Bermuda

Oh Bermuda (Bahamas, c'mon pretty mama). My husband Jay and I spent 5 days on this lovely island in September and it was unsurprisingly wonderful - gorgeous beaches, lovely locals, and lots of fun things to do and see. But Bermuda was an interesting choice for an unbeaten path traveler like me - it's frequented by a LOT of cruise ships and eating out is freakishly expensive. But, Bermuda is (1) a two-hour direct flight from airports like JFK, and (2) one of the few places these days that's Zika-free (!) so it makes for a great beach destination spot for couples like us. 

Very few of my friends had been there, so uncovering insider tips involved a ton of research and chatting to locals during our trip -  a very fun process that allowed for a deeper appreciation of the island, its culture, and Bermudians in general. We really loved our time there, and we left with things still uncovered, so we hope to go back soon. Here are our tips for things to do, see and eat while in Bermuda. Enjoy!

First, your Bermuda 101...

1. Did you know that Bermuda is actually in the Atlantic Ocean? A lot of people don't, so forgive me if you already did (you geography buff you...). The island is a British territory and is much higher on the map than the Caribbean Islands, just southeast of North Carolina. The waters are warmed by the Gulf Stream, hence why the island has a tropical climate year round - the busy season is May through October, though March & April are supposed to be warm & you avoid the higher prices of busy season. There are direct flights from Washington D.C. to Bermuda in the summertime (just a few hours flight), but if you're going in the fall, like we did, expect to connect through JFK or PHL. 
2. Food is crazy expensive. It's madness, and it's unavoidable. The island imports most of its food, so even buying groceries on the island is pricey. Our cheapest meal (no drinks) was $80/2 people. EIGHTY DOLLARS. That's highway robbery! If this is something that also perturbs you and if you're doing a short direct flight, you might want to consider bringing some groceries from the States to make a few cheap meals. We also stayed at a place where our breakfast was included, so that was one less meal a day that gave me a heart attack.
3. Getting around can be interesting. Tourists are unable to rent a car in Bermuda (even local Bermudians are only allowed one car/household), so you have a few choices: (1) rent a moped (around $50/day), but remember that Bermudians drive on the right side of the road (as a result, we heard horror stories of many moped accidents), (2) take the ferry or bus places (cheapest option - ferries always run on time & buses sometimes do), (3) take taxis (also freakishly expensive). Jay and I decided to go the #2 & #3 route - we took buses & ferries during the day, and a taxi home at night (or early morning taxis if we needed to get somewhere on time). 
4. If you normally rely on T-Mobile free international roaming (like me), beware. Our phones barely worked in Bermuda - this may be better with other phone carriers, but we ended up relying on wifi to be connected.
5. You can use your US dollars everywhere in Bermuda. The exchange rate is 1:1, and I was surprised how interchangeable the currencies were - I'd often get dollars back, though ATM's obviously give you cash in Bermudian dollars.
6. Bermuda was once called Devil's Isle, mainly because of...you guessed it...the infamous Bermuda Triangle. Interestingly, a ton of ships went missing or crashed into the island in the past not because of some mysterious reason, but because of the treacherous coral reefs surrounding Bermuda. Those reefs have since been cleared, but you can dive & snorkel to see many of the shipwrecks on the fringes of the island.
7. Be friendly! Bermudians are so lovely and friendly, so respond in kind with "good morning/afternoon/evening/thank you/etc. Jay and I are very chatty, so we really loved having lots of conversations with local Bermudians, who loved sharing their favorite spots on the island, where they were from and what life was like growing up in Bermuda, etc. We even had people stop on the side of the road when we were waiting for a bus to make sure we were ok! It was so lovely - so be lovely back!
8. Words I would use to describe Bermuda: friendly, quirky, eclectic, beachy, warm (figuratively & literally), magical.

All the places I starred to go! We got to about 80% of these...

Where we stayed...

Most restaurants and shopping are really centered in Hamilton, Bermuda's capital, though the island is divided into nine parishes. Prices are much higher in Hamilton, and hotels generally in Bermuda are pretty crazy expensive, so for those on a budget, check out VRBO or Airbnb for options - many Bermudians rent out their pool houses, rooms or apartments for much cheaper. We ended up finding a lovely bed & breakfast (listed on both platforms) called the Granaway House in Warwick parish ($130-$150/night), which was close to both the ferry and the bus, and relatively close to many of the beaches. Granaway is owned by a lovely older Bermudian couple, and run by an awesome Filipino gentleman named Francisco, who made us a killer breakfast each morning, helped us get taxis & reservations & was generally a wealth of information. The b&b also had a pool, a singing dog named Maverick and a very old cat who was our best friend by the end of the trip. Highly recommend if you want a more cozy and personal experience, though if you generally want to keep looking, make sure your place is close to a ferry/bus route, especially if you're *not* staying in Hamilton - you're going to be spending a lot of time in the capital, so getting there and to the beaches easily is key.

Our lovely bed & breakfast in Warwick.

Where we got our Bermuda tips...

As I noted earlier, I didn't have a lot of friends who had been to Bermuda before (and those who had traveled as kids or as part of a cruise), but I did manage to find some great tips through friends of friends who are Bermudian. Special shout-out to my friend Sophie's colleague, Shaunee, who had some of the best tips, and Niamh's friend Rosie. I also found some great insider tips via Vogue, this Boston Globe piece, and this great Monocle travel guide to Bermuda. I also surfed instagram handles, read travel blogs, and most importantly, spoke to locals. Bermudians gave us our best tips, and I always asked them to give us their favorite spots to frequent that "we may not read about on Trip Advisor." 

Things to Do/See/Eat in Bermuda

• Have a meal at the foot of Gibb's Hill Lighthouse. The Lighthouse was built in 1844 and boasts one of the best views of the island. Have a meal at sunset at The Dining Room, located at the bottom of the Lighthouse for good food & the spectacular view. We had our first meal in Bermuda here and it was lovely.
• As noted earlier, there are a ton of places to eat & drink in Hamilton. My absolute, hands-down fave place was a really hip restaurant called Devil's Isle, which also has a coffee spot next door. We went during lobster season, but if you don't want to pay that much for lobster, I had the guinea chick here and literally couldn't stop talking about how good it was. Our meal was so great that I insisted we come back for our last dinner in Bermuda. My other fave and tucked away spot in Hamilton was a speakeasy cocktail bar called Yours Truly. It's a bit hard to find, but the bar is behind a red door above Ruby Murry's in Chancery Lane. Knock on the door, and you'll have some pretty kick ass drinks at a spot that calls itself "the only cocktail bar in Bermuda." I also really liked Rock Island Coffee for its laid back vibes (I spent an afternoon working from here, and loved how many people walked in knowing one another!) and Bulli Social for their burgers. Hog Penny Pub has been in business since 1957 and has fun live music on Wednesday nights. Finally, if you're in Bermuda on a weekend, Front Street comes alive with people milling around & hopping between bars.
• There are some *fancy* hotels in Hamilton. While we didn't stay here, the Hamilton Princess was recently renovated and a fun place to check out, more for their modern art collection than anything else. Everything is pricey here, but stop by 1609 restaurant for a sunset drink before dinner - it boasts some marvellous views.
• For beaches, you can't go wrong around the island, but many people head to the South Shore. While Horseshoe Bay Beach is ranked one of the best beaches in the world, it is *filled* with tourists. If you want to avoid the crowds, come post-3pm - a lot of cruise ships leave by this time so the beach is a lot emptier, plus you get half off on beach chairs & umbrellas! If you really want to avoid crowds and find some tucked away beaches, check out Warwick Long Bay and Jobson's Cove for some great spots more frequented by locals. If you're into snorkeling, Church Bay, also in the South Shore, is your best beach to visit. 
• You must, must check out St. George's, a town on the eastern part of the island known as Bermuda's first English settlement. The town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was Bermuda's original capital, and has retained its 17th century architecture & facade. It's really interesting to wander through the old streets & alleys. You can pick up a map in King's Square, which is helpful given that a lot of the coolest alleys will not be on Google Maps. Map in hand, wander down Featherbed Alley, Shinbone Alley, Petticoat Lane, Blockade Alley & Old Maid's Lane - the architecture is very cool & makes for some great photos. Many people eat at Wahoo's for lunch, though we didn't have time to check it out. While in St. George's, stop by the Bermuda Perfumery to buy some gifts & take a tour. If you visit St. George's on a Wednesday or a Saturday, you *must* have Sweet P's afternoon tea in the garden of the Perfumery. It's such a wonderful experience & the sandwiches and pastries are delicious. "P" of Sweet P is Paula, and she's been running this afternoon tea for a few years (after she returned home to Bermuda from New Jersey, we learned from chatting with her).  Afternoon tea, while a hidden gem, fills up pretty fast, so be sure to make a reservation in advance.
• After St. George's, wander past the Unfinished Church (you can't walk in, but it's cool to walk by), down to Tobacco Bay Beach (great snorkeling & is lively and fun, especially on Friday nights). Walk further past Tobacco Bay, pass by Fort St. Catherine (we didn't go in), and check out St. Achilles Bay Beach if you'd like to check out a beach more frequented by locals.
• On the western part of the island, check out the Royal Naval Dockyard, though beware: this is where A LOT of cruise ships dock for the day (my two cents: just embrace the touristy cruise ship passenger in you!). We came to this side of the island for a jet ski tour, which we did through KS Watersports. It was really fun - we toured the western part of the island via jet skis, fed fish in the Bermuda Triangle, and saw some sea turtles. We had drinks on the beach and ate lunch afterwards at the historic Frog & Onion Pub, and grabbed fresh fruit popsicles from Duch Pops (a local Bermudian small business) before we headed back. 
• Many people will tell you to visit Bermuda's Crystal Caves, located near the airport, and you really should. But many people won't tell you to also hike through Tom Moore's Jungle and explore some of the island's caves. The jungle gives you a sense of what Bermuda looked like when it was once uninhabitable, and you won't see many people on your hike or when you wander through some of the caves (be careful though - super slippery & I hit my head a few times!). A few of our taxi drivers told us that one of the swimming holes in the Jungle once upon a time hosted dolphin shows, starring the island's two dolphins. Ask your taxi driver to drop you off by Tom Moore's Tavern (the oldest restaurant on the island). We hiked for around an hour, came out near the street and then walked up to the Crystal Caves, where we did a tour of the Fantasy Caves (we chose to just do one) - the caves are amazing and are over a million years old! After your time at the caves, grab a drink or a bite at Swizzlers Inn (try a dark & stormy or a Rum Swizzle, Bermuda's famous drinks) and finish up with an ice cream from Bailey's Ice Cream Parlor.
• There's a lot of debate in Bermuda about the famous fried fish sandwich, which is essentially fried fish (obviously) & tartar sauce sandwiched in raisin bread. The most famous one is from Art Mel's in Hamilton, according to all the guides, but our taxi driver sent us to *his* favorite at Rosa's Cantina (the 2015 winner of Bermuda's best fish sandwich), because "the fish is locally caught, not imported." The raisin bread is also freshly baked from a local bakery. I didn't have enough time to try multiple sandwiches to have a fair perspective on this match-up, but if fish sandwiches are your thing, try a few and let me know your thoughts!

Other food spots that came recommended but we didn't have time to check out: Village Pantry (same owners as Devil's Isle, our fave spot), Blu, Harbourfront, Madhatter's and Waterlot.

Whew! We know there's more to see and do in Bermuda, but we hope this guide is a solid start - a mix of touristy, great food & off the beaten path tips. Enjoy Bermuda - we loved it and we know we'll be back!