Long weekend in Bermuda: photo trip report

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 1:34 pm

John and I recently spent a long weekend in Bermuda and I thought I would share a few photos. Bermuda is a quick flight from the east coast (about 90 minutes from Boston) so it’s a good location for a quick getaway. The biggest downside to me is that you cannot rent a car, only a scooter, which I refuse to do. So that puts most of the rental homes/apartments out of our reach. If you are willing to brave the roads on a scooter there is a good variety of self-catering properties and B+Bs to choose from in addition to the larger resort-style hotels.

We elected to return to the Southampton Princess because you can walk to most of the south shore’s beautiful beaches from this location. We booked under a special via facebook that offered a free night plus automatic room upgrade. We arrived to find that we had been upgraded to the Penthouse suite. Not too shabby. Harbour view from our deck:

Ocean view from the other side:

The beach at the Southampton Princess:

This is a full-service beach with attendants, drink and food service etc. We didn’t spend much time here because adjacent to this beach is a gate that leads to Bermuda’s lovely Horseshoe Bay:

And the South Shore beaches beyond. Chaplin Bay:

Stonehole Bay:

Tiny Jobson’s Cove:

Warwick Long Bay:

You can probably tell from the photos that it was a stormy weekend and there was a lot of seaweed in the water due to a tropical disturbance out to sea so we opted not to snorkel. Instead we did a lot of walking and took in the sights. Bermuda’s south shore:

This photo shows the site of the old Sonesta Beach Hotel on Bermuda’s south shore, where John and I honeymooned in 1997. We were scheduled to stay here in late September 2003, but it was destroyed by Hurricane Fabian early in the month. That cancelled trip led to our first visit to St. John in October 2003:

The palm tree on the right of the picture was directly in front of our room on our honeymoon. It was a lot smaller then! It is too bad that this spot has not been redeveloped—it is a beautiful location with three private beaches.

Wild orchid growing on the sidewalk:

Oceanside:

You don’t go to Bermuda for the food, but we had some decent meals. Mixed seafood grill at Ocean Club:

Local rockfish at same:

Wahoo at Mickey’s at Elbow Beach:

Light and crispy calamari:

Despite the so-so weather, we had some lovely sunsets. From Southampton’s Ocean Club:

From Coconuts at the Reefs Hotel:

Overall it was a fun and relaxing weekend. I hope we can come back soon.

jmq · Post by **jmq** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 3:53 pm

Nice. We gotta get back there. Short flight and all that.

AquaGirl · Post by **AquaGirl** » Thu Oct 18, 2012 8:33 pm

Very nice - thanks for the pictures. We spent our honeymoon at the Southampton Princess. Your pictures brought back memories of all those beaches and the view. It was our first island trip. The water is such a beautiful color. A short flight away is certainly nice and tempting.

PA Girl · Post by **PA Girl** » Fri Oct 19, 2012 8:49 am

One of these days we will get to Bermuda. I started planning a trip there a couple of times. The no-rental car thing bothers me as the thought of my son hanging onto the back of a scooter gives me anxiety!

liamsaunt · Post by **liamsaunt** » Fri Oct 19, 2012 9:29 am

There are other ways to get around--the bus system is very good and inexpensive and of course there are taxis (pricey). I have read that some visitors contract with a specific taxi driver to take them around for their entire stay. We did use taxis to get to/from the airport and to dinners, but otherwise we walked.

I really don't recommend the scooters. My dad accidentally....hmmm...at least I think it was accidentally

dumped me off the back of one coming out of Warwick Long Bay when I was a teen and I have not forgotten it!

jayseadee · Post by **jayseadee** » Sat Oct 20, 2012 7:36 pm

I need to get back there. The golf course at the Southhampton Princess is one of my favorites.

mindehankins · Post by **mindehankins** » Sun Oct 21, 2012 7:20 pm

Oh, those beaches!!! Lovely! Thank you so much for sharing, Becky. (and LOL about your dad "accidentally" dumping you...ouch though!)

Connie · Post by **Connie** » Mon Oct 22, 2012 8:54 am

Sure brings back memories. We went there on our 5th Anniversary.

The scooters are actually fun. I did however hit a curb and got thrown off and husband didn't know and kept on going.

We will get back someday. Thanks for your trip report.

CBama · Post by **CBama** » Mon Oct 22, 2012 5:26 pm

thanks for posting...enjoyed .......

I researched Bermuda extensively one time...but we have never made it there!

cindygad · Post by **cindygad** » Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:37 pm

Thanks for sharing! Bermuda is on my to do list. We like to walk so it is good to know you can get to a lot of beaches by walking. Sorry your honeymoon area has not rebuilt but I am glad it brought you to St John. Love your reports and photo's.

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