Bermuda private guide

[KShuman]

In less than 2 weeks we will be traveling all around Bermuda with Dennis Hollis. Even though it was last minute - he had availability to take us on a 6-7 hour tour. I have teenagers so I don't mind skipping some of the things my DH and I have seen before so that we can do some unique things with the DS and DD. I have asked him to take us to Blue Hole Park and Tom Moore's jungle so we can go cave swimming and swing from the vines. I will write a review when we return, but thanks so much for all the great posts on these boards - it has made my planning so much easier!

[k9webster]

we will be heading to Bermuda Next week on the Breakaway - does anyone know or have info on any of these private tours that will take 8 (eight) people..... thanks in advance

[diskids2]

we will be heading to Bermuda Next week on the Breakaway - does anyone know or have info on any of these private tours that will take 8 (eight) people..... thanks in advance

 

Winsome will take 8 people. I have them booked for our 8/17 cruise. I have NEVER used them before, but the owner was very easy to deal with and I have read many good reviews on this thread and trip advisor.

[FighterPilot]

We are on the Celebrity Summit cruise departing Bayonne on July 13. We are traveling as a couple wondering if another couple would be interested in joining us to split the cost of a Blue Flag taxi tour on the first day of arrival. We are an active cruising couple who like to see as much as we can. We live just north of Dallas and I am a retired aviator. Hope to hear from you if you are interested. :)

[Pennstatedj]

We just booked with Dennis for a tour on July 3. Thanks for recommendation. He was quick to respond and setup tour.

We will let you how he does after cruise in two weeks.

[ALS1214]

$40 per person ? May be considering it due to a sprain that swells up with lots of walking and hubby has bad knees. Maybe worth the cost.

 

 

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[FighterPilot]

$40 per person ? May be considering it due to a sprain that swells up with lots of walking and hubby has bad knees. Maybe worth the cost.

 

 

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The tours take about 3 hours and it is $40 per hour so you split the cost.

[sebas030]

$40 per person ? May be considering it due to a sprain that swells up with lots of walking and hubby has bad knees. Maybe worth the cost.

 

 

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Hi,

 

Since May 2014 the rate is :

 

50$/hour for up to 4 people

 

70$/hour for 5-7 passengers

 

MINIMUM of 3 hours

 

 

IMO you should book a 4 hour tour at least...5 hour seems to be an average.

 

This is the government rate for the Blue flag taxi. It means they are certified as guides on the Island.

 

It is the BEST way, IMO, to have a first look at everything on the Island. pick-up point is generally at the Dockyard and the drop-off is wherever you want it to end.

 

Specify to your guide want kind of tour you want and where you want it to end and he will custom make a tour for you.

 

Most "highly recommended" guides are taken months in advance, but you never know...give it a try via email.

 

You can get a certified Blue flag taxi at the Dockyard without a reservation also.

 

 

Have fun, be safe and enjoy Bermuda !

[NeedAVacationNow]

We are on the Celebrity Summit cruise departing Bayonne on July 13. We are traveling as a couple wondering if another couple would be interested in joining us to split the cost of a Blue Flag taxi tour on the first day of arrival. We are an active cruising couple who like to see as much as we can. We live just north of Dallas and I am a retired aviator. Hope to hear from you if you are interested. :)

 

You might want to post this on your roll call thread too! :)

[NeedAVacationNow]

I booked a private tour with Dennis Hollis the morning of July 23rd for my party of 5. It was the same price per person ($70) as the excursion or the group bus, so I think it's going to be much better--thanks to everyone here who recommended him!

 

I also contacted Colin Jennings and Lewis Foggo who are both available on July 23rd if you are looking for that date; not sure about the 24th or 25th but you could ask them. (I will also post this on my roll call thread.)

 

dwhollis@logic.bm

 

colinjenningstaxi@yahoo.com

 

lewis_foggo@hotmail.com

 

Tracy:cool:

Edited June 22, 2014 by NeedAVacationNow

[ALS1214]

I booked with Colin Jennings for July 14 th. We plan on 4 hours. Probably won't eat out as we can eat on the boat, but tea sounds interesting . Now I have to plan what else I want to see.

 

 

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[ALS1214]

Now that I've booked, do you tip them on top of the $50 per hour and if so how much have people tipped ?

 

 

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[sebas030]

Yes you tip on top of the 50$/hour

 

Usually 15% is recommended IF you were pleased with the tour...with Collin you will be pleased !

 

 

Have fun !

 

 

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[whycruisewhynot]

I booked a private tour with Dennis Hollis the morning of July 23rd for my party of 5. It was the same price per person ($70) as the excursion or the group bus, so I think it's going to be much better--thanks to everyone here who recommended him!

 

I also contacted Colin Jennings and Lewis Foggo who are both available on July 23rd if you are looking for that date; not sure about the 24th or 25th but you could ask them. (I will also post this on my roll call thread.)

 

dwhollis@logic.bm

 

colinjenningstaxi@yahoo.com

 

lewis_foggo@hotmail.com

 

Tracy:cool:

 

We had Dennis Hollis, give us a four hour island tour the week of July 6th. He was right on time with a sign, we had him take us around the island and drop us off at the Swizzle Inn near the crystal caves. The island itself is beautiful, and I would highly recommend a overview tour on your first day. We did not gel with Dennis, and I would not recommend him. He seemed forgetful, and the only thing he talked about was what buildings were tore down, and replace, and the construction of the buildings. He repeated himself a lot, I heard at least six times that Ritz Carlton was taking over a property that was up for lease. My son (age 10) that normally loves listening to guides was bored, and wanted his phone. My husband commented he couldn't understand him very well. When we book this kind of tour it is our hope to get information about the history of the island, local information. He did not satisfy that expectation. I asked a general question about the ferry times, and he didn't know the schedule. I asked for a quick stop to buy tokens, he said you could get them at the ferry terminal, true, but I needed them before that to get the bus from Crystal Caves to Hamiliton. Luckily I found somewhere when we stopped at St. Georges.

 

There was this great tour guide at the old church, I wanted to stop and ask his name. We booked Dennis last minute (week before); there may be a reason he was available.

[ALS1214]

I just got home from Bermuda and had a great tour with Colin Jennings. He was very knowledgable about the history of the island and will recommend what to see in the amount of time you ask for. We had a three hour tour and saw and learned a lot.

[MVPinBoynton]

We were also very pleased with David Fox.

[marci22]

He seemed forgetful, and the only thing he talked about was what buildings were tore down, and replace, and the construction of the buildings. He repeated himself a lot, I heard at least six times that Ritz Carlton was taking over a property that was up for lease. My son (age 10) that normally loves listening to guides was bored, and wanted his phone.

 

I had booked with Heidi Cowen. I confirmed the day before at 9am, but she met us at the dock the next morning and told us that she had to cancel as her mother had become seriously ill. She recommended another tour operator. We went since we had not had time to make any other preparations.

 

He was very nice and tried very hard but I was ready to be done about half way through. There was a lot of repetition, a lot of sightings of palm trees, avocados, and a certain type of fish. I think some people just have a talent for being a tour guide and some do not. And it's not for lack of trying.

Edited July 18, 2014 by marci22

[sebas030]

We had Dennis Hollis, give us a four hour island tour the week of July 6th. He was right on time with a sign, we had him take us around the island and drop us off at the Swizzle Inn near the crystal caves. The island itself is beautiful, and I would highly recommend a overview tour on your first day. We did not gel with Dennis, and I would not recommend him. He seemed forgetful, and the only thing he talked about was what buildings were tore down, and replace, and the construction of the buildings. He repeated himself a lot, I heard at least six times that Ritz Carlton was taking over a property that was up for lease. My son (age 10) that normally loves listening to guides was bored, and wanted his phone. My husband commented he couldn't understand him very well. When we book this kind of tour it is our hope to get information about the history of the island, local information. He did not satisfy that expectation. I asked a general question about the ferry times, and he didn't know the schedule. I asked for a quick stop to buy tokens, he said you could get them at the ferry terminal, true, but I needed them before that to get the bus from Crystal Caves to Hamiliton. Luckily I found somewhere when we stopped at St. Georges.

 

There was this great tour guide at the old church, I wanted to stop and ask his name. We booked Dennis last minute (week before); there may be a reason he was available.

 

This is really not the comment we usually hear about him :( , that's not good...usually the private taxi tour is one of the highlight of the stay...

 

 

I had booked with Heidi Cowen. I confirmed the day before at 9am, but she met us at the dock the next morning and told us that she had to cancel as her mother had become seriously ill. She recommended another tour operator. We went since we had not had time to make any other preparations.

 

He was very nice and tried very hard but I was ready to be done about half way through. There was a lot of repetition, a lot of sightings of palm trees, avocados, and a certain type of fish. I think some people just have a talent for being a tour guide and some do not. And it's not for lack of trying.

 

 

That's really sad...you take the time to book in advance and arrange everything and it gets change ( I can understand someone being sick :( ) and it turns for the worst....

 

Hope you still enjoyed Bermuda...

 

.

[FighterPilot]

We had Dennis Hollis, give us a four hour island tour the week of July 6th. He was right on time with a sign, we had him take us around the island and drop us off at the Swizzle Inn near the crystal caves. The island itself is beautiful, and I would highly recommend a overview tour on your first day. We did not gel with Dennis, and I would not recommend him. He seemed forgetful, and the only thing he talked about was what buildings were tore down, and replace, and the construction of the buildings. He repeated himself a lot, I heard at least six times that Ritz Carlton was taking over a property that was up for lease. My son (age 10) that normally loves listening to guides was bored, and wanted his phone. My husband commented he couldn't understand him very well. When we book this kind of tour it is our hope to get information about the history of the island, local information. He did not satisfy that expectation. I asked a general question about the ferry times, and he didn't know the schedule. I asked for a quick stop to buy tokens, he said you could get them at the ferry terminal, true, but I needed them before that to get the bus from Crystal Caves to Hamiliton. Luckily I found somewhere when we stopped at St. Georges.

 

There was this great tour guide at the old church, I wanted to stop and ask his name. We booked Dennis last minute (week before); there may be a reason he was available.

 

We just used Dennis! Very disappointing! Hard to understand! Suspect false

Reviews contact me at hjicke@yahoo.com

[sebas030]

We just used Dennis! Very disappointing! Hard to understand! Suspect false

 

Reviews contact me at hjicke@yahoo.com

 

 

I dont understand your post ?? Who are you suspecting of posting something false ??

 

 

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[marci22]

That's really sad...you take the time to book in advance and arrange everything and it gets change ( I can understand someone being sick :( ) and it turns for the worst....

 

The tour was ok, but I wouldn't recommend this guide.

 

As general advice, I would advise a tour that is no longer than 3 hours in Bermuda. Pick a few things that you really want to see/do and make specific suggestions. I left it up to the guide. For example, I did not need to drive all the way to St. Georges in order to go into the town hall and drive by Tobacco Bay. There was too much of that type of thing. I am still learning about how to travel.

Edited July 19, 2014 by marci22

[FighterPilot]

I posted quickly yesterday. Don't know how any of the good reviews on Dennis could be really valid. He is very hard to understand. He is very repetitive. He argued for more time than we had booked. He is a nice man but he is NOT a tour guide. Hope this helps others not to make same mistake.

[sebas030]

The tour was ok, but I wouldn't recommend this guide.

 

As general advice, I would advise a tour that is no longer than 3 hours in Bermuda. Pick a few things that you really want to see/do and make specific suggestions. I left it up to the guide. For example, I did not need to drive all the way to St. Georges in order to go into the town hall and drive by Tobacco Bay. There was too much of that type of thing. I am still learning about how to travel.

 

Glad it was ok...

 

The two times I did a private taxi tour, I did a 4 hour tour and did not go into St-George ( we wanted to go on the second day by ferry ) but it included a rapid climb on top of Gibb's Hill Lihgthouse while our driver waited. I felt 4 hours including the Lighthouse was very good. We had time to see some " a little off the beaten path" type of things.

 

 

.

[marci22]

He is a nice man but he is NOT a tour guide. Hope this helps others not to make same mistake.

 

After many years of travelling, I think that this is often the case. Our last driver was very nice, but I wouldn't recommend him as a tour guide. Maybe as a driver, if you tell him where you want to go.

 

The best you can do is look up reviews on TripAdvisor/internet. After that, it's a crapshoot. If you arrive and your tour is cancelled, you have little recourse if you don't have a backup plan. The tour drivers left will vie for your business but how to choose? And the drivers/guides all know each other and are friendly; they depend on each other for referrals. So a recommendation from another guide is not really your best option either.

 

Best thing to do: research what you want to see, and find a driver/transportation to get you there. I've had too many cancelled tours/switched drivers at the last minute, to ever want to take that option again.

 

I don't think I will ever again book any type of general tour, of anywhere.

[grandmaR]

I've been to Bermuda enough times that I know generally where I want to go and what I want to see and do. I stayed in St. George for a week and in Hamilton for a week when I came by air, and we've done four cruises which went to Bermuda. I've already been to the Maritime Museum (2x), the Bermuda Aquarium, Zoo and Museum (3 or 4 times), St Peters in St. George (3 or 4 times), Ft. St. Catherine (2x), the Somerset smallest bridge (3x) the Botanical Garden (2x), Camden, Perot's Post Office, the Historic Society Museum, and Spittal Pond nature reserve.

 

So I mainly take a guide because I can't rent a car, I'm sometimes subject to vertigo issues which makes a motor bike not a viable option, I can't walk well enough to use the bus, and taxis are more expensive.

 

I have used two guides and once I told them generally what I wanted to do, they were quite helpful and informative. The first one - Duke - is no longer in good health so doesn't guide anymore. The second one Lewis Foggo was really helpful with my scooter and thinking of places which were in the category of what I was looking for but which I did not know. And if he did not know the answer, he would phone someone who did.

 

Those are the only two guides that I have used, and I didn't use them to do a 'tour'.