IYO- best way to see the island

my husband and i want to try and capture most of the island as best as possible without breaking the bank over the 2 days/1night we have in port...any suggestions for the best way to accomplish this? it seems that a private hire blue flag, while covering much territory, may push our budget being that they recommend like at least 4-5 hrs at 50/hr. We also were considering doing a jet ski tour, but we are unclear where it makes the most sense to leave from in order to see the best sights. It seems like the one that leaves from Hamilton might be nicer? Any thoughts? Is it unreasonable to try to see Hamilton and St. George both, and if so which is better to venture toward? I would definitely like to spend some time at the beach, maybe one that isn't super crowded, but still nice with facilities? The only beach I'd love to just stop at and see was glass beach...we're open to ideas, tours, cruises, ferries, etc.

Best way IMO is to rent a scooter. Wife and I were there in May and was one of our favorite things we ever did. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed riding them and we were able to easily cover the entire island and how total freedom on when/where we wanted to go. Also much cheaper than trying to rent a taxi.

St. George will be quieter with more beaches, Tobacco Bay is great for snorkeling. Clearwater Beach/Turtle Bay are on the other side and are nice relax beaches as well.

Hamilton is a fun town and has the more city feel to it. I love being able to see both places. Pretty easy to ferry over there and get around by foot if you want to stay near the main city area.

my husband and i want to try and capture most of the island as best as possible without breaking the bank over the 2 days/1night we have in port...any suggestions for the best way to accomplish this? it seems that a private hire blue flag, while covering much territory, may push our budget being that they recommend like at least 4-5 hrs at 50/hr. We also were considering doing a jet ski tour, but we are unclear where it makes the most sense to leave from in order to see the best sights. It seems like the one that leaves from Hamilton might be nicer? Any thoughts? Is it unreasonable to try to see Hamilton and St. George both, and if so which is better to venture toward? I would definitely like to spend some time at the beach, maybe one that isn't super crowded, but still nice with facilities? The only beach I'd love to just stop at and see was glass beach...we're open to ideas, tours, cruises, ferries, etc.

If you want to see the island then the best way to see it would be a 'blue flag' taxi tour. After spending a thousand plus dollars on a cruise, a 4 hour taxi tour will only add $200 to the total cruise cost and you will see the island. Get another couple from your Roll Call to join your tour; this will cut your cost in half.

As for the jet ski tour, you understand that this would be a guided tour with a tour leader; you will not be on your own. If you rent jet skis, I would go with Hamilton, less trvel time involved.

As for a public beach with facilities, there are only 2 - Tobacco Bay, near St George's and Horseshoe Bay along the South Shore. If you want to snorkel, go to TB. It is nice but small and can get crowded; but in no way is equal to HSB. HSB is the most popular beach, and it is gorgeous. It does get crowded but by walking northeast along the beach and following paths, you can get to Warwick Beach which never gets crowded. As you walk to WB, you will pass deserted coves with beaches.

As for the glass beach, it is not a beach in the sense that TB and HSB are beaches, but shore with sand and ocean polished glass pieces.

SBtS

If you want to see the island then the best way to see it would be a 'blue flag' taxi tour. After spending a thousand plus dollars on a cruise, a 4 hour taxi tour will only add $200 to the total cruise cost and you will see the island. Get another couple from your Roll Call to join your tour; this will cut your cost in half.

 

As for the jet ski tour, you understand that this would be a guided tour with a tour leader; you will not be on your own. If you rent jet skis, I would go with Hamilton, less trvel time involved.

 

As for a public beach with facilities, there are only 2 - Tobacco Bay, near St George's and Horseshoe Bay along the South Shore. If you want to snorkel, go to TB. It is nice but small and can get crowded; but in no way is equal to HSB. HSB is the most popular beach, and it is gorgeous. It does get crowded but by walking northeast along the beach and following paths, you can get to Warwick Beach which never gets crowded. As you walk to WB, you will pass deserted coves with beaches.

 

As for the glass beach, it is not a beach in the sense that TB and HSB are beaches, but shore with sand and ocean polished glass pieces.

 

SBtS

thank you this was super helpful...have you taken a blue flag taxi before? i saw a thread earlier that listed a bunch of drivers...curious if you have a recommendation or if any taxi will do...that walk along HSB beach sounds amazing btw!!

do you think it is feasible to see/explore both st george and hamilton both in a day on the taxi tour? if not, which do you think is more worth it...

Best way IMO is to rent a scooter. Wife and I were there in May and was one of our favorite things we ever did. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed riding them and we were able to easily cover the entire island and how total freedom on when/where we wanted to go. Also much cheaper than trying to rent a taxi.

 

St. George will be quieter with more beaches, Tobacco Bay is great for snorkeling. Clearwater Beach/Turtle Bay are on the other side and are nice relax beaches as well.

 

Hamilton is a fun town and has the more city feel to it. I love being able to see both places. Pretty easy to ferry over there and get around by foot if you want to stay near the main city area.

scooters are fun, don't get me wrong, we rode them on our honeymoon...but i think we would want to get a little history of the island and i feel like when your self-guided you miss out on that a little...but thanks for the tips on hamilton and st george!!

We did an island tour with David Fox

we shared the tour with 2 other couples so the price was not bad

We had free time in St Georges for lunch & a stroll around

Worth the $ to get a bit of history with the tour

If you rent a scooter be sure you are comfortable driving on the left ..it takes a bit of getting used to for some :)

The best way to see and learn about the island, by FAR, is via Blue Flag taxi. Especially, if you have limited time. And like Sailbad wrote, you can cut the cost in half, if you find another couple to go with you. The cheapest way, is to just take bus's and ferry's to Hamilton and St. George, etc. Of course you wont really learn much history and know the best/most popular places to see. But, through research, and this site, you can get an idea. Some of the people on this site are very knowledgeable and the Bermudians are very friendly and helpful. I was in Bermuda for a week last year, and we rented scooters. Scooters are a great way to get to a destination, but not to see the sites. You have to pay attention to what your doing and where your going. Plus, there's an element of danger and greater chance of injury.

thank you this was super helpful...have you taken a blue flag taxi before? i saw a thread earlier that listed a bunch of drivers...curious if you have a recommendation or if any taxi will do...that walk along HSB beach sounds amazing btw!!

 

do you think it is feasible to see/explore both st george and Hamilton both in a day on the taxi tour? if not, which do you think is more worth it...

Have not taken a taxi tour as I always had a plan using public transportation, but as my step has slowed down there may be one in my future.

I would include St George's in any taxi tour. Since Hamilton is only a 20 minute ferry ride away and the ferries run about once an hour, I would plan to do Hamilton on my own with a walking tour if you have the time.

As for taking a taxi tour, I would go with a blue flag taxi because the blue flag signifies the driver has qualified as a tour guide. If there is no blue flag, ask to see the drivers badge which would identify the driver as a qualified guide.

Here is the link to the thread Bermuda private guide.

As for the walk along the beaches, there is a post in a recent thread which has photos of the beaches you will pass if you walk all the way to Warwick Long Bay Beach.

SBtS

thank you this was super helpful...have you taken a blue flag taxi before? i saw a thread earlier that listed a bunch of drivers...curious if you have a recommendation or if any taxi will do...that walk along HSB beach sounds amazing btw!!

 

 

 

do you think it is feasible to see/explore both st george and hamilton both in a day on the taxi tour? if not, which do you think is more worth it...

I have done a taxi tour. I would look for a Blue Flag driver not take any taxi. There are many with the training. You don't need to arrange in advance. The advantage of booking one in advance from the list of drivers is that someone is saying they used the driver and were satisfied. I didn't book in advance, easily found a Blue Flag driver at the taxi stand at the dock, and maybe it was good luck but we got a good tour.

My opinion is a taxi tour is not best to explore Hamilton or St. George's. Those are easy to take the ferry and explore on your own. Both are walkable, and you will see them best walking. The taxi tour is best for touring either places in between or places that are not as easy to get to. There is quite a lot. Our tour was four hours and mostly the east end. If I ever do another I will do four hours on the west end. I was with five others, we shared. I thought I knew a lot but I learned a lot from the guide.