Blah Blah Blah, Another Bermuda Planning Thread

Reading all the other threads is taking a long time, although I will continue doing so in addition to creating this one.

Headed to Bermuda in two weeks on the Breakaway, so we get the Wednesday morning arrival, Friday evening departure deal. My boyfriend is 31, I'm 26, neither of us drinks a lot, parties, goes to clubs, etc.

What we do to excess is photography. If he had his way, no nook of Bermuda would go unexplored and unphotographed by us, but FOOL! AIN'T NOBODY GOT TIME FOR THAT!

So we're trying to keep our "See this, photograph that!" list reasonable. We will not be renting bikes or anything of the two-wheeled variety, so transportation will be down to ferries, buses, taxis, kayaks, and, when all else fails, our feet. Lucky us, we both have two, with no plans to acquire or lose any prior to or during the trip.

So if you had a backpack full of camera equipment, an SO with his/her own backpack full of camera equipment, and a desire to see and experience the best of Bermuda, where would you go?

I'm thinking day one we can hit up St. George and work our way west, making sure we're back at the dockyard for our evening cruise into the Bermuda Triangle. Day two we'll go into Hamilton for a few hours, then maybe the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse? If we can get over by Tom Moore's Jungle that'd be nice, but I'm not sure if that's realistic. We'll be eating lunch and dinner on the island day two for sure, regardless, so we can maximize our time on-shore. Day three will be all about the water. I was thinking of renting a two-person kayak from H2O Sports for a few hours early in the day, then kayaking around, hitting up beach-like areas as we go (cameras still in-hand, just far more carefully). Then maybe in the afternoon we can do the Dockyard for a bit before getting back on the ship as late as we can manage without being abandoned by the ship.

Would St. George and area be worth doing on the longer day? Or maybe there's a chance we could fit Tom Moore's Jungle in on day one? I don't know.

Also, tea. Tea is very important to us on this trip, as it is one of his main goals and missions. He wants to drink tea and he wants to acquire some to take home. I'm personally interested in the rum cakes and ice cream I keep reading about. Recommendations on these would be much appreciated.

Hi,

Let me take a shot a this...:p

Fisrt, as per Bermuda cruise ship schedule, the Breakaway will be the only ship at the Dockyard for the 3 days. This means less crowed everything on the Island, less crowed beach, ferries, bus, taxi, etc... So that's a good thing !!!

Second, I would get off the ship as soon as I could on Wednesday to catch the 9:30 ferry to St-George, 45 minute trip, so you are there around 10:15.

The must see places for pictures, IMO, are : #1 the Unfinished Church ( it's not open to public, meaning you can't get inside, but you will get some amazing shots from the outside, then St-Peter's church, the replica of the ship the Deliverance, Somers Garden, Fort St-Catherine, etc...

DEPENDING on what time is your night cruise... :

Now if you want to visit Tom Moore's jungle, you are only 20 minutes away from St-George by bus. I would do that mid-afternoon after St-George. You can have a bite in St-George, or at the Swizzle Inn near Tom Moore's Jungle.

After that, take a bus to Hamilton ( 30 minutes ) and ferry to ship ( 20 minutes ) .

If you can't make it on the first day to Tom Moore"s Jungle, you might want to get there on the next day. You would have to hit Hamilton early via ferry, explore Hamilton and then travel to the "Jungle" ( 30 minutes bus ride in direction of St-George )

Day 3 is completely up to you, I never rented kayaks to get on a couple of beaches. Yes in the afternoon the Dockyard is a good idea.

As for tea...it seems that the most convenient place to go ( with good quality also ) is the pastry shop in the Dockyard. It is located at the right of the Clock tower mall. It was featured in an article in the Royal Gazette not too long ago.

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask !

Have fun !

Aah! Yay, thank you for your tips! Our cruise into the Bermuda Triangle is at 8pm, so perhaps the first will work. We're not planning on returning to the ship for meals if we can help it as we'd much rather eat on the island and enjoy what they have to offer.

I would say "yes" to going to St George's. I think the "cathedral ruins" are a perfect photo op, as well as the town square, a visit to Ft Catherine, Tobacco bay has some nice rock formations that would make for some great pictures, as well. The ferry from King's Wharf is the quickest way to get to St George's, but you might want to go early and take the bus back and just stop "wherever" walk around a bit, then get on the next bus and make it a really full day of exploring the Bermuda "countryside". Maybe another day do the southern route, stop at Gibbs Hill lighthouse, Horseshoe bay, and again get off "wherever" walk around a bit, take photos and then get on the next bus. Get the bus/ferry pass. You're there for 3 days, so you don't have to worry about getting back by 5PM or you'll miss the ship. Bermuda is soooo charming and picturesque , you'll be in photographer's paradise! You'll have plenty of opportunity to purchase teas and rum cakes in a few of the shops in the dock area as well as shops in Hamilton.

Excellent. I think we might just do a two-day bus pass since I want to kayak on the third day (I love watersports if they don't require balance).

And tips for where to eat? For those who've sailed on the Breakaway, any advice on ensuring we get off as early as possible. James was all pouty yesterday when I told him we might not be able to get off the first second the ship is in port.

Excellent question but sorry no suggestions to give...My first time going to Bermuda in October and I too love taking pictures!!

Where is this church mentioned located?

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Excellent question but sorry no suggestions to give...My first time going to Bermuda in October and I too love taking pictures!!

Where is this church mentioned located?

 

 

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I've found three that look to be worth a visit. In St. George there is the unfinished church, which looks amazing, and St. Peter's. In Hamilton is the Church of the Most Holy Trinity or something along those lines. It's a gothic cathedral. It looks gorgeous, too, so I'm sure James and I will include it in our list.

Feel free to ask your own questions in here. I don't mind and might learn something awesome in the process.

Expect about 30 minutes of wait before you can exit the ship.

The Breakaway is often a little in advance on her itinerary, so making the 9:30 to St-George shouldn't be a problem at all.

I forgot to mention Gibb's Hill Lighthouse in my previous post... It's not too far from the Dockyard, so either on day 2 or 3, if you have somewhere like 2 hours of spare time ( including travel time to and from, and going up to take pictures ) you can make it easily. Or you will probably want to catch it on your way to a beach on day 3 and maximize your time like that.

Expect about 30 minutes of wait before you can exit the ship.

 

The Breakaway is often a little in advance on her itinerary, so making the 9:30 to St-George shouldn't be a problem at all.

 

I forgot to mention Gibb's Hill Lighthouse in my previous post... It's not too far from the Dockyard, so either on day 2 or 3, if you have somewhere like 2 hours of spare time ( including travel time to and from, and going up to take pictures ) you can make it easily. Or you will probably want to catch it on your way to a beach on day 3 and maximize your time like that.

Fabulous. We're planning on waking up early, maybe enjoying some room service on our balcony as the ship docks, depending on our arrival time, and being ready to get off basically immediately so we can maximize our time in Bermuda.

research Admirality house Park, hubby and I were told about it, its amazing! you can get great pictures of caves, do some swimming and it is very secluded.

research Admirality house Park, hubby and I were told about it, its amazing! you can get great pictures of caves, do some swimming and it is very secluded.

Oh my! That looks amazing!

I also recommend St. George and the unfinished church. Tobacco Bay is a short (10-15 minute if I remember correctly) walk from St. George and right around the corner is Fort St. Catherine, which would also be nice to photograph. The coastline along there is gorgeous and we had it to ourselves.

I think your plan sounds very reasonable. There's a lot to see, for sure, but you can get around very easily by the ferry/bus system.

You can get rum cakes right at the dockyard. There's a glassworks there that has a bakery right in it. I can't remember the name offhand, but it's something obvious like, "Bermuda Glassworks."

Please feel free to post Bermuda pictures here when you get home! :)

Yay! You guys were a great help last night when we finally sat down and planned. Of course I'll be sharing pictures.

If anybody else has tips, restaurants we shouldn't miss, etc. please feel free to let me know.

We really enjoyed the Swizzle Inn and its newer, smaller cousin The Swizzle. The rum swizzles are outstanding and both are easy to get to by bus.

(They mean it when they say "Swizzle Inn, Swagger Out" though! :) )

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We enjoyed, a couple of time, the Swizzle Inn at the Blue Hole Hill, atmosphere is great and fun, some food is really great...some are ok, Rum swizzle is good also.

I really enjoyed, in St-George, the Tavern by the Sea. Great drinks, very good food and I just LOVED the location...right on the water, many little sailboat docked there. The restaurant is squeezed between some other typical shops and restaurant...

Also in Hamilton, we enjoyed http://www.bolerobrasserie.com/ and http://www.flanagans.bm/

Have fun !

A little unexpected treasure in regards to tea. The "yellow label Lipton tea" sold in the grocery store on Bermuda are different than the "yellow label" you can purchase here in the states. Box looks similar to ours but the flavor of the tea is completely different. Give it a try!

research Admirality house Park, hubby and I were told about it, its amazing! you can get great pictures of caves, do some swimming and it is very secluded.

I'm going to Bermuda for the first time in May and starting my research (although I have gathered some info over the last several years in hopes of finally making here). This is the first time I have ever seen this place mentioned. I had to google it and it looks beautiful. Is there an entry fee here?

I'm going to Bermuda for the first time in May and starting my research (although I have gathered some info over the last several years in hopes of finally making here). This is the first time I have ever seen this place mentioned. I had to google it and it looks beautiful. Is there an entry fee here?

It is not something often discussed here....

Again from the Bermuda attractions site :

http://www.bermuda-attractions.com/bermuda2_000075.htm

I know it is not the OFFICIAL Bermuda tourism website, but it proved to be helpful in the past.

It is not something often discussed here....

 

Is there a reason it's not often discussed here? If it's as beautiful as someone mentioned I would think more would be discussing it? :confused: Just trying to figure out if it should be on the "to-do" list.

Is there a reason it's not often discussed here? If it's as beautiful as someone mentioned I would think more would be discussing it? :confused: Just trying to figure out if it should be on the "to-do" list.

It's not on the very popular bus route #1 or #3 or #7 or #10. So are not passing by when going somewhere else...if you are going it's because you ARE going.

From what I have read : it's not recommended to visit alone at night. During the day it can be quite busy with local families and kids...it's recommended you go during school schedule so less kids are there.

2 1/2 days in Bermuda is very short and most pax want to plan a 1/2 guided tour, and to maximize time they plan on things to do/see/visit on a common route, and this is not on a common route.

It is very near Hamilton and not out of your way if you want to visit it.

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It's not on the very popular bus route #1 or #3 or #7 or #10. So are not passing by when going somewhere else...if you are going it's because you ARE going.

 

From what I have read : it's not recommended to visit alone at night. During the day it can be quite busy with local families and kids...it's recommended you go during school schedule so less kids are there.

 

2 1/2 days in Bermuda is very short and most pax want to plan a 1/2 guided tour, and to maximize time they plan on things to do/see/visit on a common route, and this is not on a common route.

 

It is very near Hamilton and not out of your way if you want to visit it.

 

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Thanks for the info as always. So far I don't have anything on my list in the Hamilton area, so I guess I'll have to wait on planning anything there to see if I come up with anything else. We'll see. I know the BAMZ and Aquarium is in the area, but still debating that one. Really not interested in the caves...we've been to so many of them.

Thanks for the info as always. So far I don't have anything on my list in the Hamilton area, so I guess I'll have to wait on planning anything there to see if I come up with anything else. We'll see. I know the BAMZ and Aquarium is in the area, but still debating that one. Really not interested in the caves...we've been to so many of them.

OP here, trying to fail a little less at life. Check out Fort Hamilton for things in the area. We went, but only had about two minutes to poke around before it closed and both of us regret not allotting time for it like we did Fort Saint Catherine over by St. George (which was also super cool). Fort Hamilton is a pretty easy (albeit hilly) walk from the bus terminal and ferries/Front Street and sits on top of a hill that offers a pretty stellar view over Hamilton and the water. We caught it just as the sun was falling, slowly, over the horizon, and had we had more time and proper equipment we would have grabbed more than a handful of random snapshots.

Sadly, we didn't make it to Admiralty House Park, as much as both of us wanted to. I was sick 2/3 days we were in Bermuda, including during sail-away, which I slept through, plus the last full day on-board.