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Planning a trip to Bermuda? This Bermuda Travel Guide gives you a short list of beaches that you won’t want to miss!

“Friends that travel together, stay together.” 

My husband and I have a great group of friends that we met through our children when they were very young, and our friendship has stood the test of time, in spite of the fact that the kids all went on to different interests and activities. We have high school and college students among us, and even college graduates.

We’ve been talking about planning a trip with this group of friends for years. Finally this past year, we actually did it.

Traveling with friends for the first time can be a little nerve wracking. You could find out that you drive each other completely nuts. Or you might have a good time, but you’ll probably never do it again. Or, you find out you’re fabulous travel companions and you start thinking forward to future trips, which is what happened on this trip.

We decided on a cruise to Bermuda, in part because we could simply drive to the dock, rather than flying and chancing delays or cancellations. We also liked the fact that the boat docked in Bermuda, so it would serve as our “hotel” while we had plenty of time to explore.

This was meant to be a relaxing vacation. Last year, we, along with one other couple on the trip, purchased a health club. New businesses always need lots of TLC, and we’ve been working long hours since we opened. The vacation was planned before the gym purchase, which is probably good, because I doubt we would have planned a getaway like this with the gym in such early stages. But a vacation was much needed, and things turned out fine in our absence.

As my husband and I get closer and closer to becoming empty nesters, we plan to do more traveling and share those adventures with you. This Bermuda Travel Guide is one my first travel posts to be shared with you! My very first was a bucket list trip to Anchorage…check out Anchorage Travel: 7 Must See Places to Visit! Stay tuned for posts on Scotland travel and our Alaskan cruise coming soon as well!

BERMUDA TRAVEL GUIDE

I’ve concentrated on beaches in this Bermuda Travel Guide, because that was where we spent most of our time. I would go back to each of these again on a return visit!

HORSESHOE BAY BEACH

We spent our days in Bermuda on the beach, although not basking in the sun necessarily.

Horseshoe Bay Beach on the South Shore is one of the most famous beaches in Bermuda. Named for its curved shape, Horseshoe Bay has stunning turquoise water, pretty pink sand, and striking rock formations. It’s definitely worth spending a day here if you go to Bermuda. The pink sand gets its color from a mix of crushed shells, coral and calcium carbonate called red forminifera.

Horseshoe Bay is a full service beach with food and drinks, beach chair and umbrella rentals as well as snorkel equipment and more. Amy and Jose thought to bring snorkel equipment with them, so we took turns with their gear.

We came across a group of friendly people with floaties and asked them where they had gotten them, hoping to rent some ourselves, when they insisted that we take one, telling us they had gotten them from the dollar store back home and had more than enough. We enjoyed that floatie for several days!

Horseshoe Bay was very crowded, clearly popular with tourists, but what I liked best was that just past the main beach, where most of the crowd was, there was a cove you could walk over to, with all sorts of nooks and crannies to explore. There was also a large rock that people were climbing and jumping off of. Most of us were too chicken to do it, but my husband and Amy went up. You’ll see them in the video at the bottom of this post.

HAMILTON

Hamilton is the capital of Bermuda. But since the other two beaches I am going to share with you were suggestions that we received during our visit to Hamilton, I thought I would share the evening we spent there as well. Plus you don’t want to miss Hamilton! I loved the architecture, and there was a lot of great shopping. Be aware though, during the week and Saturdays most of the shops close at 5 pm, and they’re not open at all on Sundays.

We spent Wednesday evening in Hamilton for Harbor Night. Harbor Night runs May to September. There are street vendors lining the streets…we particularly enjoyed the Jalapeno Pepper Jam and Ginger Pepper Jam from the Bermuda Jam Factory, and some Goslings Black Seal Rum, which we’re using to make Dark and Stormy cocktails, a new favorite after discovering it on this trip.

We stopped for dinner at The Pickled Onion, on a recommendation from one of my husband’s vendors at work, whose husband is from Bermuda.

We spent about 45 minutes at the bar waiting for a table, but it was well worth the wait. There were wonderful quotes on the walls, which just added to the ambiance. (I’m a quote girl…I have them all over my house.) We had a great meal, and the general manager, our waiter and another young woman working the front gave us some fabulous beach recommendations for the rest of our trip.

Having spent a day among the crowds, we were looking for a few places off the beaten path that weren’t going to be quite as well known with the vacation crowd.

DANIELS HEAD BEACH PARK

On a recommendation that we received, the following day we spent at Daniels Head Beach Park. Virtually deserted when we arrived, this was my favorite spot.

There was only a thin strip of sand, and it was surrounded by an abandoned (and very neglected looking) resort. There are definitely prettier beaches with much nicer looking surroundings. If you’re looking for a stunning backdrop, you’re probably not going to enjoy this beach the way I did.

For me, the draw was the marine life, not the surrounding area.

We were told that we’d find sea turtles here, and we were not disappointed. They were everywhere! I’m a little obsessed with sea turtles. I find them fascinating. If I’m on a trip where I get to swim with them, it’s always a huge highlight for me.

We spent HOURS swimming with these majestic creatures. They didn’t seem the least bit bothered by us. They swam near us and continued eating off the ocean floor while we looked on. You’ll be able to see them swimming close up in the video at the bottom!  Jose had a waterproof GoPro with him so most of the video footage you will see in my video is courtesy of him.

Something to note though…there are no facilities here, and no beach chair or snorkel rentals. If you want to watch the turtles underwater, you need to bring your own snorkel gear. We took a taxi from our ship, but since it isn’t a spot that tourists frequent, taxis and buses don’t really stop back to pick people up. Our taxi driver told us he would come back, but he did not, and we made the mistake for not asking for his card or number.  We spent about 15 minutes walking back up to the main road and caught a taxi back.

The people in Bermuda were very friendly. The men were walking a good deal faster than us when we were walking back up to the main road, and were quite a bit up ahead, when a kind woman in a car pulled up alongside of us and offered us a ride back to town. We declined of course…our entire group would have never fit in her car, but it was so nice of her to offer!

CHURCH BAY

We were told by locals that Church Bay in Southhampton Parish was a great snorkel spot. It’s also quite picturesque. There is a steep staircase down to the beach and the surrounding boulders and greenery makes for a stunning backdrop. When we first got there, we had the beach completely to ourselves, although a few more people did arrive as the day went on.

This is not a beach made for sunbathing. There is a very thin section of sand and it’s quite rocky.

The snorkeling was absolutely AMAZING! The reef is close to the shore and the marine life was plentiful! There were beautiful colorful fish everywhere…it was like swimming in an aquarium! We spent hours snorkeling. The average water temperature in August, which is when we went, is around 82 degrees Farhenheit, so being in the water that long wasn’t uncomfortable at all. Just a word of warning…when you first enter the water, there is a rock shelf near shore that you should watch out for. If you aren’t paying attention, you could stub your toe or hit it with your shin.

You do need to bring your own snorkel gear…there was no rental concession stand. There was a bathroom facility, however.

This time we were smart and got our taxi drivers business card so we could call him when we were ready to leave!

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FAREWELL BERMUDA

Our Bermuda cruise was one of the easiest vacations ever planned, and among my favorites as well. My only regret is that we didn’t stay longer. Another couple days would have been absolutely perfect! I hope that you’ll find my Bermuda Travel Guide helpful in planning your own trip! Check out our video to get a closer look at the beaches we visited as well as the rest of our trip to Bermuda!

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