the bus with a baby make sure to bring an umbrella-sized stroller with you. The locals are not fans of the large SUV-like strollers we have here in the US - they just take up too much room on the bus.
And if you decide to do any hiking with a baby, I highly recommend investing in a baby carrier intended for hiking. We bought the Kelty Child Carrier from REI, and we definitely used it a ton! It was nice to be hands free and not have to deal with a stroller when we ventured out to the beaches.
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