Bermuda whaler

Advice please. We have decided to rent a whaler while in Bermuda for our family of 5. But can't decide where to rent from. Will be on the NCL Escape in June. What is the best area to explore first and foremost? But secondly, what is the cheapest way to get all 5 of us to the boat rental facility? What do you recommend?

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Advice please. We have decided to rent a whaler while in Bermuda for our family of 5. But can't decide where to rent from. Will be on the NCL Escape in June. What is the best area to explore first and foremost? But secondly, what is the cheapest way to get all 5 of us to the boat rental facility? What do you recommend?

 

 

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From the Dockyard either one of two companies in Somerset would be closest and most convenient. A good area to explore. For 5 a taxi would be the best option for the Somerset companies. Not a long ride to Somerset. They can also be rented out of Hamilton and Grotto Bay which are also good areas to explore but not as convenient when your ship is docked at he Dockyard. The two companies in Somerset are H20 Watersports and Somerset Bridge Watersports.

https://www.h2osportsbermuda.com/

http://www.watersportssomersetbridge.com/

We’ve rented jet skis from Somerset Bridge which is at Somerset Bridge, of course, and that is a great outfit. We rented a Boston Whaler from H2O which is located in Mangrove Bay near Cambridge Beaches Resort and is much closer to King’s Wharf. We were staying near Warwick Long Bay so H2O was a longer bus ride for us. The reason we rented there is the boat was larger for the money. We found the staff - and the equipment to be excellent at H2O. I had one problem with the engine but that was my fault. We highly recommend this way of seeing Bermuda, and it is a great family experience and the boats are very safe. But research both to see what boat size options you have today. And the bus would be the cheapest transport. it’s a bit of a walk from the bus stop to the dock but not that bad.

As far as your itinerary, or excursion, they will help you with that and show you where it is safe to go. Take a lunch and stop on a spit for a private lunch!

We’ve rented jet skis from Somerset Bridge which is at Somerset Bridge, of course, and that is a great outfit. We rented a Boston Whaler from H2O which is located in Mangrove Bay near Cambridge Beaches Resort and is much closer to King’s Wharf. We were staying near Warwick Long Bay so H2O was a longer bus ride for us. The reason we rented there is the boat was larger for the money. We found the staff - and the equipment to be excellent at H2O. I had one problem with the engine but that was my fault. We highly recommend this way of seeing Bermuda, and it is a great family experience and the boats are very safe. But research both to see what boat size options you have today. And the bus would be the cheapest transport. it’s a bit of a walk from the bus stop to the dock but not that bad.

 

As far as your itinerary, or excursion, they will help you with that and show you where it is safe to go. Take a lunch and stop on a spit for a private lunch!

Thanks! Decided to go with H2O for the larger boat . reserved 5 hours + extras for an early bird special for $190 in June. Seems like a great value for families! Will report back. :).

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Nice day, that! Please do share!

Take a lunch and stop on a spit for a private lunch!

Where did you get lunch to bring on the Whaler with you? Any suggestions?

You will have such a wonderful time! We rented from Somerset Watersports, but they are so close they will point you at many of the same sights. Make sure they will give you bread to feed the fish at the wreck of the Vixen or bring bags of Cheerios from the ship. We bought our own snorkel equipment from home, so if the kids are small a stop at 5 Below will probably get you some masks and flippers for them, but the adults should get theirs from a sporting goods store. There are secluded beaches and sea turtles swimming, a mysterious abandoned village, the world’s smallest drawbridge and Woody’s famous restaurant you can pull right up to their dock to eat if you do not want to brown bag it. I just received a free packet with a map and brochure from Bermuda Tourism info at gotobermuda.com here https://www.gotobermuda.com/guide-order

Have an unforgettable adventure!

....a mysterious abandoned village....

could this be the former 9 Beaches Resort??

SBtS

could this be the former 9 Beaches Resort??

 

 

SBtS

That’s the one! My imagination runs wild, Bermuda Triangle? Ancient Aliens? Ran out of Goslings? But for kids, I would be totally be weaving a yarn of epic proportions involving Peter Pan and Captain Hook!

Where did you get lunch to bring on the Whaler with you? Any suggestions?

We were staying at the Clairfont Apts across from WLB that day and took our lunch and drinks with us. But on a later cruise there was a good deli at the drugstore at the port, as well as a place in Somerset near H2O to grab a lunch (Somerset Pharmacy or Country Squire if memory serves). Perhaps SBtS or someone else can confirm if these are still options. But we liked the location and the larger boat at H2O.

Our boat rental from H2O was wonderful. A taxi from port was $15 each way and we rented from 8:45-1:45- 5 hours for ~$200 plus $40 for gas and 5 sodas. Total for the day= $270. There were 5 in our family, so this was a bargain. We stopped at several beaches, snorkeled, went to the ship wreck, looked for sea turtles, fed the fish (brought bread and cereal from the boat), jumped from the bow multiple times and toured at our own pace: priceless. We had a great time.

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Is the former 9 Beaches Resort abandoned? Can we go in here by boat on our own?

Is the former 9 Beaches Resort abandoned? Can we go in here by boat on our own?

I believe it can only be seen from the water, tresspassing by landing there is likely not allowed. We saw it while exploring by boat but I knew the story of it from some other thread. It looks a little spooky, some of the cottages are decaying. There were squatters living there at one time that have been shooed away. There is a Wiki article, and someone shot this video, but I would not recommend exploring with children especially:

Our boat rental from H2O was wonderful. A taxi from port was $15 each way and we rented from 8:45-1:45- 5 hours for ~$200 plus $40 for gas and 5 sodas. Total for the day= $270. There were 5 in our family, so this was a bargain. We stopped at several beaches, snorkeled, went to the ship wreck, looked for sea turtles, fed the fish (brought bread and cereal from the boat), jumped from the bow multiple times and toured at our own pace: priceless. We had a great time.

 

 

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That is wonderful news! I am so glad you enjoyed it! We went with another couple from our roll call, so the price is about what you would expect for a shore excursion or less, roughly $60 -$70 per person for a group of four. The self directed aspect is great, going at your own pace, going back if the kids want to see something again. Thanks for the report back!

We are renting a Bermuda Whaler for 5 hours on June 21st. Does anyone have a "must see from the water" list for us. We will want to snorkel too. We are renting from H2O so that is the area we will be taking off from. Should we at least go up to the 9 Beaches resort? Will it be worth the trip to just cruise buy?

Thanks for any advice you can give us.

Is the former 9 Beaches Resort abandoned? Can we go in here by boat on our own?

I would not say that 9 Beaches Resort is abandoned, because there was an announced renovation of the resort several years ago. There have since been no further announcements of any progress.

Next to 9 Beaches Resort is the public Daniels Head Park and Beach which may be worth a visit. I cannot provide any info on any amenities there though.

SBtS

We are renting a Bermuda Whaler for 5 hours on June 21st. Does anyone have a "must see from the water" list for us. We will want to snorkel too. We are renting from H2O so that is the area we will be taking off from. Should we at least go up to the 9 Beaches resort? Will it be worth the trip to just cruise buy?

 

Thanks for any advice you can give us.

You will be able to go near 9 Beaches by water, but be cautious about landing there and exploring. I would even ask at H2O what their recommendation about the property is, they may not want you getting too close with their boat if there is debris in the water. I could definitely see someone accidentally falling through a decaying floor and getting really hurt. In that area a must see is the wreck of the Vixen and feeding the fish there. Bring Cheerios! I think docking at Woody’s was kind of a cool spot and the food was super and certainly going under the tiny drawbridge was awesome. I think if I was renting another Whaler, I would like to explore the Great Sound more. I think Waterford Bridge may have been as far as they wished us to go toward Ireland Island. There are dozens of little islands in Great Sound, and we snorkeled in Mangrove Bay, lots of sea turtles there. At Somerset Watersports they gave us a map and were happy to mark off interesting stops. Tell them what your interest is, snorkeling, photography, historical sites, bar hopping? I am sure they will have some suggestions.

When we were there a couple of years ago there was a lot of debris in the water and the only place we saw a man of war. Of course, it depends on the current and time of years, but was unappealing at that time. It was not far from the Vixen.