A 3 Night Stay in Bermuda

Why have we never been here before? That is the question of the century! Our flight from Boston to Bermuda was under 2 hours each way. As soon as I saw the most beautiful blue water from the airplane window, I knew I was going to love this vacation. Such an easy trip. We left Boston at 8:15 am and were at our hotel in Bermuda well before lunch, even though the time difference is one hour ahead. Bermuda is an island 643 miles off the coast of North Carolina. It is a small island, only 21 miles long and less than 2 miles wide. Bermuda was once British rule but is now their own entity. The homes and buildings in Bermuda are unique as they are all painted in various pastel colors, with the unwritten rule stating that they cannot paint one home the same color as the neighbors’. The roofs are all painted white over a curiously constructed water drainage system that directs rainwater from the roof to water collection tanks below each home. The natives are very proud of their island and so appreciative for the visitors. Crime is very low and is reported to be typically native on native, not against tourists.

Weather

The weather is not as hot as Caribbean islands, only reaching mid 80’s in the summer months, with the hottest and wettest time being August. Their Spring season runs from March – April/early May. It is the driest in May and warms up throughout the month to the mid 70’s which is great for us as we are not those people who layout on the beach for hours. Mid 70’s was perfect for walking around to site-see and exploring coves along the beaches. Because Bermuda is located in the Atlantic off the Eastern Seaboard, September and October are hurricane watch months, though they haven’t had a significant hurricane in a few years. November – February is their off season when most tourist destinations are closed. Many don’t open until April.

Transportation on Island

Scooters

Bermuda does not allow cars to be brought onto the Island or for tourists to rent cars, other than electric minicars. Scooter rental is available but is not recommended. We were forewarned that it is pretty dangerous as the roads are narrow and winding, and Bermudians drive on the opposite side of the street. We heard of several scooter accidents while we were there that usually stem from looking the wrong direction before taking a turn or passing through an intersection.

Micro cars

You can rent a micro car that is a little electric vehicle (EV) to get around and its pretty fun. They are called Tazari’s or Twizy’s. Some have one seat in front and one in back, however the back seat looks as though nobody over 10 could fit in it. We opted for the Tazari with side by side seats and it was surprisingly comfortable. We rented over near the Swizzle Inn as we used it to get around the Northern part of the island and St. Georges. Unfortunately they only have a range of about 43 miles before needing a charge so we didn’t want to rent from the Hamilton Princess then drive up North, around for site seeing and then back. We weren’t too sure how about charging it. You can only rent them for 24 hour blocks, but we only actually used ours for a few hours then returned it.

Buses

The buses, referred to as the Blue and Pink buses, are in expensive and can get you all over the island. We did not try buses, but we did see plenty of people at the stops who were using them.

Taxis and Hitch

Taxis were plentiful but pricey. This is not a surprise considering the outrageous cost of gas in Bermuda. All the taxis that we saw were vans and very roomy and clean. All the drivers that we encountered were wonderful. We found out so much about the island and were given recommendations on dining, etc… during our taxi rides. Using taxis was like getting a guided tour. We taxied to and from the airport costing about $45 each way. The Hamilton Princess does not offer an airport shuttle. There is also an app for the phone called “hitch” that is Bermuda’s equivalent to “Uber”. We did download, but never used.

Ferries

The ferry system was a convenient way to get to and from the Navy Dockyard from Hamilton and only ran about $5 each way. Ferries also run from Nany Dockyard to St. George, so we could have coordinated our ferry schedules so we could have gone to St. George by ferry, but we really love chatting with the Taxi drivers.

Cruise Ship Destination

Bermuda is a big cruise destination as well with ships coming from Boston and New York among other ports of origin. The ships used to dock right in the towns of Hamilton and St. George, but now that the ships have become enormous, they no longer fit. They dock across the harbor at Navy Dockyard and passengers can ferry or bus to these ports as they wish.

Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club

We stayed at the Hamilton Princess Hotel & Beach Club, a Fairmont hotel. This was definitely a splurge for us. We don’t typically stay in luxurious resorts, but man was it worth it. This place was amazing! All staff, door man, front desk, concierge, restaurant staff, housekeepers, jitney drivers and grounds people, were so warm, friendly and helpful. The grounds and buildings were pristine. There is beautiful artwork displayed throughout the resort.

The location of the resort is mid island and only a 10 minute walk to Front St in downtown Hamilton for shopping, restaurants and the ferry terminal. The views of the harbor were gorgeous from the hotel’s infinity edge pool and from our balcony.

The restaurants at the Hamilton Princess are top notch. Crown & Anchor was the casual spot for indoor or outdoor dining. 1609 is a nice Caribbean & Latin inspired restaurant. Intrepid is their art-deco, fine dining eatery featuring steak, and seafood, open for dinner only. There is also a café, The Duchess Café and Gelateria, that was great for coffee, breakfast sandwiches or grab and go lunch. Food and beverage service at the pools were top notch as well.

The Pink Palace, as the Hamilton Princess is affectionately known by native Bermudians, is on the harbor, not a beach. They do have 3 connected beaches that are about a 20 minute shuttle (jitney) ride away. There is a jitney schedule for complimentary transportation to between their Beach Club and the hotel. Their main beach has full amenities – a restaurant, The Princess Beach Club, with delivery service to you beach chair in the sand, as well as dressing areas, bathroom facilities and offers use of kayaks and paddleboards.

Other places to stay

While the Pink Palace is the crème de le crème, there are some other high end hotels and resorts to choose from. We checked out the the St. Regis Hotel Bermuda Resort, a Marriott hotel, in St. George. This is a new hotel that replaced an old resort. The place looked amazing, right on the beach, but was a bit of a distance to any downtown area. We drove past Grotto Bay Beach Resort and Spa that is right near the Swizzle Inn and the Crystal Caves and the St. George area. This resort also has a beach and a spa in its own crystal cave. There are many other hotel and resort options in Bermuda as well.

Hamilton Princess Beach Club

This private beach is a beautiful cove with the aquamarine water surrounded by an outcropping of rocks, making it a very private beach. It has towels, chairs and umbrellas free of charge. There are also 3 hammocks perched just above the water along the shoreline for rest and relaxation. There is a full-service restaurant on the beach and you can even have food and drinks brought to your beach chair. From the main beach, a short walk will bring you to the other 2 more secluded beaches without amenities.

Public Beaches

Bermuda is an island, so it is surrounded by beautiful beaches. We only had a few days, so we only experienced a few and left so many for our next visit.

Horseshoe Bay

The first beach we visited was Horseshoe Bay along the south shore of Bermuda. It was beautiful with, yes, pink sand. The beach had amenities and a place to grab food and drink, rent beach chairs and umbrellas. They also happen to have a little donut stand where they make the mini donuts in front of you! The area with the chairs does get busy with cruisers but the rest of the beach is wide open. If you keep walking along the shore, you can come to little hidden coves and beaches. Simply gorgeous. A trail starts here too where you can walk to other coves that are not accessible due to the craggy rocks.

Clearwater Beach

We visited Clearwater Beach on the northwest side of Bermuda after a taxi driver told us it was a favorite of the locals. He was correct. Clearwater Beach is a gorgeous crescent of pink sand with amenities. It is, however, right behind the airport so a bit unnerving. The views were stunning though.

Tobacco Bay

Tobacco Bay is a small but bustling little cove on the Northern part of the Island, near the St. Regis Hotel. It was beautiful. This beach had a different, livelier vibe than the other beaches we visited. The cove’s turquoise water was surrounded by beautiful volcanic rock formations with beautiful photo-ops everywhere.

Other swimming areas

We heard about rock or cliff jumping in Bermuda, but I am a chicken so that was out of the question for me. We did go see the Blue Hole which is a small swimming hole in the woods near the Swizzle Inn. There is a dock here where you can jump, but the water didn’t look too inviting to me. It was covered with a yellowy powder which I think was pollen. I’m glad we saw the Blue Hole, but I am not sorry we didn’t jump.

We also heard about going to the Admiralty House Park to jump from the rocks and climb up through the caves. This may have sounded fun in my 20’s but not so much in my 60’s. Needless to say we didn’t get there but I would like to check it out (not jump) on the next visit.

Our Daily Itinerary for Dining, Cocktails and Relaxation

We took most of our dinners and breakfasts at the hotel restaurants and ate out for lunch. The Crown & Anchor has a large breakfast buffet. They offer either just the continental portion of coffee, pastries and fruit or the full buffet including hot foods such as oatmeal, pancakes, eggs, bacon, potatoes and an omelet station. We did the full buffet 2 mornings and the Duchess Café for a lighter meal on the other. We did venture to St. George for lunch one day and dinner in Hamilton one night.

Day 1 (half a day)

We had a late lunch intentionally as we arrived at the hotel from the airport by noon and had a sunset cruise planned for 7pm. We figured we would grab something for dinner after that. We spent the afternoon getting to know the hotel and surrounding area. We sat by the pool and walked down to Front St. in Hamilton.

The Pickled Onion

We walked down Front St. midafternoon and found an upstairs restaurant overlooking the harbor, The Pickled Onion. I started with, of course, a rum swizzle and with pork belly bao buns. Delicious. The rum swizzle was adorned by a cute little mermaid hanging on the edge. Jim had an old fashioned and fish tacos. Also very good. We found the ferry terminal that we would be using to get to the Navy Dockyard for our sunset cruise later.

Navy Dockyard

We ferried over to the Navy Dockyard (15-20 minutes). This is where the cruise ships are, and where our sunset cruise left from. We gave ourselves some time to explore the area and have a cocktail at the Bone Fish. Not a place we can recommend. Our drinks, once we got them were good, but the service was atrocious. We were ignored for a good 10 minutes while the staff all stood around chatting and showing each other things on their phones. I finally went up and asked for a server. Our thought is they don’t rely on repeat customers as this is in the cruise port with lots of tourists coming and going.

The Navy Dockyard is an old navy yard so it has a lot of old stone buildings that have been repurposed into tourist shops and restaurants. It was a nice walk around checking it out.

Restless Native Sunset Cruise with Rum Swizzles and Cookies

I love a good sunset cruise when on vacation and the Restless Native didn’t disappoint. Our captain, Stephon, and first mate, Duncan, were awesome. They were short staffed as someone called out sick, but had they not said so, we wouldn’t have been aware. Stephon was great and engaging as well as a skilled sailor. He gave a wonderful explanation of various sites along the way to the perfect sunset spot in the harbor. Duncan baked chocolate chip cookies that were served with bottomless rum swizzles that they made on the boat. He kept going around filling glasses and offering warm chocolate chip cookies. I have been on other sunset cruises where different appetizers were supplied, but the cookies were good. The boat was an older catamaran so seating can be tricky on those. You can sit in the net or on an edge with your feet in the net. This boat also had a cabin with benches which was good for anyone with mobility issues. Standing anywhere along the deck offered gorgeous views of the sunset.

Crown & Anchor late night menu

By the time we ferried back it was close to 10 pm so we opted to get a late-night bite at the Crown & Anchor at the Hamilton Princess. We only ordered nachos and wings with 2 non-alcoholic cocktails, and all were very good.

Day 2 Beaches on the South Shore

Crown & Anchor breakfast buffet

We opted for the full breakfast buffet that was phenomenal. Both the cold and hot portions of the buffet had great selections that were all perfectly cooked. The staff was attentive with the coffee and clearing the dirty plates.

Horseshoe Bay

There is no shortage of gorgeous beaches in Bermuda. Most are congregated along the south shore of the island. We taxied to Horseshoe Bay which is stunningly beautiful. Horseshoe Bay is a long stretch of beach with a concentration of tourists at the very beginning where you can rent umbrellas and chairs. Cruisers arrive by the van load. We opted not to stay in this area but to walk along the shore. As we walked along, each view of the turquoise water was more stunning than the last.

The south shore is dotted with volcanic rock formations that create little secluded coves. There is also a trail that winds behind the sandy shore in the vegetation that goes for miles allowing access to coves that cannot be reached by walking the beach. We wanted to get to Jobson’s Cove, a gorgeous cove that is surrounded by rock formations, which was a bit more walking than we were equipped to do on this day. We made it about halfway, so more to investigate next time. A little further north, but still mid island is Elbow Beach which is supposed to be beautiful too.

Princess Beach Club

For lunch, we opted to grab a quick bite at the hotel’s beach restaurant, Princess Beach Club. We took the jitney from the hotel (20 minute ride), had lunch on the porch of the restaurant and hung out for a couple of hours at the beach. We split the herb and garlic prawn skewers that were served with sourdough toast points. Jim had the signature drink- a swizzle colada and I had a shaken piña colada. All top quality. We only wanted to split an appetizer as we had 6:30 dinner reservations at 1609 restaurant at the hotel. We went back to the hotel and lounged in the hot tub for a while.

1609

Dinner at 1609 was phenomenal! The way the restaurant is built, there are gorgeous views all around the walls of windows. From our table we were able to watch the sun set and turn the sky the most gorgeous golden yellow, pink and orange. For cocktails, I ordered a Sassy Pineapple which is a fruity tequila drink served in a pineapple glass. Jim ordered an Agave Old Fashioned, a tequila old fashioned. Both excellent. For an appetizer we order their choripán which is like a bruschetta only with chorizo, oregano and chimichurri sauce on top of a baguette. I ordered carne asada that came cooked to perfection over rice with very delicious chimichurri sauce for dipping. Jim ordered the charred octopus that came over a corn puree along with other accoutrements. Dessert was delicious. We shared the Carlota De Limón which was a creamy, partially frozen dessert. We of course ended our night in the Crown & Anchor for a night cap of espresso martinis 

Day 3 Northern Areas

The Duchess Café

We opted for a light breakfast at the Duchess Café at the hotel. We took our breakfast sandwich, pastry and lattes to an outdoor table. We were going to be traveling around the northern part of the island today, so we did not want to have too much. The Crystal Caves, The Swizzle Inn, Bailey’s Ice Cream and the Blue Hole are all very close to each other. We taxied to the Crystal Caves and visited all of these areas before renting an EV Tazari minicar to checkout Clearwater Beach, the town of St. George, Tobacco Bay and The St. Regis Hotel.

St. George

St. George is an older part of Bermuda and a little more quaint feeling than Hamilton area. A nice stroll down the waterfront or storefronts is a nice way to spend some time. We even saw a reenactment of an old dunking stool for a wife that did not obey her husband. If you look closely, you can see her dangling over the water on a cantilever.

Crystal Caves

The Crystal Caves are worth seeing once. Since this was our first trip, we felt we had to do it and they were amazing. The grounds were beautifully manicured and had roosters, chickens and chicks running around. The beautiful blue water with stalactites and stalagmites is amazing. The story goes that two boys found the cave when their cricket ball was lost in a hole in a field. When they climbed down to find it, this is what they found. Now it is a huge tourist destination in Bermuda. There are a lot of steps to traverse (88) to get down and (88) to get back up! Make sure you are up for the climb before taking this on. From the caves, it was only a short walk to the Swizzle Inn.

Swizzle Inn

We went to the Swizzle Inn for a sample of rum swizzles and a mezze platter for a tidbit. The saying is “Swizzle Inn and swagger out”. Later on, after we dropped off the EV minicar, we came back and ordered a pitcher of Rum Swizzles. In speaking to the bartender, it turns out her mother was originally from Abington, MA, not too far from us. We tacked up a dollar about the bar and anyone who finds it, I will give a dollar to. Also, come to find out that during the time today that we were not at the Swizzle Inn, Good Morning America filmed from the restaurant. They had just left when we returned. Our dollar is the one that says “Cheers! <3 The Hensley’s” over the middle seat of the inside bar downstairs. If you find it, send us a pic!!

Bailey’s Ice Cream

Before dropping the car off and heading back across the street to the Swizzle Inn, we stopped at Bailey’s for an ice cream. Jim had a dark and stormy ice cream cone that he said was delicious. I had banana ice cream in a cup. Yummy as well.

Wahoo’s for the traditional fish sandwich

We drove the EV to St. George and went to Wahoo’s for the infamous Bermudian fish sandwich. Bermuda’s traditional fish sandwich is fried (or you can request grilled) fish, typically wahoo, on raisin bread with lettuce and tomato. You can ask for toasted or untoasted raisin bread. The sandwich with “the works” is tartar sauce and coleslaw on the sandwich, otherwise it is served on the side. Some places include onion.

Other places to try the fish sandwiches are Art Mel’s and Rosa’s, both in Hamilton, though we hear that Art Mel’s is take out only. Our taxi driver told us we could order it for pickup and have a taxi drive you there, pick it up then go to a park nearby to eat. He did say that the restaurant is not in the best area.

Wahoo’s has indoor seating but a large deck for outdoor seating over the water. Our waitress was a professional and kept us waiting for nothing. The restaurant next door is White Horse and that looked like a nice place too.

St. Regis Bermuda Resort

We took a ride in the EV to the northern most point of Bermuda to check out the new St. Regis Bermuda Resort. We checked out the lobby, beach and pools. It looks fabulous though a ride from St. George.

Tobacco Bay

On our way to the St. Regis, we passed Tobacco Bay. We stopped to check it out and were greeted by a vivacious Bermudian woman who coaxed us from the parking lot to the beach area. She gave us the lay of the land showing us the beachside bar and restaurant, the chairs and umbrellas for rent, pool table in the sand (yup, that’s what I said) and the best photogenic spots in the area.

Clearwater Beach

We drove the EV to Clearwater Beach which is right behind the airport. The beach was beautiful and not too busy. We spent a little time here before dropping returning the car and taxiing back to the Hamilton Princess. We hung around the resort pools for the afternoon.

Deja View

For dinner, we ended up walking 10 minutes to Deja View, a little Asian fusion restaurant in a park right on the harbor. We were seated in the tent area, but there is an inside portion as well. We started with a glass of wine and a Deja View MaiTai, along with pork belly that came in a casserole dish. It was more like a stew, but it was good. I got the grilled scallops on couscous and Jim got the grilled local fish over salad. We skipped dessert here and walked back to the hotel to Intrepid, Hamilton Princess’ high-end steakhouse, for after dinner drinks and dessert.

Intrepid

Intrepid is beautiful. This was our last night, but we wished we had eaten one dinner here. The décor is old-world, 30’s-40’s. We grabbed 2 seats at the bar. The bartenders were very attentive. I had a glass of wine, but Jim got an old fashioned. They branded the iceblock right in the glass with their emblem, then positioned the Luxardo cherries on a toothpick so that the juice dripped onto the etching. Very fancy indeed. We concluded with a deconstructed tiramisu. It came out of the kitchen looking beautiful inside a metal ring that when they lifted it, allowed the ingredients to meld together.

We finished our last night in Bermuda sitting by a fireplace on the harbor toasting to our trip. It was a wonderful trip that we can’t wait to do again.

Day 4

We had a noontime flight so we had the full breakfast buffet at the Crown & Anchor figuring we wouldn’t have lunch until we got home around 2. This turned out to be a good plan. We left for the airport at 9:30 and got through customs fairly quickly. Bermuda has U.S. customs at their airport so no need to go through once back home.

If you have never been to Bermuda, please go. Don’t be like Jim and me. I have no good reason as to why we have never been. It is so close, beautiful and relaxing.

Until our next adventure,

Patti and Jim