Bermuda private guide

In less than 2 weeks we will be traveling all around Bermuda with Dennis Hollis. Even though it was last minute - he had availability to take us on a 6-7 hour tour. I have teenagers so I don't mind skipping some of the things my DH and I have seen before so that we can do some unique things with the DS and DD. I have asked him to take us to Blue Hole Park and Tom Moore's jungle so we can go cave swimming and swing from the vines. I will write a review when we return, but thanks so much for all the great posts on these boards - it has made my planning so much easier!

We just booked with Dennis for a tour on July 3. Thanks for recommendation. He was quick to respond and setup tour.

We will let you how he does after cruise in two weeks.

Hello - Can you let us know what you thought of Dennis Hollis as a tour guide? I have just read a couple of recent reviews which were very negative. both said he was difficult to understand and repeated himself..:eek:

I have him booked next month and naturally am nervous with the recent reviews. Thanks for any insights!

I had booked with Heidi Cowen. I confirmed the day before at 9am, but she met us at the dock the next morning and told us that she had to cancel as her mother had become seriously ill. She recommended another tour operator. We went since we had not had time to make any other preparations.

 

He was very nice and tried very hard but I was ready to be done about half way through. There was a lot of repetition, a lot of sightings of palm trees, avocados, and a certain type of fish. I think some people just have a talent for being a tour guide and some do not. And it's not for lack of trying.

Sorry it did not go as well as it should. Do you remember what was the name of this guide?

Hello - Can you let us know what you thought of Dennis Hollis as a tour guide? I have just read a couple of recent reviews which were very negative. both said he was difficult to understand and repeated himself..:eek:

I have him booked next month and naturally am nervous with the recent reviews. Thanks for any insights!

Thats too bad :( , he was highly recommended...

We need some new names on that "recommended" list.

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Sorry it did not go as well as it should. Do you remember what was the name of this guide?

It wasn't Dennis. I don't want to mention his name because he wasn't incompetent, just boring. Other people might love him.

It also depends on what you are looking for in a guide. Some people want to sit in a car and be shown the sites from their seat. Some want to get out and purchase things. Some want to eat in a certain place. Some want history, some want no history. That's why I say try to really narrow down what you want to do/see. Then try to get someone who can drive you around and do those things. Don't depend on them to organize your tour unless you don't care what you do/see. And some people really don't care! I realize that when I see rave reviews about tours I thought were meh.

Wow...I am surprised by the recent negative reviews about Dennis. I researched what guide to use before booking with Dennis-in no way do I think there are 'false' posts out there. I think everyone just has different expectations/experiences/perspectives. That being said...I am a very positive person and VERY seldom have anything negative to say about anyone. However, I would not say Dennis is the best private tour guide we have ever had. We have done private tours before - in Mexico, other Caribbean islands, etc. The biggest 'negative' for me was that I couldn't always understand him. Part of that is probably an accent, but I felt like I had to 'work' during our time together. I didn't feel it was a super relaxing time. We were with Dennis from 9 am till probably 4 pm...7 hours. We saw almost everything we wanted to see. I absolutely do not agree with the posters who think you can see the island in 3-4 hours. You can go on a tour for 3-4 hours, but you will NOT see the entire island. You will not get out of the car to take pictures. We started at the Dockyard where our ship was located. Dennis was there promptly and had a sign with our name on it. We went to Fort Scaur and took some pretty photos and Dennis explained some of the history. We climbed Gibbs lighthouse which I highly recommend. We fed the fish at the smallest drawbridge. By noon he had gotten us to the opposite end of the island so we could see the dunking of the gossip at St. George's. We went to Blue Hole Park and our teens jumped into the lagoon. Dennis used to take people there 20+ years ago when they had dolphin shows in the lagoon. We ate at the Swizzle Inn. We really had our pace changed at the Swizzle Inn because service was VERY slow. The World Cup was on and the place was busy and understaffed. I think it took about 1 1/2 hours to have lunch - even Dennis commented that it was unusual for the service to be that slow. Dennis did not charge us extra - even though we were with him longer than we expected because he knew that it took a long time to eat lunch and that it wasn't our fault. We also bought him lunch so maybe he thought it was a fair trade off. We paid $350 for the 7 hours plus a tip. Our cruise was offering a 5 hour tour of Bermuda on a big bus that would have cost us $400 and wouldn't have been nearly as much to our tastes/interests.

I apologize for not having a more detailed review of exactly everything we did, but this is a good sampling of things.

I would like to specifically comment on previous posters saying he didn't share much history. I have a different opinion. I will agree that he did repeat some things, but I think he told me he is in his late 70's...so I will give him a break on repeating things! But, he did share a lot of history as well as local info...who knew that a loaf of bread was $4 or more? UGH!

I have ABSOLUTELY no regrets on booking this tour. I will admit that if I had to do it over again - I would book the tour, but probably would not give Dennis an A+ recommendation. He was a nice guide, but with all the other posts and reviews - I would find someone that didn't have an accent...that was my biggest issue.

Hello - Can you let us know what you thought of Dennis Hollis as a tour guide? I have just read a couple of recent reviews which were very negative. both said he was difficult to understand and repeated himself..:eek:

I have him booked next month and naturally am nervous with the recent reviews. Thanks for any insights!

I am booked with Dennis next week. I am surprised to hear there are negative reviews (where did you find them? I haven't scrolled back too far on this thread, so maybe they're here.) It may just be a case of expectations. I will certainly post my experience. I'm sure it will be a great day!

I absolutely do not agree with the posters who think you can see the island in 3-4 hours. You can go on a tour for 3-4 hours, but you will NOT see the entire island.

And that is my point. If you are touring for 6+ hours and want to see the whole island, there is a lot of driving involved. A lot of drive by 'look at that fish!' and 'look at that palm tree!' And we didn't even get near Hamilton.

Your tour was 5 1/2 hours if you take out lunch of 1 1/2 hours.

What I am saying is that 3-4 hours is a good amount of time to see a few parts of the island, but plan out exactly what you want to see and do. No, you will not see the whole island, but you can spend 7 hours and most of what you see will be drive by.

Set your expectations and communicate them to your guide. I was depending on a guide who had rave reviews on TripAdvisor. She cancelled last minute, and I was left to do a tour without any preparation as I had depended on my initial choice. I don't blame my subsequent driver, but I wouldn't recommend him, either.

Today I sent an email to Duke Soares to see if he was available for a private tour next month. His wife, Sandra, promptly responded and stated that Duke will no longer be guiding due to illness. She stated that Duke "will not be able to ever do tours again" and asked that I post to this forum.

So sad to hear! Best of luck to Duke and Sandra.

I took a tour with byway tours (Heidi). It was 8 hours long and we went over the whole island. The tour included lunch, admission at Gibb's lighthouse & ice cream at Bailey's. We made many stops and we thought it was a very good value at $100pp. My personal favorite stop was Palm grove gardens. Heidi made sure we stopped at attractions when there was not a herd of tourists there. My husband and I had a wonderful time and there was only 6 of us on the tour.

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I took a tour with byway tours (Heidi). It was 8 hours long and we went over the whole island. The tour included lunch, admission at Gibb's lighthouse & ice cream at Bailey's. We made many stops and we thought it was a very good value at $100pp. My personal favorite stop was Palm grove gardens. Heidi made sure we stopped at attractions when there was not a herd of tourists there. My husband and I had a wonderful time and there was only 6 of us on the tour.

 

 

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Is that the best fish sandwich you ever had?

Heidi is an interesting person. Her great grandfather, grand father and father were the lighthouse keepers of the Gibb's lighthouse.

Burt

Is that the best fish sandwich you ever had?

 

Heidi is an interesting person. Her great grandfather, grand father and father were the lighthouse keepers of the Gibb's lighthouse.

 

Burt

Good to hear this, we have a tour booked with her in November

Is that the best fish sandwich you ever had?

 

 

 

Heidi is an interesting person. Her great grandfather, grand father and father were the lighthouse keepers of the Gibb's lighthouse.

 

 

 

Burt

Yep, It probably was the best fish sandwich I have ever had. I could go for another one right about now! Heidi certainly is an interesting person. I enjoyed her commentary on our tour!

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Ok thank you and I will ... we are booked for Wed, the 20th.

I'm likely too late as you're already on your way (jealous!) but I wanted to let you know that we had a wonderful day with Ralph of Winsome Transport. He has all sorts of stories to tell about the island, its history, and its people. He's extremely personable and wants to be sure the tour is what YOU want it to be. He also speaks highly of several other guides mentioned here (Heidi of Byways and the Eco Tour operator who is his neighbor). He knows a ton of folks and arranged for an amazing lunch at The Restaurant on St. George's square. He gave us a few tips of places he would suggest we return to (pointing out the entry to the closest glass beach to the Dockyard, etc.). His wife had another group out the same day. Hope your time in Bermuda & aboard Breakaway is as great as ours was!

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I am very happy to read the good review for Winsome Tours.

I have put together a tour for 21 people on the Dawn at the end of October. I guess we will have Ralph and his wife since we have two vehicles.

Bumping up to the first page !

I have tried to read through much of this but alot is old information.

DH and I will be on Summit next May. We interested in a three hour-ish tour and guess we will end up with a taxi unless a guide will pre-book only three hours.

This will be our first time in Bermuda.

If you were doing only three hours, what would you suggest we see?

Thanks alot for your guidance.

I have tried to read through much of this but alot is old information.

 

DH and I will be on Summit next May. We interested in a three hour-ish tour and guess we will end up with a taxi unless a guide will pre-book only three hours.

 

This will be our first time in Bermuda.

 

If you were doing only three hours, what would you suggest we see?

 

Thanks alot for your guidance.

3 hours is the minimum for a private taxi tour.

I would plan to end it either in Hamilton or St-Georges ( but I would skip St-Georges in a 3 hour tour ) and take the ferry back to the ship. That way you save about 35 minutes "backtracking"....

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Depending on what you want to do and the weather, I would suggest having the guide pick you up at the ship and go by the wall of ship logos, the smallest bridge, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse and Elbow Beach and the Botanical Garden (visit Camden) to the Flats where you visit the Aquarium, and then go back to Hamilton for the rest of the day shopping and then take the ferry back to the Dockyard. At the Dockyard you can go to Fort St. Catherine and the Maritime Museum.

Alternatively, go from the Flats to St. George and have him let you off there. Then take the bus back to Hamilton. Or if you can do it and it if is running, take the ferry either to or from St. George.

Fort St. Catherine is in St. George's, not the Dockyard.

Fort St. Catherine is in St. George's, not the Dockyard.

Oops - the first time I went to Bermuda and the first time I went on a cruise ship, we docked in St. George. My bad.

I think Ft St Catherine can be left out of a first tour in that case.

Thanks so much for the info.

Have printed and will be ready. I have time to plan. :rolleyes: :D

We used ByWay Tours (Heidi) she did such a wonderful tour for us. What was nice is she only takes 8 guests. We did this tour in October and we would use her again if we are ever in Bermuda again.

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The Blue Flag certified tour taxi drivers can take a maximum of only 7 passengers (if they have one of the large taxis, a max of 4 in the smaller taxis) so someone who only takes up to 8 on a tour isn't at an advantage in that respect.

Thanks so much for the info.

 

Have printed and will be ready. I have time to plan. :rolleyes: :D

If you are going to take a bus or ferry, get the tickets before you leave the area of the ship - I think there is a ticket office on the dock. You can get a one day or a three day pass which works on both of them.

Late Nov. 2014, our ship docked at Dockyards. We enjoyed a 3 hour walking tour with Tim Rogers (email: trogers@northrock.bm) starting there. Tim is rec'd in Fodors and his correspondence by email is prompt and thorough.

I can highly recommend Tim for those who are adventurous. We had a terrific morning, at times it was arduous, walking and using local buses to get around. Tim is engaging, very knowledgeable about the island's history, geography, architecture and odd vegetation. He serves on the Board of National Trust which preserves homes, chapels and sites of historical importance in Bermuda so his insights into the island are particularly worthwhile.

Tim's company is BLT Tours (no web site). His walking tour can be tailored as you like but it is for those who enjoy a slower, more informed pace. You need a hat, water and sun screen and be reasonably fit. I would definitely do Tim's tour again should we return to Bermuda.