Exploring Purposefully…

This was a trip I planned for my husband and myself a couple years ago. I wanted to go somewhere exotic and different than our usual summer vacation spots, but we only had a long weekend. We live in the Northeast, so this was very doable (2.5h direct flight from NYC). Bermuda doesn’t allow tourists to rent cars, so historically travelers have ridden mopeds (now I think they also have small electric buggy-like cars that can be rented). There are a lot of cautionary tales about tourists and mopeds, but my husband has been riding a motorcycle for a long time, and while I haven’t been on the back of it in many years, I was very confident in his abilities and it was fun to think about scootering around reliving our dating days. I didn’t know when we’d go back to Bermuda, so I wanted to pack a lot in to our visit and really explore the island, while also enjoying an easy and fun adventure with my partner. I think if you don’t have easy transportation and are relying on shuttles and taxis, staying in a town setting would be better, but we chose a resort on the beach.

Itinerary details
Days: Thursday-Sunday in July
Lodging: The Reefs resort, in Southampton parish
Travelers: Two adults

Thursday
We were supposed to arrive in the early afternoon, and I had intended for us to enjoy the hotel beach before dinner at the hotel. Unfortunately, this was during the computer glitch several years ago where flights were massively delayed and canceled. We spent several extra hours at Newark airport, and by the time we got to Bermuda and took a taxi to our hotel, there was only time for a quick pool swim before dinner. We still enjoyed the paradise-feel, and we had a casual dinner at the hotel bar restaurant, and afterward read on the terrace next to a fire pit and enjoyed the warm breeze.

Friday
The next day, after breakfast on the hotel terrace, we picked our double-scooter from the Oleander’s location next to the hotel. We rode into Hamilton for a food tour I had booked on Viator that began at 11am. We’d never done anything like this before, but it was a great introduction to a brand new place, and our guide was knowledgeable not only about food culture, but also Bermudian history, so it was a yummy combination of dining and learning. We will definitely keep food tours in mind for early on in a short trip moving forward, to get a quick crash course and ease in to a new place. 

After finishing up in Hamilton, we rode to Warwick Long Bay, the pinkest of pink beaches. We brought things to read, but we also ended up doing some walking along the dunes, and of course swimming in the clear blue water. I can enjoy a beach (my husband isn’t as much a fan), but after an hour or so, we felt like we’d had the experience. We went back to the hotel and sat in lounge chairs and swam a bit there, then showered and changed for dinner, and got back on the scooter around 5.

We rode up to the Dockyard at the northwestern tip of the island, and we walked around there a bit before having dinner at the Frog and Onion, a traditional historic pub. We then made our way back down to our hotel at dusk (I didn’t want to be riding after dark), and had a nightcap and read on the terrace again.

Saturday
We scootered to the rail trail and ran about 2.5mi in VERY hot and humid weather (the trade winds mean the temperature doesn’t really drop at night), and we saw the world’s smallest working drawbridge. Back to the hotel for breakfast, and then back out for some more sightseeing. 

I booked a Crystal Caves tour (we saw both the Crystal and Fantasy caves, the combo was $35/person and took an hour and 15 minutes). This was really neat and something cool to see/learn and also get out of the sun for a little bit in the middle of the day.

Then we went to the Swizzle Inn around the corner for lunch and got some fun rum drinks. After that we went around the corner again to Blue Hole Park and hiked to the swimming hole. I had seen mixed reviews about this – some people thought it was really cool, and others were shocked that people would forgo Bermuda’s beautiful beaches to swim in the woods. We thought it was a unique and fun experience, and as people who enjoy swimming more than we enjoy laying on sand, it was well worth doing. I actually lost my watch during a jump, and thanks to the clear water and a borrowed snorkel mask, I was able to retrieve it from the pebbles 15ft below the surface. All’s well that ends well!

After about an hour in Blue Hole Park, we got back on the scooter to take the long way back to the hotel, along the south shore. We made a wrong turn at one point and ended up in a very expensive development on a golf course (I was a suboptimal navigator on the back of the scooter because I was mostly trying to hold on with two hands and not drop my phone in the street). We eventually made it back to the resort to enjoy the beach we’d missed on our arrival day, and we sat in lounge chairs and read and swam for an hour or two before dinner. We got cleaned up and had dinner at the resort again, this time at their fancier restaurant down at the beach, and then walked on the beach after dinner. Another lovely night.

Sunday
Our departing flight wasn’t until mid-afternoon, so we decided to squeeze in a bit more sightseeing on a part of the island we hadn’t been to before. We took a taxi from our resort to another Oleander’s location close to the airport, and we were able to store our luggage there while we rented another scooter. We then made our way to St. George’s, on the northeastern tip of the island. We went to the Unfinished Church, then Fort St. Catherine, and finished with an iced coffee and some souvenir shopping in the Town of St. George.

We made our way back to the scooter shop and were able to flag down a taxi for the 3-minute ride over the causeway to the airport. Then, thanks to our Priority Pass credit card benefit, and the fact that I had our microfiber towels in our carry-on luggage, we were able to shower in the lounge prior to our flight, getting off all the sweat and sunscreen and feeling fresh for the trip home. 

Final review
What we did well:
We visited all nine parishes on the island, blending natural wonders with historical appreciation, and a great mix of active movement and lounging around. Being able to travel via scooter was freeing and wonderful, but I would not have done it myself, and I was very grateful for my husband’s motorcycle skills (we did take one turn too sharply and he had to put his sandal-ed foot down in the middle of an intersection, but luckily no injuries). Showering at the airport was amazing and helped us feel much better for the rest of the day.

What I would do differently next time:
I was really happy with how this all came together. There were a couple snafus that were easy to roll with. There’s nothing about this itinerary I would change, unless I didn’t have a capable scooter driver.

Feedback?
Any feedback or suggestions? Have you been to any of these places, and how did you feel about them? Feel free to leave a comment!