Bermuda
When you think of Bermuda you might think of a Beach Boys Song, its stunning beaches or the Bermuda Triangle. While they are all part of Bermuda history the small Island owned by the British is so much more. Its a beautiful Island full of lush greenery, pink sand beaches and an interesting history and culture. The Island has been inhabited since the early 1600s and has a city that is a Unesco World Heritage site (St. George’s). The Island of Bermuda is not just one Island but a collection of over 100 Islands. The British own Bermuda as a British Overseas Territory but the Island has its own government and currency. Most people think of Bermuda as a Caribbean Island but its actually pretty far North in the Atlantic. It has one of the furthest North Coral Reef systems in the world surrounding the islands. Donna and I visited Bermuda on a cruise and spent three very nice days. We did a ride variety of activities on the Island. From snorkeling and cliff jumping, to shopping and visiting historical spots Bermuda has a little bit of everything.
Getting to Bermuda and Transportation
There are a few ways to get to the shores of Bermuda. There are numerous flights from different airports in North America to and from L.F. Wade International Airport in Bermuda that can be fairly low in price. The other option to get to Bermuda is by cruise. Donna and I went by a Norwegian Cruise to Bermuda that allowed us to overnight there two nights and we spent three days on the Island. There are many beautiful resorts in Bermuda and you will not find any chain hotels such as Hilton or Marriott on the island due to laws against chains in Bermuda. The resorts can be pretty pricey but they are very beautiful. I recommend the cruise option if you are looking for a more affordable option. When in Bermuda there are a few options for transportation. You are not allowed to rent a car in Bermuda since there are laws that limit the number of cars on the small Island. You are able to rent Mopeds if you want to drive to places on your own. The other options other than guided tours are the extensive bus system and the ferry boat system. Both the bus and ferry system are easy to use and are both cost effective. The buses are all a pretty pink color so they all stand out. The ferries run to the major points on the island such as the Royal Navy Docks, the capital city of Hamilton and the Unseco World Heritage city of St. Georges. We took guided tours as well as used the public transportation.
Other Country Information
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory but it has its own Government so it is almost like an independent country. In Bermuda they drive just like they do in the UK so it is opposite of what North Americans are used to. Chain restaurants and businesses are not allowed in Bermuda by law so other than the one KFC that was there before the rule was passed all the businesses are small business. English is the language spoken in Bermuda and the currency of Bermuda is the Bermuda Dollar. The Bermuda Dollar is always equal in value to the US Dollar and the US Dollar is widely accepted on the Island. Bermuda currency is very colorful and would make a nice souvenir to bring back home. Credit Cards are also available to be used throughout the Island.
Blue Hole Park (Tom Moore's Jungle)
On our first day in Bermuda we decided to take an adventure tour of the island that focused on the natural aspects on Bermuda. Our first stop after passing over multiple Islands, seeing some of the beautiful pink sand beaches, and also passing over the worlds smallest drawbridge (its a single plank of wood that allows sails from a sail boat to pass) was the Blue Hole Park. Its a woodland area with many unique plants and many trails you can take. There are also caves and small cliffs that lead to deep blue holes throughout the park. We took some of the trails to arrive at the Blue Hole. On this excursion we wore our swim suits since we knew we were going to do some more adventurous things. At the Blue Hole there are two cliffs you can jump off. One was about 10 ft tall and the other around 15-20 ft tall. Donna and I both went to each Cliff and jumped off into the water below. It was an exhilarating experience as we have never done cliff jumping. After the small group of less than 20 people had their fill of cliff jumping we continued walking through the forest with the gear they provided for us (hard hats for our next adventure).
We continued walking through some small winding trails through the woods to a small cave opening. Bermuda has an abundance of Limestone and it is actually what building roofs are made of on the island. Bermuda is a volcanic made island (the volcano is long extinct) and does have a few caves you can tour. We wore hard hats to tour the cave since the passages in the small cave are very narrow and low. The cave had many Stalactite formations that you could easily bump your head on. We used our flashlights in the cave since unlike most tourist caves this cave had no lighting in it. It was an interesting tour and one of the more strenuous cave tours I’ve taken even though it is a small cave. It was all part of the adventure of the day. After we were done touring the cave we put up our gear and continued walking through the forest.
Our final stop in the Blue Hole Park was to go swim in a cave filled with water. Like the other cave it was not lit by any lighting so it did add the the sense of adventure. We could see a variety of cave formations as we got into the relatively cold water (you get used to it). We swam through the cave as we went into an area where the cave narrowed. There is no danger of getting bit by anything in the cave so that did not worry us. We had never swam in a cave before so it was another very unique experience.
Bermudan Lunch and Snorkling
After the hiking and swimming it was time to go to a local small restaurant to eat fish and try Bermudan Ginger Beer. The food was very good and fresh. The lunch was included in our excursion price we paid to Norwegian.The Ginger Beer was very good and a unique flavor. One of the few local drinks in Bermuda. After our nice lunch we went to a nice beach near the former US Naval Base to do some snorkeling. We brought our own snorkeling equipment with us and went on a snorkel in the crystal clear waters that surround Bermuda. Being in April the water was a little chilly but it still was a nice swim. We could see plenty of fish and it was a pretty nice swim for about an hour. We dried off and then headed back to our last two stops before we headed back to our ship docked at the Royal Navy Dockyards.
Sea Turtles and Ice Cream
Our final two stops were a brief stop at the Bermuda Aquarium, Zoo and Natural History museum to see the Sea Turtles in front of the facility and a stop at the small Bailey’s Bay Ice Cream that offered many unique flavors like Rum Swizzle for example. A scoop of ice cream was also included in the price of the tour. It was a nice last couple of stops to finish out the nice tour we had that day. The Norwegian excursion cost around $120 a person and included all admissions, lunch, tour guide, and transportation.
Touring the Royal Dockyard and Minuture Golf
One of the benefits of a Bermuda cruise is the ship stays docked for two nights and operates as a hotel where you can leave the ship via the gangway at any time. So after eating dinner on the ship we decided to tour the historic Royal Dockyard area. Its the site of the former Royal Navy base and is now where cruise ships dock. Its home to a Fort that is now the National Museum of Bermuda, many shops and restaurants, a beach available for snorkeling and one of the best miniature golf courses in the world. We walked through the Clock Tower Mall that is in an old warehouse built by the Royal Navy and browsed through the artists and other shops in the mall. We also went and tried the local beer and one of the famous drinks in Bermuda at a very nice pub called the Frog and the Onion pub. Bermudans are called onions so the pub partially gets its name from that. Bermuda is famous for the Rum Swizzle and is a very nice rum/fruit drink. WE decided to try out the 18 hole Fun Golf Miniature Golf course just a short walk from our dock. Its miniature versions of famous golf courses around the world such as Augusta, courses in Scotland and courses in Bermuda (Bermuda is know for its award winning golf courses). We came after sunset so we played glow golf, which was a lot of fun. They have a bar on the course where you can try local drinks. We tried another famous Bermudan drink called the Dark and Stormy there. The Dark and Stormy is made from dark rum and ginger beer. After the very nice evening in the Royal Dockyards we walked through the Bermuda Moon Gate (they say if you kiss while walking through it you will have good luck) we headed back to the ship for the evening to rest for our next days tour. We felt very safe walking around the Royal Navy Dockyard and night and many of the attractions in the area are affordable. You can easily make a day touring the area like we did as well on our final day in Bermuda.
Island Tour Excursion
On our second day in Bermuda we opted for a tour that allowed us to see most of the sites on the Island. This tour cost less than $100 a person and included the transportation, tour guide and the option to be driven back to the ship after the tour or a ferry ride from Hamilton to the Royal Navy docks just in case you wanted to spend some more time in Hamilton. We started this tour by driving past many of the unique, colorful homes in Bermuda. In Bermuda there is no fresh water so the roofs of the homes look like white stair cases/pyramids since they are designed send rain water into a cistern for each home’s use. The Island’s power is also generated by ocean going ship engines so the Island is looking into alternatives such as harnessing the ocean currents to generate power. Our first stop was the scenic view point and lighthouse called Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse. From this high point you can see much of the island, bay and coral reef. The Queen of England admired the view from this point when she visited Bermuda. We stopped there for around 20 minutes so we did not have time to tour the lighthouse but we did visit the small gift shop at the base of the lighthouse. After our stop we continued touring the Island as we headed towards the far end of the Island and Historic St. George’s town.
We continued through the Island towards St. George’s. We first stopped at a beach were our guide took pictures for many of the small group tour we were a part of. After the nice beach stop we arrived in St. George’s (about an hour away from the other tip of the Island). This Unesco Heritage Site is full of old buildings, British Forts, a replica of a ship that visited Bermuda you can tour for a couple dollars and demonstrations of punishment in the old days by dunking someone in the ocean. Our tour guide gave us a overview of the city as we walked to King’s Square after that we had around an hour to tour the small town on our own. We went and toured the replica ship Deliverance to see how truly small the ship was from the inside. The ship was used by people stranded on Bermuda to get to Jamestown Virginia. The ship has interesting museum displays explaining what items in the ship are used for. We then went and visited one of the oldest protestant churches in the New World. Built in the early 1600s St. Peter’s Church is a simple but beautiful church in the center of St. George’s. There were local guides in the church who could tell you more about it. Donna and I then walked through the city towards the ruins of a church and a fort on the tip of the island. We spent the last bit of our free time walking back to King’s Square and stopping by a historic house for tour and looking at some of the small shops. Our tour van picked us up and then took us to downtown Hamilton. Donna and I opted to be dropped off there so we could tour their capital city and see more things on our own.
Hamilton and the Bermuda Aquarium, Zoo and Natural History Museum
After our tour ended we walked the streets of the capital city of Hamilton. Its one of the smallest populated capital cities in the world. The streets were lined with beautiful flowers and parks. There are many shops and restaurants around the city as well as museums. We walked by the small capital buildings in the center of the city and visited a few gift shops. We also visited the beautiful Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Hamilton. The people of Hamilton are very friendly and helped us at one point when we were looking for a specific street. We felt safe walking through the city. After touring the city we decided to hop on a Bermuda Bus and go to the Bermuda Aquarium, Zoo and Natural History Museum. The aquarium explains a lot about the local sea life and coral reef in the area. Bermuda is near the Sargasso Sea that is home to the Sargassum Seaweed that floats all the way to the Texas coast at certain times in the year. The Zoo is nice but small since Bermuda is not home to many large animals due to its distance from any land mass. They believe that the small animals that did make it to Bermuda before humans might have made it there on driftwood and survived the long trek across the ocean. It is a nice Zoo with a great view of the bay but do not expect any large animals like lions there. Attached to the Zoo and aquarium is the Natural History Museum that talks more about the history of the island and the animals that have made Bermuda home. It also talks about the people of the Island. The Aquarium, Zoo and Natural History museum can all be visited on one ticket and are worth visiting. It will take you a little over an hour or so to visit this site.
Ferry ride back to the Ship
After riding the bus back to Hamilton from the Aquarium, Zoo and Natural History Museum (the bus system is easy to use if you get tokens from the bus depot) we waited in line for the ferry from Hamilton to the Royal Dockyards. The ferries can be faster than taking the bus to some point in the island and it makes for a nice boat ride. You will need to make note of the ferry times so you do not end up missing the last ferry for the day. We boarded the ferry and had a nice scenic ride to the dock near our ship.
Late Night Bermuda Triangle Cruise
We decided to take a late night (10 pm) cruise on a glass bottom boat out into the reefs and ship wrecks that make the Bermuda Triangle famous. It was pitch black as we road into the ocean near the Island. The captain of the ship gave us a good history of the area and the legends of the Bermuda Triangle. After getting close to the reef we went to the bottom of the ship to look out the windows to see the fish swimming through the coral. The ship used lights to attract the fish. We then passed over the wreck of a ship that had hit the reefs. Since it was shallow water you could see it above the water as well. On the way back to the dock right next to our cruise ship the crew served us Bermuda Rum Swizzles. It was a nice hour or so cruise and we learned more about the Bermuda Triangle. The high concentration of reef around Bermuda makes it especially dangerous for ships. We saw that first hand while leaving Bermuda that there is an abundance of reef in the area. This tour was less than $50.
The National Museum and Royal Dock Yards
On our final day we decided to visit the last part of the Island we had not explored completely. We stayed near the ship and visited the National Museum of Bermuda at the Royal Dockyards. The final day in Bermuda is only a partial day so you can book excursions but since the ship left around 3 pm and you need to be back on board around 2 pm we found it best to see what was around the ship. The National Museum of Bermuda is a nice museum to visit. You can see the buildings of the British Navy Fort, various exhibits about the early history of the island including many artifacts from the past and exhibits on electricity on the island and a collection of Bermudan ships in the outer buildings. In the main building you can see exhibits on Bermuda during world war one and two, history of tourism on the island, Bermudan Currency, the history of the capture of the German U-505 and it being brought to Bermuda, and many other exhibits. There is a great view of the area from the upstairs porch. Its a nice way to spend a morning. The museum took us a couple hours to go through. After the museum we walked some of the other historic buildings and looked at the Dolphins at the Dolphin Encounter at the museum. We still had some extra time so we paid the small entrance fee to snorkel one more time at the nearby beach. We were able to see many brilliant fish and coral in the crystal clear water. It was incredibly relaxing and a great experience seeing all the unique fish and coral. We spent as much time as we could on this beach and snorkeling before we reluctantly went back to the ship and bid the wonderful Island of Bermuda goodbye (hopefully not for good!).
Bermuda Tips
Bermuda can be a relatively expensive place to visit depending on how you do it. The cruise option in my opinion gives you a good amount of time to see much of the island while having your hotel and food paid for. When on the island using a combination of tours/excursions and public transportation to tour the Island on your own is the best way to go. While the beaches and snorkeling is great in Bermuda you should take some time to go to some of the museums and take in the interesting sights and culture of the Island. While renting mopeds is an option the roads are winding, narrow and can be crowded (part of the reason for the limit on cars, one per household) so unless you are very familiar with driving a moped I would recommend sticking to public transportation and tours for your own safety. If you get the chance go to Bermuda its a beautiful Island with a European Culture close to home.
