Bermuda private guide

[stellarose]

We loved Dennis Hollis.

 

Have also heard Collin is very good too.

[Lily2006]

Where did Dennis take you? How many hours? He just emailed me to ask how long. What time did you start your tour? We first thought early in morning at 8:30am but I don't know. What do you think?

[Lily2006]

Do you have them wait while you are in lunch? Or museums or caves? How does that eork

[momtojandj]

Just wanted to say we set up a tour with winsome tours for our trip in August off the breakaway , we asked him to do a five hour tour, but drop us off at caves when we are done so we can do that own our own. Then we will take a bus or ferry back to ship. Lunch, hoping he will suggest a place and we can grab something quick on our tour. Very excited!

[grandmaR]

Generally if I'm with a guide over lunch he waits and maybe has his lunch. Sometimes I eat with him/them. Depends on how they indicate they want to do it. In Rome, Naples and St. Martin, they didn't eat with us. In Santo Domingo, the guide and driver both ate with us.

 

If I want to go into a place (like Fort Hamilton or Gibbs Hill Lighthouse) the guide will either drop us off and wait or he will park and come in with us depending on the parking and what the site is. In St. Martin, the guide waited outside the zoo for us and waited while we shopped. But there isn't the same kind of transportation system there that there is in Bermuda so I couldn't have gotten public transportation from there.

 

As to when to start - sometimes that depends on the traffic. The last time, we decided to start a little later because that would be easier for the driver not having to fight the rush hour traffic and would let us have a more leisurely breakfast. We have also made arrangements to take the ferry to St. George, sightsee and have lunch there, and and then meet the driver and then have him drive us back from there to the ship, stopping at various places along the way.

 

A lot of times when I'm on a cruise and have been someplace before (like the Bahamas and St. Thomas) I will get a taxi driver when I get off the ship and bargain with him for where I want to go and we set a price. But for Bermuda, I've done that in advance. I've been to Bermuda before (this next time will be my 6th time to visit there -1963, 1995, 2004, 2007, and 2011), and I know where I want to go and what I want to do there.

Edited July 26, 2013 by grandmaR

[CCCM]

We just returned from the Norwegian Dawn 07/19/13 sailing to Bermuda. Based on what I read here and on another website I chose Heidi Cowen with Byways Tours. She is incredible. We met at 11 am and I returned to the ship at approximately 5 pm for the full island tour. Heidi is the granddaughter of the last lighthouse keeper at Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. We learned a lot about Bermuda, saw the beauty of Bermuda and experienced the friendliness of Bermuda. When we get a chance to return I will use Heidi again (I want to take my mom to Bermuda next time).

 

Also, Heidi is an incredible artist.

 

Here is the website: http://bermudafootsteps.com/

[Cruisin'Newlyweds]

Hello Everyone!

Just returned from Explorer of the Seas yesterday after spending Monday/Tuesday in Bermuda! What a beautiful island! My first time there, and it's now my favorite island!

We spent Monday with Dennis Hollis. I cannot begin to say enough good things about him! What a thoughtful, kind, knowledgeable, dependable and trustworthy man!

As previously discussed via email (for which he was always very responsive), we agreed to meet at the dock at 9:30am and take a 5-6 hr. tour of the island, with a stop at The Swizzle Inn for lunch and concluding in Hamilton (we planned to shop a little and have dinner at The Hog Penny Pub before taking the ferry back to the Dockyard). There were 4 of us in total and we agreed to his cash rate of $40/hr. (aka the standard rate for all taxi tours in Bermuda).

When we got off the ship at 9:25am, we had no problem finding him waiting for us with a sign. His taxi was very clean and the AC worked great!

Our tour ended up 7 hours later in Hamilton, but he only charged us for 6 (we of course paid him for 7 and tipped him a little extra). We seriously saw the entire island and learned so much about it thanks to Dennis!

For those still reading this review and want to know everything we saw, here it is (a few stops I expected and a few surprises by Dennis):

1. Visited the Heydon Chapel

2. Photo Op at a Moongate with a beautiful view (Dennis also picked an herb leaf for us to smell; I think it was one of the main herbs used in the Sherry Pepper Sauce)

3. Visited Fort Scaur

4. Visited Somerset Bridge (Dennis brought bread to feed the fish, which was quite a sight)

5. Drove through the Port Royal Golf Course (PGA Grand Slam to be held there in Oct)

6. Climbed Gibbs Hill Lighthouse (highly recommend; I’d never been so high in a lighthouse that you could actually stand next to the light!)

7. Drove around the Southampton Fairmont Hotel

8. Walked along the water at Horseshoe Bay (when we returned, Dennis had gone so far as to place tarps and towels down in case we had gone for a swim and were wet)

9. Viewed Jobson’s Cove and Warwick Long Bay from afar

10. Visited Southlands Public Park for the amazing Banyan Trees

11. Drove around the Elbow Beach Hotel, the Botanical Gardens, through Black Watch Pass and past the Governor’s House

12. Visited Flatts Village (very cool to watch the tide rush out of Harrington Sound)

13. Visited the Sea Turtle Pool Exhibit at BAMZ

14. Lunch and Rum Swizzles at the original Swizzle Inn (HUGE and yummy nachos and fish sandwiches)

15. Walked around the Old Town of St. George’s (St. Peter’s Church, Town Hall, Bridge House)

16. Drove by the Unfinished Church, Tobacco Beach, Fort St. Catherine, Sea Venture Monument, Alexandra Battery, Gates Fort Park

17. Drove through Tucker’s Town, including around the Rosewood Hotel, and John Smith’s Bay

18. Ended in Hamilton on Front Street

And, yes, Dennis was with us for all stops (although he didn’t climb the lighthouse, walk Horseshoe Bay or St. George’s with us, nor did he elect to have lunch with us).

Please feel free to ask me any questions at all! I honestly can’t recommend him enough!

Dennis Hollis

dwhollis@logic.bm

441-334-7480 (cell)

[Lily2006]

We have him booked for October! We were going to have him meet us at 830. Do you think that is too early with traffic? Did you buy ferry passes and where did you get them, cost? I was thinking of ending in st George because I want to go to perfumery tea Does that sound right? Did you do caves and how long did it take? Go to glass beach?

[brownblonde]

Just returned from our first cruise to Bermuda aboard the RCI Explorer of the Seas (7/20/13), and wanted to post a quick report about our private tour of the island with Colin Jennings (thanks to the many positive reviews of Colin here on CC).

 

Let me just sum it all up by saying we had an AWESOME day! I booked Colin to take us around the island, showing us as many "hot spots" as possible for a total of 5 to 6 hours. We had such a great time, and Colin was such a fantastic guide, that we ended up staying with him for around 7 hours! We had a group of 7 people, and we all were able to fit in his taxi van, which was very clean, well taken care of, and had great AC (which Colin kept ready and cool practically the entire time).

 

We saw so many things on our tour, it's hard to remember it all. But some of our stops included: Scaur Hill Fort, Fort St. Catherine, Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Sea Glass Beach (the one near Dockyard), Flatts Village, the sea turtle pool exhibit at BAMZ, Somerset Bridge, Hamilton (with a quick stop for some shopping), St. George, gathered some pink sand in bottles (which Colin brought for us!), lunch and drinks at the orignial Swizzle Inn (and ice cream across the street afterward) and SO MUCH MORE. A ton of short "photo op" stops...driving along back roads with incredible views and scenery...all narrated by Colin himself. We learned all about the history and culutre of Bermuda, from its founding all the way up to the present day, and what industry is creating a BOOM across the island (I'd never heard of the industry until this trip - let alone how huge it is here).

 

All in all, we had an incredible time. Colin was extremely professional, courteous, friendly, knowledgable, experienced...I could go on and on. We all felt 100% confident and safe with him during our entire tour. I would recommend him to anyone looking for the most thorough one-day tour of Bermuda possible. We ended up paying $60 per person for the whole day (about 7 hours, with 7 people) - we tipped him at the end as well - he deserved it. I understand the $60 rate may be higher than others are charging...so I can't comment on whether or not Colin provides "more for your money"...all I can say is that for $60pp, we received a fantastic private tour of the entire island of Bermuda with an awesome guy. It may be possible to do this for less money - but I'm extremely happy with the price we paid....especially considering it would have cost around $60 to get 7 of us to Horseshoe Bay by taxi - ONE WAY.

 

If anyone has any questions specifically about Colin or our tour, please feel free to contact me...I'd be happy to help! :-)

 

- Brett

 

Just to repeat his contact info here it is:

 

Reliable Taxi Service

Colin E. Jennings

Mobile: (441)799-2959

Email: colinjenningstaxi@yahoo.com

 

I was happy to read your report about Colin. We have made arrangements for four of us in Sept. He said he would meet us at the dock, was it that way with you and was he on time or you being 7 were you there also.

I guess any other places we would like to include he probably will accommodate us.

I think most of the guides are good to go with.

[brett9]

I was happy to read your report about Colin. We have made arrangements for four of us in Sept. He said he would meet us at the dock, was it that way with you and was he on time or you being 7 were you there also.

I guess any other places we would like to include he probably will accommodate us.

I think most of the guides are good to go with.

I'm sure you'll be as impressed with Colin as we were! Yes, it was extremely easy to find him. Literally as soon as we stepped off the ship, I think he was the first person I saw, holding a large sign with my name printed in large blue letters (printed from a computer) - I was actually shocked at how easy he was to find. It was 2 minutes from stepping off the ship to sitting in his (already cool) taxi van!

 

Just tell him if you have any specific requests - he will take you anywhere you'd like. We had a few requests, but mostly just asked him to show us as much as possible. We even changed our plans midway through the tour, and he was flexible and was happy to accommodate everything we wanted to do. Have a great time! :)

[css5]

We took a tour with Ralph, the owner of Winsome Tours last week:

(http://winsometransport.com/)

 

Ralph is an excellent tour guide, very knowledgeable of the history and ecology of Bermuda - he used to run a local museum. He tailored the itinerary to our needs, and he was waiting for us on-time at the dock.

 

He took us on a "not too difficult" hike through the woods to a hidden cave, which is adjacent to Crystal Caves - so it's basically the same type of cave - but you don't pay $22 to see it!

 

It was a very enjoyable day!

[guidance lady]

We toured with Dennis Hollins earlier this August and he was excelent. We highly recommend him. His van was comfortable and airconditioned and he knows Bermuda well.

[stellarose]

Loved dennis hollis. Highly recommend.

[bb215]

I used Winsome Transport for a 5 hour island tour last week. I contacted the owner, Ralph Richardson through his website and he called me to explain rates and to set up a date. I was on the Norwegian Breakaway and he met me and my family outside the ship at 9am. I had a party of 15 (13 adults and 2 children) and we filled his air conditioned mini-bus just perfectly. He was very friendly, knowledgeable, and entertaining. The tour was excellent and I highly recommend him. You will either get Ralph or his wife Julie, as a tour guide. I had Ralph and he shared many personal stories about his family, which I enjoyed very much.

[momtojandj]

Just off the breakaway, and used winsome tours. Ralph was our tour guide, he was excellent. We had 3 adults and 5 teens, so he adjusted the tour to include some things of interest to the teen boys.

[diskids2]

How far in advance do you usually contact a private guide?

[stellarose]

I contacted Dennis in April for July trip.

[blonde375]

I have Dennis Hollis booked for our upcoming trip. He's been attentive and prompt in answering emails. We are doing a Sunset Tour on the evening our ship arrives. $40 per hour for two of us.

 

I'll report back to this thread when we return.

[cherylroslyn]

How far in advance do you usually contact a private guide?

Book early, I didn't get Dennis Hollis because I emailed six weeks out and he was already booked. He did arrange a tour for me, however, with a friend of his who is also a licensed tour guide.

[grandmaR]

How far in advance do you usually contact a private guide?

 

I book as soon as I book the cruise or very shortly thereafter - basically as soon as I know I want a guide.

 

There are a lot of guides, but there are also a LOT of people on a cruise ship. And depending on the dates, there may be more than one there at a time.

[cruisenuts4life]

Book early, I didn't get Dennis Hollis because I emailed six weeks out and he was already booked. He did arrange a tour for me, however, with a friend of his who is also a licensed tour guide.

Did he recommend Millard Lightbourne? Just wondering because that is who we are going with.

[lah66]

Does anyone else raise their eyebrows at tour guides charging more than the quoted $40 per hour for up to 4 people and $55 an hour for up to 6 people? Lewis Foggo is quoting me $50 per hour for 4 people...hmmmmm.. How about charge me the going rate and I will tip generously if and when you do a great job! If the government sets the cost, why do they think they can charge more? Sounds like ego and a bit of dishonesty to me...maybe I am wrong...Your thoughts?

Lauri

[Donam]

Does anyone else raise their eyebrows at tour guides charging more than the quoted $40 per hour for up to 4 people and $55 an hour for up to 6 people? Lewis Foggo is quoting me $50 per hour for 4 people...hmmmmm.. How about charge me the going rate and I will tip generously if and when you do a great job! If the government sets the cost, why do they think they can charge more? Sounds like ego and a bit of dishonesty to me...maybe I am wrong...Your thoughts?

Lauri

 

 

If you do a search with his name you will see that this has already been discussed. I seem to recall that those who toured with him felt the tour was worth the extra.

[njhorseman]

Does anyone else raise their eyebrows at tour guides charging more than the quoted $40 per hour for up to 4 people and $55 an hour for up to 6 people? Lewis Foggo is quoting me $50 per hour for 4 people...hmmmmm.. How about charge me the going rate and I will tip generously if and when you do a great job! If the government sets the cost, why do they think they can charge more? Sounds like ego and a bit of dishonesty to me...maybe I am wrong...Your thoughts?

Lauri

 

Unfortunately there are a couple of drivers who violate the regulations and charge more than the government-approved fare.

 

Personally, I wouldn't use them. There are other perfectly good drivers recommended by posters on this board that charge the approved rate.

[lah66]

If you do a search with his name you will see that this has already been discussed. I seem to recall that those who toured with him felt the tour was worth the extra.

 

I have searched Foggo's name before but did not see the post from Acadial before..I am glad that I searched again...So, he knows he is charging more but says you do not need to tip him. Maybe a lot of people do not tip so he raised his prices. I know I have read that Collin is worth the extra he charges though some people do not agree with the practice.

 

I think I will do a bit more investigating and talk with the other people touring with us..maybe we will switch to another driver. NJhorseman, I appreciate your insight.

 

Lauri

Edited September 1, 2013 by lah66