Is there a better beach than Horseshoe Bay?

The first time I went to Bermuda I went to Horseshoe Bay based on a recomendation. I fell in love with the beach and vowed to go there once a year forever. This Sept will be my 3rd mecca in 3 years. I have kept my word.

I've heard of the other beaches, especially Elbow beach. I am afraid to go to another one for it may not equal horseshoe and I am waste my time in Bermuda, though I am sure the worst beach is incredibly beautiful.

Thoughts? Suggestions? Preferences? Recomendations?

The first time I went to Bermuda I went to Horseshoe Bay based on a recomendation. I fell in love with the beach and vowed to go there once a year forever. This Sept will be my 3rd mecca in 3 years. I have kept my word.

 

I've heard of the other beaches, especially Elbow beach. I am afraid to go to another one for it may not equal horseshoe and I am waste my time in Bermuda, though I am sure the worst beach is incredibly beautiful.

 

Thoughts? Suggestions? Preferences? Recomendations?

There are some great beaches on Bermuda as well as HB.I don't think you will be disappointed in any of them.There is Elbow Beach..the public side.Tobacco Bay and Achilles bay near St.George as well as Warwick,and on and on.I suggest you stop at the tourist office and get a list to see what they have there as afr as rentals etc. if you need them and food.Some of the beaches are just that.Most you can get to by bus if you are not renting a moped.

There are many beautiful beaches in Bermuda. Another to consider is Chaplin Bay (but no ammenities..other than a restroom). We try to experience a different one on each visit....but our trip would not be complete without a visit to Horseshoe Bay (be sure to walk to the far left end, beautiful coves to explore, especially at low tide). I must have made the same, subconscious promise Cram33!! :)

can you tell me if the sand there is the kind that you sink down when you just stand there?

The sand, more so on the south shore beaches, is soft and talcum-powdery..with a pinkish hue near the shore. At the water's edge you will sink down, just a bit, just standing there! Ahhh...to be there now!!

To answer the question "is there a BETTER beach than Horseshoe Bay?"

NOPE! But others are beautiful too.

I have been to many of the beaches in Bemuda, including having stayed at the Elbow Beach Resort, and I have to tell you that my favorite beach is Horeseshoe Bay Beach.

We just returned from the 8/21 Empress cruise. What I found amazing at Horseshoe Bay Beach is that the sand is incredibly flat and yet so soft. As the waves slowly lap on the shore it leaves the sand smooth. You do not sink into the sand and this makes it really enjoyable to take a long walk on. Pick up a handful and you can see the tiny pink coral in it. It feels as smooth as powder. Although Horseshoe can get crowded, it is a large beach with many small coves to explore off either end, and it has nice facilities to shower and change in. Friends of ours spent an afternoon at Warwick Beach and found it to be much less crowded and still beautiful.

In St. Georges --- We also visited Tobacco Bay, which is tiny but has great snorkeling near the coral. We passed by early in the day - and saw that there was literally not an inch of beach uncovered by people, chairs or blankets. We went back later in the afternoon, around 3:30, and stayed until 6 or so. It was much better then as most people were packing up and heading back to their ships. St. Catherines was also crowded, but has a nice bar on the beach and a party atmosphere. Achilles Bay is beautiful, small and loses it's entire beach during high tide. People kept their towels on the rocks.

Dockyards -- Snorkel Park here is fun if you have kids. There are two adjoining floating platforms about 70 feet out, each with a plastic, yellow, straight slide into the water. We found the snorkeling was better at Tobacco Bay on the east coast. One side of the beach is the huge wall of the old fort and now the Maritime Museum, which is unusual at a beach, but not bad scenery. They are still constructing a bath house and snack stand there. It should be great when finished. If you are docked here, then you have only a 5 minute walk from the ship to the park. There is also a shuttle bus that runs throughout the day.

One note about the beaches on the north side of Bermuda -- you will need swim shoes. The sand is filled with large broken coral pieces (we even saw fish skeletons on the ocean floor) that are really rough on your feet.

Hope this information helps you plan your time.

Laurie

At Horseshoe Bay, do you have to take your own snorlke equipment or can you rent it somewhere? also does anyone know of any carraige rides around Bermuda?

& one last question, has any one done the helmet ive excursion?

thanks! sailing Grandeur to Bermuda7/17/05

We did the Hartley Helmet Dive last week. I booked the excursion on line at hartleybermuda.com and Greg Hartley called to confirm the reservation. They will not charge your card until you are in Bermuda. I think RCCL uses Bermuda Bell Diving for their excursions. Hartley's was less money for children and would allow younger children than RCCL's excursion stated. It was really a unique experience.

We were at Horseshoe beach but I can't recall seeing snorkel equipment for rent. They do have chairs and umbrellas for rent. We brought our own equipment, but didn't use the fins after the first day, just our masks and snorkels. I would say that fins are unnecessary, especially since there is so many coral formations sticking up out of the water, you need to swim slowly.

Any other questions?

Were there mid-August. They rent chairs, huge tubes, floats. We wanted to rent snorkel equip but instead they pointed us towards shop - had to buy it.

Thanks everyone! I just re-read my post & have decided I cant type or spell...LOL

I am really thinking about doing the Helmet dive it looks really cool.

Did you enjoy it Mycousin rachel ?

We did Coco Cay in July & their snorkle rental was nice & it was our first time doing it & loved it!

The helmet dive is a pretty cool, surreal experience. I enjoyed it overall. The one thing that bothered me a bit - is the air bubbles that are constantly gurgling out from under the helmet - makes it noisy when you would expect it to be quiet. If you take an underwater camera with you (we brought a one-time use camera purchased from home), Greg Hartley will take pictures of you with it - which was very nice. He also takes polaroid photos of you - that he sells to you for 7 bucks each. It was worth it.

Also - although we didn't take a horse and carriage tour - we did see them readily available at the pier in Hamilton. I don't know what the prices were.

Laurie

There are much better beaches in Bermuda than Horseshoe Bay but if I say where they are located they will be crowded and I won't enjoy them as much. My advice is be adventurous and find a quiet place all to yourself. Don't follow where everyone else goes. Don't be sheep. Unless of course you enjoy having sand kicked on you and people all around. Then by all means head to Horseshoe Bay.

and you posted this because? Horse shoe bay is not as crowded as most Jersey shore beaches. Also Horseshoe bay has bathroom and showering facilities that most south shore beaches lack. If you won't make a specific suggestion why post? It is in my opinion much less crowded than Tobacco Bay...

We were on the Majesty last week. We were in port until Friday, whereas most ships departed on Thursday. We spent Thursday split between Elbow Beach & Horseshoe Bay. They were both wonderful, the weather was perfect, and neither one had more than 100 people!

Ken

I posted to instruct others to look around and don't follow where everyone else goes. There are quiet out of the way beaches with restrooms and that is all we need. I will shower when I get back to the ship. We will not be going anywhere near Horseshoe Bay. Too crowded for us.

I love Horseshoe Bay- but it can be dangerous for people who are not experienced in the ocean. It can get large waves- particcularly when there is hurricane activity offshore. Other beaches are quieter, and easier if you are not a big beach person but none- other than tobacco or st catherines has the facilities that Horseshoe has.

"I posted to instruct others to look around and don't follow where everyone else goes. There are quiet out of the way beaches with restrooms and that is all we need. I will shower when I get back to the ship. We will not be going anywhere near Horseshoe Bay. Too crowded for us."

-Hmm. I was at Horshoe Bay all last week. There were definitely a lot of people, but no way would I consider it too crowded. That's a very large beach and yo the left you can walk past the rocks to more beach.

I wouldn't consider myself a sheep also. I never went to HB because 'everyone went there'. I go there because it is the best beach I have ever been on in my life. Actually I hit St. Catherine's. I had fun and the water was great, but didn't compare.

I'm glad you don't go there because you're not taking up beach space. I don't judge a good beach by bathrooms either.

The idea of this forum is to share information. I don't want to spend the time I have in Bermuda looking for a beach. I know they are all great. There is nothing wrong with me asking if there is something better than what I believe is top notch. That's the very purpose of this forum. Your post was not helpful, useful, or informative in any way whatsoever.

I'm planning on hitting as many beaches as can be done in 5 days so I will post my opinions when I return. I will avoid the tourist traps ie: Horseshoe Bay, Elbow Beach, Tobacco Bay, etc.

Horseshoe Bay is hardly a tourist trap.

In my opinion it is a tourist trap. People everywhere.

Can barely find a place to put your blanket down. My idea of a beautiful beach experience is privacy. Not sand being kicked on me by wild screaming children.

"In my opinion it is a tourist trap. People everywhere.

Can barely find a place to put your blanket down. My idea of a beautiful beach experience is privacy. Not sand being kicked on me by wild screaming children."

I've been to Horseshoe Bay many times and never experienced overcrowding nor sand being kicked on me. Passing the largerocks to the left, I have found that part consistantly desolate.

I could care less where anyone goes. But, I wouldn't exaggerate to prove a questionable point. Sometimes people feel they know a place better than everyone else just because they go places that aren't as popular.

I originally asked about beaches for that reason. Are there any better that I haven't heard of. If the answer is yes, I don't think those that are in the know should feel or act superior. Nor should they feel better than anyone who appreciates a popular place such as HB.

Hey Cram he is away this week...probably visiting Horseshoe Bay...

Hey Cram he is away this week...probably visiting Horseshoe Bay...

I just got back 2 weeks ago. I wish I was there this week...on any beach.