When in Bermuda where do you like to go???

Hello,

I was wondering, where do each of you like going when in Bermuda -- I'm especially interested in which beaches are the nicest. Which one has the pinkest sand? And the like.

Of course ... it all sounds wonderful to me, and the photo someone has posted of Tobaco Bay -- WOW!

I'm just interested in your thoughts.

Bonnie

Different beaches have different attributes. Tobacco bay is lovely and the snorkeling is good but it can get unbelievably crowded. We still love it but try to get there either very early or stay after the hordes leave- and we spend most of the time in the water outside the inner cove.

Horseshoe bay is a great all around swimming/sunning beach- with food, rentals etc but not much snorkeling.

I like John smith's- very quiet no facilities but nice snorkeling. ALso church bay. However I believe both were badly hit by last years hurricane.

Elbow beach is pretty, long and wonderful to have lunch on the patio by the pool.

There are lots of wonderful options.

We like Tobacco Bay, Fort St. Catherine's, Horseshoe and Elbow Bay. Tobacco Bay isn't as crowded if you go to the right instead of going to the main beach. Great snorkeling area. All the others are great for just relaxing and swimming.

We're travelling with small children. Which,if any,of the south shore beaches are calm i.e. little or no surf?

I have heard that Shelly Bay is good for children. Try looking it up on http://www.bermuda-online.org.

Great website- thanks!

Wonderful information -- apart from the beaches, is there anything else people really enjoy doing in Bermuda? And regarding the beaches -- what beach is really pink?

For first time visitors we always recommend a cab tour, 3 or 4, or more hours will give you a great overview of the island. The tour drivers love sharing their island. Take note of any interesting spots that you would like to return to on your own.

Best beaches for pink sand are on the south shore, Horseshoe Bay being the largest...the sand is pinkest near the shore. Look closely at it, and see teeny bits of crushed coral (that's what makes it appear pink). After hurricane Fabian the bits were much larger, wish I had brought some home :(

Natural Arches Beach is also very nice and as it is a bit off the beaten path it is not very crowded. It also has very nice pink sand. I don't see it talked about very much here on the boards. Horseshoe Bay is beautiful. But then, what part of Bermuda is not?

I also really like Gibb's Hill Lighthouse. The views are great from the top and well worth the climb.

Sorry to tell you Oceanboy, but the Natural Arches collapsed during Hurricane Fabian!! Nature gave...and now has taken away!...just like The Old Man of the Mountain in NH!! :(

Bermuda still offers many wonderful sights to see!!

Wow, I had not heard about that. Thanks for letting be know. I am glad that I had the chance to see them. At least I have memories and pictures of them. What a shame.

When I'm in Bermuda I like to go,

Scroll down

Back to the ship.

So you like Bermuda that much, huh??

OK, just got back from Bermuda and have to say that if you have kids go to Shelly Bay. The water was so calm it was like a swimming pool. It is very shallow and sandy, plus there is a play ground by the beach and a few picnic tables. The only bathrooms I saw were porta potty types and a bit of a walk, but there if you need them. Also a little ice cream shop, I didn't go in so not sure what else they had.

I have to agree with CruisFran - to take a taxi tour of the island. We hired an air-conditioned van (older gentleman by the name of Nevis, who lolls around the Hamilton ship terminal) and it was well worth it. We included a stop at the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo, which was just lovely. Our kids really enjoyed this and we've been to many zoos. It is small, but so well cared for, and the aquarium has huge tanks.

If you stay at Dockyards, then Snorkel Park is fun for small children. It's a small beach, the facilities were not yet completed when we were there in August; the water is calm, you can snorkel and it is peaceful. There are two floating slides a bit of a way out in the water, fun, but may be too far for younger children. I would recommend bringing swim shoes for everyone. With the exception of Horseshoe Bay, we found the sand in the water to be difficult on the feet. Lots of coral shards, fish bones and rocks. Horseshoe Beach is also fine for young children... if you wander off to the left, past the huge rocks (coral), there are small coves to explore and the kids will love to sit and play in the little pools that form. It also has the pinkest sand, in my opinion. Horsehoe also has new showers, bathrooms and changing facilities... great to clean up before heading back to the ship.

We found that the beaches were less crowded in the mid-late afternoon. We would wander or sight-see in the morning, have lunch on the ship and then head to the beaches in the afternoon.

Good luck and have a great trip.

Laurie

Where is the prettiest beach with the best snorkleing? can you rent snorkle equipment or do you have to bring your own?

We were in Bermuda for the first time last August. We took the 9 night cruise on Empress of the Seas out of Bayonne, NJ. We docked in 3 ports. While at St. George, we took a taxi to Fort St. Catherines. ($14.00 round trip, family of 4). We were going to go to Tobacco Bay, but it was soooo small. People here say it gets crowded. It gets crowded because it might be 50' wide! It's really tiny. St. Catherines was bigger, there was food and a bathroom. Although it did seem kinda seedy. My kids (age 8 and 11) said that was the best snorkeling of any that they did, including a snokeling excursion (can't remember name of it).

When we got to the dockyards, the first day we had our snorkeling adventure, returned to ship for showers/lunch and just went to the shops. We were on our ship every night. The next day, we did the Dolphin Adventure and went to the Snorkel Park. The kids had fun there on the slide. Be advised - it is manmade, not beautiful like the other beaches. And without water shoes, I could NOT go in the water. There were rocks everywhere. We had planned on taking the ferry to Hamilton to go to the Wed. night festival, but rain cancelled the festival. The girls had their hair braided in the afternoon instead (took about 2 hours). Needless to say, we didn't need to use any public transportation while at the Dockyards.

The next morning we were in Hamilton. It is very pretty. We took a taxi to Horseshoe Bay ($30.00 roundtrip). It was the best day ever. It is absolutely gorgeous; the water was calm and warm and blue/green. And the sand is not only pink, but it is soooo soft. We took a baggie of it home!! We would have gone back on our last day, but my daughter was visited by her "friend" (what a drag at age 12). So, the last day we just went to all the shops in Hamilton.

We went to Bermuda to relax and go to the beaches. Our other vacations are usually at WDW, so we wanted a relaxing one this time!! We loved Horseshoe Bay. Should we go again, we would like to go back to beaches close to Horseshoe Bay especially if we are at the Dockyards.

We did bring our own tubes and snorkel equipment that the girls used everywhere. It was nice to have a tube (and save money not renting one).

The food at St. Catherine's was extremely expensive. Kids order of chicken fingers and fries $10.00.

Would love to go back soon.

Cutekatcar

snorkle equipment is available for rent at Fort St. Catherine beach. I didn't think Ft. St Catherine beach was seedy. Beers are $5.00 each there as well. Bermuda is fairly expensive since everything must be brought in. You can also take the bus from the Dockyard to Horseshoe bay for about $2.00 each way(you need to have tokens or buy a 10 trip ticket or a day pass-the all day pass is also for the Ferry) but the taxis are faster although they just went up on 9/1 by 20%. At Horseshoe bay on the right hand side is an opening with interesting snorkling. At Fort St Catherines its on the extreme left-in fact people are brought there to snorkle from boats. You can rent chairs and umbrellas at both beaches but its cheaper at Horseshoe bay. You can walk from St George to the beaches its about a 15 minute walk. Bermuda is very relaxed. We took the two shipwreck snorkel excursion- its only one stop with a wwII and a civil war wreck intertwined....I recommend it highly

Is there a cost to use the beaches in bermuda or are they free beaches?

the beaches are free. Bring your own chair. Horseshoe Beach has a public bathroom and changing area.