Compare Horseshoe and Elbow Beach in Bermuda

[Farmerconnie]

Would like comparisons of Elbow Beach and Horseshoe Bay Beach.. Is Elbow beach free and is there restrooms and other services available for the public. Is it as nice as Horseshoe?

[dwdwnurse]

Just back from our cruise to Bermuda about 3 weeks ago.

 

We went to both Horseshoe and Elbow and we all liked Elbow better. When we arrived at Horseshoe it was a cloudy day (rained later) and it was absolutely packed. When we went to Elbow the next day, it was a beautiful sunny day and there were 2 people there! The beach and water were absolutely beautiful, but...they were no restrooms or changing areas. We walked up to the Elbow Bay Beach Resort and used their restrooms - they never noticed we weren't guests or didn't care. I honestly can't remember if we had to pay for Horseshoe, but Elbow was free. We did pay the $2 PP to ride the van back up to the top of the hill at Horseshoe.

 

We would definitely go back to Elbow! Enjoy :)

[Surfgirl]

No comparison. Horseshoe bay is 100x nicer. That's why it's listed as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. There are gorgeous rock formations which you won't get at elbow. Elbow is just a (yawn) plain old beach. I was not impressed with it.

 

Horseshoe has restrooms, and it's free. However, I *would* recommend paying the dollar to ride up the steep hill when you're leaving. Here's a picture I took of Horseshoe. You really want to miss this?

 

[MyCousinRachel]

I spent a day on Elbow Beach about 20 years ago.... had drinks at the resort first (of course). We rented scooters then and hopped around the island. It was a beautiful day and I'd love to repeat it when we head to Bermuda next week. This time with the kids we'll use the buses and ferries. Can you tell me how to reach Elbow Beach by bus? We're docking on the west end at Dockyards.

 

Thanks.

[SailBadtheSinner]

You can take a #7 bus to Elbow Beach. When boarding the bus, greet the driver and tell him your destination. He will drop at the closest stop to it. When leaving the bus, don’t forget to thank the driver.

[DeltaOne]

Would like comparisons of Elbow Beach and Horseshoe Bay Beach.. Is Elbow beach free and is there restrooms and other services available for the public. Is it as nice as Horseshoe?

 

Both are beautiful, but quite different. Elbow Beach is very wide and flat, good for swimming but not snorkeling. A resort on each end, no facilities, other than a chair rental.

 

Horseshoe Bay Beach has beautiful rock formations, and while not as good for snorkeling as Tobacco Bay Beach, it's better than Elbow. Horseshoe has restrooms.

 

They're both free. They're pretty close together, why not go to both?

[Host Kewlguy]

No comparison. Horseshoe bay is 100x nicer. That's why it's listed as one of the top 10 beaches in the world. There are gorgeous rock formations which you won't get at elbow. Elbow is just a (yawn) plain old beach. I was not impressed with it.

 

Horseshoe has restrooms, and it's free. However, I *would* recommend paying the dollar to ride up the steep hill when you're leaving. Here's a picture I took of Horseshoe. You really want to miss this?

 

 

I agree 100%. Horseshoe Bay, and all of South Shore Park are far superior to Elbow Beach.

[Farmerconnie]

Thank you everyone. We will probably go back to Horseshoe Bay.

[kosoffj]

a vote for elbow!

 

i'm sure horeshoe is beautiful, but the 2 times i have gone it has been sooooooooo crowded it was hard to see the beauty through all the people. Now if you can get moving before 11:30 (we couldn't lol) perhaps my opinion would be different. but by noon it was packed and we couldn't wait to leave!

 

elbow was much calmer and quiter. it was our favorite beach in 3 trips. we said next time we might just go there every day!

 

and we also had no issue using the bathrooms and having lunch at the hotel.

[jf3284]

Just got back from Bermuda this past Sunday on the Norweigan Dawn.

Spent three days there and went to both beaches. Here are my thoughts and highlights of both for your information.

 

Horseshoe Bay: Very Beautiful ! All the amenities including bathroom, shower, snack bar with burgers and dogs etc, Umbrella rental (10 bucks plus deposit) and chair rental (10 bucks plus deposit) They even have a SMALL souvenier shoppe as well as a bar with imported beer (cans only) for $5.00 Hell, that was probably cheaper than the cruise ship !!

It is beautiful BUT there is a downside. HUGE crowds unlesss you go early or late. Also, i neglected to mention they have lifeguards (within the hours which i don't know) Someone got pulled out of Horshoe Bay beach the day before we were there and sent to the hospital due to strong undercurrents. (they put a sign up when there are strong dangerous undercurrents)

 

Elbow Bay: Very Beautiful also. But limited. There was only a porta-potty just before you go on the beach. Nothing else. HOWEVER, we totally loved it because there was no more than 12 people there plus our family of 4. The water was VERY warm and extremely calm too. I'm sure they can get rough though and because there's no lifeguard, you need to exercise caution with smaller kids especially. This public beach is located directly between Elbow Beach Hotel's private beach and Coral Beach Club's private beach, so it's VERY seemingly private. The location also explains why it was so empty.

 

Depending on your needs, and if your bringink kids, and other factors, there are great reasons to go to either ! Personally all our family preferred Elbow Bay Beach for what it's worth.

 

No matter what, you'll LOVE BERMUDA !!!!

Have a blast, and remeber the public busses stop at BOTH places. The only proviso is to politely tell the driver where you want to go when you get on.

 

Joe

[jf3284]

Oh and BOTH beaches are 100% FREE !! Joe