mcbutter

If you want to do snorkeling, Church Bay is considered the best or one of the best in Bermuda. I can attest, and it's one of my personal favs. However, there are no facilities there.

Great video! Thank you for posting!

OP wanted to take the tour their way, taking the driver out of his routine. When taken out of a routine, some people have a hard time performing. That being said, the op felt the tour was not up to par, and told us why. OP's opinion was, the driver wasn't very informative. Op didn't want to tip, the others did. Could op have handled this post with a little more subtlety......yes. "Being robbed" in this case was used as a figure of speech. A little over the top, or harsh......maybe. But come on people......lighten up. lol

Go to weather.bm. Click on Climate. Monthly climate report, retrieve report for .... pick a month and year. Depending on your date in Apr. On average ... Beginning of the month is upper 60's day, low to mid 60's night. Middle of the month is lower 70's day, mid to upper 60's night. End of the month is mid 70's day, upper 60's to low 70's night. So, most of the month it's 70-74 day, 65-68 night.

I was there May 18 - 25 2016. Water temp was 75-77.

The best way to see and learn about the island, by FAR, is via Blue Flag taxi. Especially, if you have limited time. And like Sailbad wrote, you can cut the cost in half, if you find another couple to go with you. The cheapest way, is to just take bus's and ferry's to Hamilton and St. George, etc. Of course you wont really learn much history and know the best/most popular places to see. But, through research, and this site, you can get an idea. Some of the people on this site are very knowledgeable and the Bermudians are very friendly and helpful. I was in Bermuda for a week last year, and we rented scooters. Scooters are a great way to get to a destination, but not to see the sites. You have to pay attention to what your doing and where your going. Plus, there's an element of danger and greater chance of injury.

Average temp in May is mid 70's. With the dew point feels like low 80's during the day. At night, upper 60's to low 70's. Go to weather.bm, then climate data. You can look at daily air and water temps for any month. You can go back a couple years. Just remember, the dew point starts getting progressively higher in May and adds about 5-10 degrees in real feel. By July it adds about 15 degrees to real feel.

We expect to do a bunch of snorkeling at Tobacco Bay. We heard that it was better than Horseshoe for this but that Horseshoe was the more beautiful beach.

 

What would be the cost in money and time for taking a taxi from Hamilton to Tobacco bay?

 

Thanks for all your help

 

Sharon

The best snorkeling is at Church Bay, which is one of my favorite beaches. Much better and closer than Tobacco Bay. However, there are no facilities at Church Bay.

Been to Bermuda many times. All cruises except this past May. We stayed 7 nights in a rental home. Staying in a rental home was much nicer than a cruise ship cabin. We had 2 bedrooms, dining room, living room, and kitchen, and beautiful views from a large deck. Total cost was around $2500.(for both, not each) Would have been less, but instead of walking and riding buses, we rented 1 scooter for 6 days. But there are many advantages to a cruise ship. To name a few; you don't have to cook and clean up after yourself. Also, there are many things to do on a cruise ship 24 hrs a day right at your fingertips. (shows, bars, casino, food) So, the room may be dinky, but the cruise ship, which acts as a hotel, is awesome.

I've been to Bermuda twice in April, 4 times in May, 3 times in June and once in July. A lot depends on what you like to do. If you like hot and humid weather and very warm sea temp, then July and Aug. If you like cool temp (68-70) and going in the water is not important to you, then April. May and June offer the best of both. Imho. The best being, the very end of May to the middle of June.

Near Dockyard try Woody's in Sandy's Parish. Hamilton, for a great burger try Dorothy's Cafe. In St. G, Wahoo's, Mama Angie's, or Somers Supermarket. Somers has a hot food section that sells by the pound.

We were in Bermuda May 18 - 25th. Air temp was 75-80 during the day. Real feel was in the mid 80's with the dew point. At night it was about 70. Sea surface (water) temp was about 77. A little chilly at first, but once in, it was nice. It rained a lot the week we were there, which was disappointing. Normally, May is one of the least rainy months in BM.

When we were there in May, the gate was locked leading to TMJ at the tavern. The tavern was closed at that time. We had to go around to the other entrance of the park.

We rented from Oleanders this May. 10% discount if you make reservations online. The good thing about Oleanders is, you can rent at Dockyard, take a ferry to St. G, pick up another scooter, ride around St.G, take the ferry back, and pick up another scooter at DY.

The cave you can swim in is inland and very hard to find. We happened to see a lady walking her dog and asked her. She told us it was hard to find and offered to escort us, and we accepted. There are tours of TMJ that will guide you. (I don't know who or how much.) There is another cave by the ocean, almost parallel to the Blue Hole. It's too small to actually swim in, but it's nice to see.

Yes! The speed limit in BM is 5 to 22 mph. Most locals go 25-35 mph. We had 2 people with a combined weight of about 300lbs, and could easily reach 40 mph. Going up hills was less, about 30-35 mph, depending on the grade.

Art Mels in Hamilton was closed when we were there in May of this year. According to some of the locals, the family is fighting after Art passed away. Don't know if and when they will reopen, but check and see before you go. Someone mentioned Mama Angies, I thought it was excellent. It was recommended by a few locals when we stayed in St. George.

It can be pretty crowded at the VIC to get passes or tokens. Sometimes the line moves fast, sometimes not. Wish Bermuda allowed you to purchase by mail, but they don't. What I have done in the past, is purchased them ahead of time via Craigslist or Ebay. Sometimes I've paid slightly more than face value, but, it's worth it to me not having to deal with the hassle, and having them immediately upon arrival.

The signs are at the Dockyard Sea Glass beach not at Alexandra Battery. And like iheartbda said, people go to see the glass. Probably why it's called Sea Glass beach.;)

Been to both in May of this year. Both were in good condition. Not a lot of glass at Alexandra Batt compared to the one near the Dockyard. But, there were no signs about removal of glass at AB. Getting it on the ship is another story.

I just saw tickets and passes for sale on ebay. Don't know how often they come up, but I'm guessing they go quick.

We get it Charles. You don't think scooters are a wise choice. I've had a couple friends killed in car accidents. And, I've known several who have been injured. I've had a few car accidents. Does that make me want to stop driving cars. No, it makes me more aware and careful. You can trip, fall, and break something. You can step on a nail and puncture your foot. That has happened to me walking. Does that make walking dangerous? I've never had an injury or accident on a motorcycle. Does that make it safer than walking or cars? Of course not. The bottom line is: be careful and know your limits. If she doesn't feel comfortable or feels it's too dangerous, hopefully, she won't do it. But preaching to her about how bad and dangerous it is, from someone who has never rode or owned motorcycles or scooters.... She's a big girl, she can decide. Btw Charles, I think you are a huge asset to these boards, and like Njhorseman, and iheartbda, your knowledge of Bermuda is vast.

Yes, you can take taxi tours, they charge by the hour. Not sure the cost, but, something you can look into if that interests you. But, if you want the most freedom of being able to get up and go at that moment, scooters and walking offer that. In some ways a scooter in Bermuda is less safe, in some ways more. Less, would be driving on the other side of the road and roads are somewhat narrow and curvy. More would be, a scooter only goes about 40 mph and the speed limit is 10 - 22 mph in Bermuda. In the U.S., motorcycles can go well over 100 mph and speed limit is 25 - 70 mph. In the U.S. in most cities, like where she drove motorcycles, there is way more traffic and going much faster. From what I experienced, as far as road etiquette, the drivers in Bermuda are far more patient, amiable and helpful, than in the U.S. St George and St. Davids have very little traffic and are pretty easy to navigate. If you have a problem finding something,(we did), people will help willingly. One person even said "follow me" and took us to our destination. As for maniacs on Bermuda roads, people in cars are fine. It's the motorcycles and scooters that use traffic as a slalom course occasionally. If all you've done is ride buses, I can see where you think they're maniacs. Cause some of those bus drivers feel like they have to prove they can corner at high speeds. But in St. George the buses only go on Mullet bay/Wellington. So the whole rest of the island is bus free. And only one bus that travels St. Davids.

No, she didn't say anything about those other places. I was offering suggestions if she decided to rent a scooter. My experiences with Oleander took about 5 minutes. You walk in, hand them the confirmation, sign a contract and pay, pick out a helmet, go outside and go over the bikes workings( starting, brakes, turn signals, storage, etc.), take the bike for a short ride and back, done. Now, if you walked to St. Davids Island, that's about 3 miles from St. George, Clearwater beach about 4 miles. About an hour there and an hour back walking. 10 minutes by scooter. If all you are going to do is go to Tobacco Bay and back, like Charles4515 said, just get a cab or walk. And, Charles is also correct, you see more walking than on a scooter, bus or cab. As far as medical and evacuation insurance, it's a good idea to have it whether you rent a scooter or not. And she knows it's got an element of danger, I've told her, you've told her, I'm sure others have told her. But lets not make it sound like it's jumping off a 1000 ft cliff into a shot glass. There's no more danger driving a scooter in Bermuda than driving a motorcycle in the states on roads you're not familiar with. imho.

If you don't like walking in the heat, it's not a waste. If you don't like walking cause it makes you sore and tired, it's not a waste. It takes 2 min by scooter to Tobacco bay from Oleanders, 10 to 15 minute walk. You can do and see so much more with a scooter in very little time compared to walking. Also, if you want to explore Gates fort, Alexandra Battery/glass beach it's only a 4 minutes from Tobacco Bay by scooter (about a 20- 30 min walk). And as a bonus, I would highly recommend, going to St. Davids Island. Clearwater beach, Turtle bay, Coopers Nature Reserve, and St. Davids Lighthouse are all on St Davids. Clearwater beach is one of my favs, and has a restaurant/bar (Gombey's) and bathrooms. Plus some shaded areas w/picnic tables just behind the beach.