Bermuda Travel Tips

Bermuda is a tiny island off of the coast of the Carolinas, just a short plane ride, but a world away from ordinary.

The population is split between Portuguese, British and blacks descendents of slaves, but the bulk of the wealth is in multi-million dollar mansions, many owned by Americans.  Each have very strong cultures in Bermuda, clinging proudly to their traditions, very unlike the American melting-pot.  We noticed three languages in Bermuda, a native Bermudian Creole spoken by the black population, Portuguese and British English.  The Portuguese in Bermuda have a strong culture, and the ATM machines have Portuguese as a language selection.

Because of the highbrow nature of Bermuda resorts (exclusive clubs, expensive golf), we heard complaints that they are not openly friendly to the great unwashed, and many blue-collar tourists may find themselves unwelcome at the finer resorts.

Despite it's natural beauty, Bermuda has long suffered a bad reputation as snooty and unfriendly, and they are hoping to correct this by actively promoting their islands as tourist destinations for vacationers from New York and North Carolina.

At the cruise port:

Despite the small size of the island, land travel is time-consuming (the island has a 20 MPH speed limit), and taxi rides can easily cost $50 to Hamilton from the cruise ship dock.  A far better value are the shuttle boats, clear and air conditioned, with fun high-speed travel to St. George and Hamilton.

Shopping:

Front street and Queen are the major shopping streets in Hamilton Bermuda.  Much of the merchandise available in Bermuda is imported from the United Kingdom and Ireland, so be prepared for expensive shopping.

Recommended restaurants:

Unless you enjoy the traditional bland British pub grub, you may want to seek out

- Blu Bar & Grill - top rated for great casual dining, great food, good views and not stuffy or pretentious.
 

- Bombay Palace - very good Indian buffet at lunch

 

- Greg's steakhouse - Good meat.
 

- Silk - A great spot for Thai with a nice patio overlooking Front Street and the harbor. We recommend the green curry fried rice, quite good.

 

- Frog & Onion pub - Some locals report it to be a favorite spot, but it was heavily promoted by Royal Caribbean cruise lines.
 

Bermuda Architecture

The Bermuda style stone roofs are also found on Grand Turk island which partnered with Bermuda during the heyday of the 19th century whaling trade.  The roofs are shingles cut from the coral stone which makes up the island and mortared together on a wood frame to create the traditional "stepped" roofs of Bermuda.

Related recommended Bermuda attractions:

The beaches are really pink, colored by red coral debris.  Bermuda has great scuba dicing and snorkeling, but when we went the beaches were cluttered with stinky decaying seaweed.

Scenic stops include Horseshoe Bay with pretty pink sand and Tobacco bay for great snorkeling:

	Tiny coves are great boat dockage
The world's smallest drawbridge - Just enough for the mast

Golf in Bermuda:

Bermuda Fairmont Southampton Golf Club - An 18 hole par-3 course at the Fairmont resort.  Call (441) 239-6952 to reserve a tee time.   See my Golf Tips for the Bermuda Southampton course