Bermuda

• More about your oliver guide: Sabrina Eliasoph
• Trip type: Adult, Beach
• Activity level: easy
• Ideal length of trip: 5-7 nights

to & from

Easy nonstops from JFK- 1.5 hour
As Bermuda sits 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina, flight or boat required to get there!

Where to Stay

The Loren

I am convinced that if you are without kids, this is the best place to stay on the island. There are a lot of people who choose the Rosewood Bermuda because it’s a famous hotel chain, and there is a golf course. However, if you’re not a golfer, I cannot stress enough how much nicer I think The Loren is over Rosewood. It’s a boutique, stylish hotel with an amazing pool, that sits high on a cliff. The views are stunning, the property is intimate and the rooms are so spacious and beautifully appointed. There is small beach to swim in with gorgeous sand and water and even amazing snorkeling. (the hotel provides snorkeling equipment). The hotel restaurant, The Pink Beach Club, is really good– especially the tuna poke bowl and the crab cakes. The view from the restaurant is gorgeous. And for pre-dinner drinks or nightcaps, there is a fun bar called Maree Lounge, with a pool table and good vibes. We LOVED this hotel.

Where to Eat and Drink

• The Pink Beach Club at The Loren (read above)
• The Village Pantry- very chic place for lunch or dinner; chic but casual. Food is really yummy. Delicious pizzas and flatbreads. We liked it so much we ate there 2x. It's also in a central part of the island, so easy to access
• Blu Bar & Grill - very fun patio to have dinner and watch sunset. The food is a little bit of a strange mix of sushi and Italian but it's a very popular place and definitely has one of the prettiest views of the harbor and faces West.
• The Swizzle Inn - this is a legendary place on the island to order the island's official national drink A Rum Swizzle. This Inn claims they invented the original "Swizzle" and who knows if it's true or not, but definitely a must-stop if you visit Bermuda. Don't eat here thouugh-- just drink a Swizzle and be on your merry way.
• The Birdcage - this is an awesome rooftop cocktail lounge, with retro vibes! The drinks are interesting and creative and artisanal. It sits right on the harbor in Hamilton, so it's a lovely place to have drinks either in the day or night. Reservations are a must. No food, just awesome drinks.
• Devil's Isle - this is owned by same owners as The Village Pantry. It's a good spot for lunch if you're in downtown Hamilton. Wouldn't necessarily recommend a specific trip into Hamilton for this menu, but it's a cool vibe and an interesting, enticing menu.
• Huckleberry - we had reservations but we ended up choosing last minute as we were in the mood for something more casual. So while I didn't actually eat here, I am adding it to the list as many people told us to go there and it's real fine dining. It looks fancy and like a lovely setting should you be in the mood for a formal meal.

What to Do

Charter a private catamaran cruise with Sail Bermuda– this was probably our favorite excursion. If you can request Captain Brad and first mate Tiana- they are an AWESOME duo and they made the trip so much fun. The catamarans come decked out with paddle boards, kayaks, hammocks, snorkel gear and of course, lots of cocktails, rose, and beer. We brought a catered lunch from our hotel on board. Food is not included unless requested in advance so plan to bring food as you’ll be hungry from all the swimming. They took us to really fun spots to jump off cliffs, float in turquoise waters (rose in hand), and swim through caves. It is not a cheap excursions; rather on the pricier side, but worth every penny.

• Rent Twizy's from Bermuda Rental Car Ltd. and explore the island w/ this specific Bermudan type of car. They go really slow but it's a fun way to explore the island. We drove all around and explored and did sightseeing without a rental car, just a Twizy. Great way to get around.
• Horseshoe Bay- This is a stunning, pink sand beach not to miss in Bermuda. It is worth every bit of the trek to get there no matter where you're staying on the island. It is gorgeous but go early. We arrived before 10 am and had the whole beach to ourselves but by the time we left, around noon, it was getting packed. Lots of caves and fun tidal pools. The water is gorgeous to swim in.
• Crystal Caves- - an absolute must! 150 feet under the earth and discovered by 2 boys playing cricket in 1908, who lost their ball in a bush, and discovered the hole entrance to the cave-- this is a stunning geological excursion. Feels like something out of Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth"
• St George- UNESCO historic town; candy colored buildings, very charming! Feels like pirate Jack Sparrow could pop out of any tavern or window.

inside scoop

Bermudan men wear colorful Bermuda shorts with their socks pulled up to their knees. It’s just “the look”

• Don't forget- this is a British overseas territory so while this is no secret once you arrive, they drive on the right side of the car!
• If you rent a Twizy, make sure that the electrical outlet they give you is actually properly outfitted for the outlets at the charging stations around the island. We learned the hard way that just because they give you an outlet, it may not work! We nearly ran out of Twizy juice at one point!
• Food in Bermuda is good but not the most amazing food... definitely no Saint Barth's... BUT the island is GORGEOUS and just beautiful, as is the water. It's a really terrific mix of American & British influences combined.

skip it

When you go to Crystal Cave, they will try to upsell you both for the tour to Crystal Cave and Fantasy Caves. Our guide basically told just to skip Fantasy and just go to Crystal. He said unless you are a “geologist” you’ll get all you need out of the Crystal Cave tour and we agreed! It was stunning and amazing, but we left feeling fulfilled. Didn’t need to do another whole cave.

• Twizy's go slow so plan out your timing accordingly to get from place to place. While Bermuda is not the big, it's very long and narrow with winding streets, so not too many direct passage ways between destinations. Takes a while to get around.
• Many stores in Hamilton and St George are closed on Sundays, so don't plan to shop on Sundays. And honestly, Hamilton is fun to spend a couple of hours in, maybe tying in The Birdcage which is definitely worth the trip, but it's not great. The candy colored buildings of St George are really fun to see and it is a historic UNESCO town. But again, it's not worth more than a couple of hours of time.
• We were very underwhelmed by the Rosewood Bermuda bar and Italian restaurant. Many people say the restaurant there - Sul Verde- is fantastic. We were in a group of 4 and none of us liked it. Felt very commercial and corporate, not authentic or charming. We say skip that hotel unless maybe you're a golfer.

What to Pack

Bathings suits, caftans, flip-flops. Some of the restaurants are actually formal so perhaps a few dinner dresses and sport coats for gentleman. And of course, colorful Bermuda shorts!

• Great book, sunscreen, and a good beach hat!

more...

Important to note: Bermuda is NOT in the Caribbean, like many people think. It is out in the Atlantic, off the coast of North Carolina. While it doesn’t get too cold in the winter (temps in the 60 degrees) the water is very cold from November- April. So if you plan to go to Bermuda, go in summer months- October. That is when you”ll enjoy the warm waters and warm temps. (but try to avoid hurricanes, LOL)