3 days in Bermuda. What must we do?

[NCteacherlovescruising]

We will be in Bermuda the first week of September on the Celebrity Summit. It will be our first time there. Besides Horseshoe Beach, what else should be at the top of our must do list?  My husband loves to sight see so he won’t want to go to the beaches everyday, although I easily could. Please give me suggestions. It will just be the two of us. 

[LA_CA_GAL]

We took the ferry to St. Georges.  Nice ride.

 

We checked out Fort St. Catherines which was pretty cool, then walked over to Tobacco Bay.

 

Then spent some time in St. George.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

31 minutes ago, LA_CA_GAL said:

We took the ferry to St. Georges.  Nice ride.

 

We checked out Fort St. Catherines which was pretty cool, then walked over to Tobacco Bay.

 

Then spent some time in St. George.

 

Thanks for your reply!  We are planning on going to St. George one day and then to Tobacco Bay. Is Fort St Catherine’s close to Tobacco Bay?

 

We are also planning on doing Horseshoe Beach one day. Not sure what if anything to plan with that. 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

Thanks for your reply!  We are planning on going to St. George one day and then to Tobacco Bay. Is Fort St Catherine’s close to Tobacco Bay?

 

 

Fort St. Catherine is close to Tobacco Bay. Just down the road. I walked from Tobacco Bay to Fort St. Catherine. 

[billslowsky]

5 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

Thanks for your reply!  We are planning on going to St. George one day and then to Tobacco Bay. Is Fort St Catherine’s close to Tobacco Bay?

 

We are also planning on doing Horseshoe Beach one day. Not sure what if anything to plan with that. 

Try to get to St. George's in time to see the re-enactors at Kings Square.  The daily dunkings are hilarious.

 

To get from the square to Tobacco Bay you take the road uphill alongside the Unfinished Church.  When you get to the end (the north shore) Tobacco Bay is pretty much right there; St. Catherine's (fort and beach) are to the right.  It is a decent hill if you have any mobility limitations.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

21 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

Try to get to St. George's in time to see the re-enactors at Kings Square.  The daily dunkings are hilarious.

 

To get from the square to Tobacco Bay you take the road uphill alongside the Unfinished Church.  When you get to the end (the north shore) Tobacco Bay is pretty much right there; St. Catherine's (fort and beach) are to the right.  It is a decent hill if you have any mobility limitations.

 

I’m a bit overweight, but workout regularly so it shouldn’t be a problem. 

[ymncruise]

On 7/5/2019 at 10:39 AM, LA_CA_GAL said:

We took the ferry to St. Georges.  Nice ride.

 

We checked out Fort St. Catherines which was pretty cool, then walked over to Tobacco Bay.

 

Then spent some time in St. George.

 

Do you remember what time you were able to get off the Summit on Wednesday? Trying to figure out if I can make it to Somerset by 945am. I read that it’s a 15 minute cab ride from the ship. 

[Charles4515]

28 minutes ago, ymncruise said:

 

Do you remember what time you were able to get off the Summit on Wednesday? Trying to figure out if I can make it to Somerset by 945am. I read that it’s a 15 minute cab ride from the ship. 

 

You should be able to get off by 8:30 on Summit. You can easily make it to Somerset by 9:45.  

[ymncruise]

Great! Are cabs plentiful or do you have to wait in line? Thanks

[NCteacherlovescruising]

On 7/5/2019 at 4:39 PM, billslowsky said:

Try to get to St. George's in time to see the re-enactors at Kings Square.  The daily dunkings are hilarious.

 

To get from the square to Tobacco Bay you take the road uphill alongside the Unfinished Church.  When you get to the end (the north shore) Tobacco Bay is pretty much right there; St. Catherine's (fort and beach) are to the right.  It is a decent hill if you have any mobility limitations.

 

When are the re-enactments?  What is it?  I assume King’s Square isn’t difficult to find?  We have made a slight change of plans. We are still going to do St George, but have decided to do Clearwater Beach and Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve that day as well instead of the other beaches I mentioned. 

[Charles4515]

2 hours ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

When are the re-enactments?  What is it?  I assume King’s Square isn’t difficult to find?  We have made a slight change of plans. We are still going to do St George, but have decided to do Clearwater Beach and Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve that day as well instead of the other beaches I mentioned. 

 

The ducking of the wench starts at 12:00. So between 12 and 12:30. 

[ymncruise]

On 7/3/2019 at 11:06 PM, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We will be in Bermuda the first week of September on the Celebrity Summit. It will be our first time there. Besides Horseshoe Beach, what else should be at the top of our must do list?  My husband loves to sight see so he won’t want to go to the beaches everyday, although I easily could. Please give me suggestions. It will just be the two of us. 

I've booked a snorkel excursion on the Hat-Trick.  It has great reviews on trip advisor. will let you know how it is when I get back.

[Xrayest]

Just returned today (7/26) from our 1st Bermuda cruise. I'd say a "must see" if you love beautiful beaches as I do would be Horseshoe Beach which we visited on day 1 : docked at 1 pm, was off the ship within 20 mins, took a mini-bus directly there ($7 pp each way). If you do go and wish to get away to the crowds as I do, walk to the left and keep walking a stretch. You'll find some BIG rock formations with coves in between. Gorgeous teal and blue-green waters, nice waves (but not overwhelming), and even a bit of shade close to the rocky forms. If you do prefer a bit of shade and are okay sitting on towels, you can avoid the crowds and save yourself some money by not renting chairs and/or an umbrella. My husband and his friend snorkeled towards some coral patches in the water and saw huge Parrotfish, Angelfish, and various others at Horseshoe. 

 

We also visited Clearwater Beach the following day (after seeing the Crystal Cave) and talk about a disappointment. We arrived there at 2:30 - skies were perfect, lots of sun, but the beach itself left a LOT to be desired. There is a bar there and small snack area, but the place itself (building it was in) was dark and run-down appearing. We ventured out to the shore to see the beach, figuring it is Bermuda so the waters must be a sight to behold. Well...they were still a lovely shade of clear turquoise, however there was not a wave to be seen. There was seaweed and what appeared to be pine needles on the sand, but not a ton of it. Definitely a far cry from the pristine sands at Horseshoe. We approached a shack that rented umbrellas and chairs/loungers since the guys wanted to snorkel but the ladies wished to chill but not under the blazing sun. Mind you it is 2:50 or so at this point. The price of the "1 umbrella and 2 lounger rental" was $35 for the day, with a "discount" offered after 3 pm. We were offered a "discount" of $5 off for renting 2 loungers and 1 umbrella - but took it since we figured we at least enjoy them for 2 hours (Horseshoe rentals stated the rental booth closed at 5 pm, I thought Clearwater would be similar). The lady manning the booth then takes off, leaving a younger man to work it as it was not super crowded, yet there were plenty of people still enjoying the beach and TONS of vacant chairs and umbrellas.  Less than an hour later, the young guy approached to inform us that we have to pack it up because he has to take and stack the chairs and umbrellas. We were pretty much shell-shocked at this point but were not about to argue the point since the beach was not up to par anyhow. $30 for 1 hour of chair/umbrella rental is ridiculous ~ had we known that was going to be the case, we would never had rented anything. As far as snorkeling - according to the guys, there was minimal if any fish, but quite a few sea turtles were out in the deeper waters. We only bought a few beverages, so I cannot attest to the snack bar except to say the choices looked to be minimal and mostly fried foods. There are planes constantly flying to and fro from a local airstrip nearby - maybe a cool thing for kids to see but not impressive for many adults who wish to have a relaxing time at a beach (zero waves to drown that out).   The cab ride back to Hamilton cost a small fortune which is to be expected ($70) ~ something that I would not have minded paying for had the overall experience been pleasant. The workers at the snack shack were not helpful at all when I inquired on how to call for a cab - they basically told me to go outside of the building to look for one. That had to be a joke because cabs do not go out that far unless they have a sure fare waiting for them (they hang about the dockyard but not across the island). 

There were a few locals out front that were willing to take our group of 4 back to Hamilton for less than half the price of a legal cab (those are referred to as "gypsy cabs"), but we were not having that as all of those guys had beers in their hands or appeared to be sketchy.

 

 Conclusion: if you feel you may be missing something by not seeing Clearwater Beach, than definitely go. I went because I read many decent reviews here and on TripAdvisor, however I should have given more leverage to the less than stellar reviews.  After seeing it, sitting at it, and wading into the water, the experience if off my bucket list as we will not return to that stretch of beach. Not a "must see" in my book.                  

Edited July 27, 2019 by Xrayest

[NCteacherlovescruising]

16 minutes ago, Xrayest said:

Just returned today (7/26) from our 1st Bermuda cruise. I'd say a "must see" if you love beautiful beaches as I do would be Horseshoe Beach which we visited on day 1 : docked at 1 pm, was off the ship within 20 mins, took a mini-bus directly there ($7 pp each way). If you do go and wish to get away to the crowds as I do, walk to the left and keep walking a stretch. You'll find some BIG rock formations with coves in between. Gorgeous teal and blue-green waters, nice waves (but not overwhelming), and even a bit of shade close to the rocky forms. If you do prefer a bit of shade and are okay sitting on towels, you can avoid the crowds and save yourself some money by not renting chairs and/or an umbrella. My husband and his friend snorkeled towards some coral patches in the water and saw huge Parrotfish, Angelfish, and various others at Horseshoe. 

 

We also visited Clearwater Beach the following day (after seeing the Crystal Cave) and talk about a disappointment. We arrived there at 2:30 - skies were perfect, lots of sun, but the beach itself left a LOT to be desired. There is a bar there and small snack area, but the place itself (building it was in) was dark and run-down appearing. We ventured out to the shore to see the beach, figuring it is Bermuda so the waters must be a sight to behold. Well...they were still a lovely shade of clear turquoise, however there was not a wave to be seen. There was seaweed and what appeared to be pine needles on the sand, but not a ton of it. Definitely a far cry from the pristine sands at Horseshoe. We approached a shack that rented umbrellas and chairs/loungers since the guys wanted to snorkel but the ladies wished to chill but not under the blazing sun. Mind you it is 2:50 or so at this point. The price of the "1 umbrella and 2 lounger rental" was $35 for the day, with a "discount" offered after 3 pm. We were offered a "discount" of $5 off for renting 2 loungers and 1 umbrella - but took it since we figured we at least enjoy them for 2 hours (Horseshoe rentals stated the rental booth closed at 5 pm, I thought Clearwater would be similar). The lady manning the booth then takes off, leaving a younger man to work it as it was not super crowded, yet there were plenty of people still enjoying the beach and TONS of vacant chairs and umbrellas.  Less than an hour later, the young guy approached to inform us that we have to pack it up because he has to take and stack the chairs and umbrellas. We were pretty much shell-shocked at this point but were not about to argue the point since the beach was not up to par anyhow. $30 for 1 hour of chair/umbrella rental is ridiculous ~ had we known that was going to be the case, we would never had rented anything. As far as snorkeling - according to the guys, there was minimal if any fish, but quite a few sea turtles were out in the deeper waters. We only bought a few beverages, so I cannot attest to the snack bar except to say the choices looked to be minimal and mostly fried foods. There are planes constantly flying to and fro from a local airstrip nearby - maybe a cool thing for kids to see but not impressive for many adults who wish to have a relaxing time at a beach (zero waves to drown that out).   The cab ride back to Hamilton cost a small fortune which is to be expected ($70) ~ something that I would not have minded paying for had the overall experience been pleasant. The workers at the snack shack were not helpful at all when I inquired on how to call for a cab - they basically told me to go outside of the building to look for one. That had to be a joke because cabs do not go out that far unless they have a sure fare waiting for them (they hang about the dockyard but not across the island). 

There were a few locals out front that were willing to take our group of 4 back to Hamilton for less than half the price of a legal cab (those are referred to as "gypsy cabs"), but we were not having that as all of those guys had beers in their hands or appeared to be sketchy.

 

 Conclusion: if you feel you may be missing something by not seeing Clearwater Beach, than definitely go. I went because I read many decent reviews here and on TripAdvisor, however I should have given more leverage to the less than stellar reviews.  After seeing it, sitting at it, and wading into the water, the experience if off my bucket list as we will not return to that stretch of beach. Not a "must see" in my book.                  

 

I’m sorry you had such a poor experience at Clearwater Beach. It doesn’t sound like to ventured over to Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve.  We are looking forward to that as it seems we may find a beautiful beach to have all to ourselves. We have no intention of renting chairs, out towels will do just fine. I’d rather spend our money on a good meal. 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Xrayest said:

Just returned today (7/26) from our 1st Bermuda cruise.       

 

Thank you for reporting your experiences at Horseshoe Bay and Clearwater. 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

I’m sorry you had such a poor experience at Clearwater Beach. It doesn’t sound like to ventured over to Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve.  We are looking forward to that as it seems we may find a beautiful beach to have all to ourselves. We have no intention of renting chairs, out towels will do just fine. I’d rather spend our money on a good meal. 

 

If you want beautiful beaches to yourself, if this is your first time I would recommend Jobson’s Cove and John Smith’s Bay. Warwick Long Bay. Also at Horseshoe take your towels, walk to the far left past the large rocks and you will be almost to yourselves where there is a stretch of coves and beaches. All the above are pink sand and easier to get to and from than Clearwater.

[NCteacherlovescruising]

3 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

 

If you want beautiful beaches to yourself, if this is your first time I would recommend Jobson’s Cove and John Smith’s Bay. Warwick Long Bay. Also at Horseshoe take your towels, walk to the far left past the large rocks and you will be almost to yourselves where there is a stretch of coves and beaches. All the above are pink sand and easier to get to and from than Clearwater.

We are doing Horseshoe our first day.  Day 2 we wanted to go to St George and a beach. Well, I wanted to do another beach day 2. Dh could do without. 🙄 We watched a video on Cooper’s Island Reserve and thought it looked perfect. I don’t mind crowds , but he hates crowded beaches. Have you ever been there?  Are any of the beaches you mentioned near St. George?  

[Charles4515]

34 minutes ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

We are doing Horseshoe our first day.  Day 2 we wanted to go to St George and a beach. Well, I wanted to do another beach day 2. Dh could do without. 🙄 We watched a video on Cooper’s Island Reserve and thought it looked perfect. I don’t mind crowds , but he hates crowded beaches. Have you ever been there?  Are any of the beaches you mentioned near St. George?  

 

John Smith’s is not on St. George’s but not too far. Usually we do Tobacco Bay at St. George’s. Clearwater was a man made beach built for the US military and it was not open to the public or had just opened to the public about 20 years ago when we first started going to Bermuda. We went to Clearwater when docked at St George’s one time and I was not impressed enough to return. But that also was in part to the difficulty of getting back. I think we were told then we could not go to the reserve then.  I am not saying don’t go there. Only that there are other beaches I would go to first. When I am docked in St. George’s in three or so weeks I have agreement from my traveling companions to go to Clearwater/Coopers Reserve if weather permits to revisit the situation there. Since it is not my first time in Bermuda and likely won’t be my last I don’t feel any pressure about Clearwater if it does not meet my beach expectations.  Also we have two days docked in St. George’s before the ship moves to Hamilton so we are not too worried about getting a ride back from there one way or another. 

 

Edited July 27, 2019 by Charles4515

[NCteacherlovescruising]

17 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

When I am docked in St. George’s in three or so weeks I have agreement from my traveling companions to go to Clearwater/Coopers Reserve if weather permits to revisit the situation there. Since it is not my first time in Bermuda and likely won’t be my last I don’t feel any pressure about Clearwater if it does not meet my beach expectations.  Also we have two days docked in St. George’s before the ship moves to Hamilton so we are not too worried about getting a ride back from there one way or another. 

 

 

Please report back on your experience at Clearwater Beach/Cooper’s Reserve.  We aren’t going until the first week of Sept. 

 

Tobacco Bay was on our list until we heard how loud and crowded it is there. Has that been your experience?

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, NCteacherlovescruising said:

 

Tobacco Bay was on our list until we heard how loud and crowded it is there. Has that been your experience?

 

Tobacco Bay has a smaller beach area so that may make it seem crowded. I didn’t find it loud. I never found it too crowded but probably it can’t be predicted on any particular day how many will go there. I do get there early. Also I don’t stay there more than hour or two. We go snorkeling for an hour, which is about as much as I can take these days and hang out a bit, usually have a beer. I would not stay all day at Tobacco like I would at Horseshoe. Doing an hour or so combined with walking around the St. George’s which is a World Heritage Site, and an hour or so lunch at Wahoos or The Wharf restaurant which have waterfront seating makes for a nice day and then back to the Dockyard or go somewhere else. 

Edited July 27, 2019 by Charles4515

[Xrayest]

4 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

 

Thank you for reporting your experiences at Horseshoe Bay and Clearwater. 

YW Charles :). Hope I did not sound like a buzzkill re: Clearwater. Perhaps my expectations after visiting Horseshoe were just a little high? We have been to many, many beaches throughout the years with some beautiful ones being right in sunny FL (not where I reside but were my family is), and Clearwater seemed more like a cove to me than a beach. Since finding out it is actually man-made, that now makes sense.

 

I did not venture to Cooper's Reserve or what have you due to the time restraints at that point and not being too familiar with that area. Live and learn is what I always say ~ I saw it once so now I know what it is and won't go back. It was far from crowded for a Monday in July, but just not nice enough to see again. I will check out Tobacco Bay during my next trip - again just to see how that place is. Horseshoe is beautiful with some of the best sand I've ever seen. Clearwater - not so much (but still better than some beaches in New England).