Travel Adventures: Bermuda, 4th Edition (Hunter Travel Guides)

256 Pages·2008·17.39 MB·English

by  Blair Howard

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4thEdition BlairHowardandRenateSiekmann
ravel Adventures
Bermuda
4th Edition
Blair Howard and Renate Siekmann
HunterPublishing,Inc.
30MayfieldAvenue
Edison,NJ08817
(cid:2)732-225-1900/800-255-0343/Fax[phone]
Website:www.hunterpublishing.com
E-mail:[email protected]
INCANADA
UlyssesTravelPublications
4176Saint-Denis
Montreal,QuébecH2W2M5Canada
(cid:2)514-843-9882,Ext.2232/Fax[phone]
INTHEUK&EUROPE
WindsorBooksInternational
5,CastleEndPark,CastleEndRoad,Ruscombe
Berkshire,RG109XQEngland
(cid:2)01189-346-347/Fax[phone]
ISBN978-1-58843-663-4
©2008BlairHowardandRenateSiekmann
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be repro-
duced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedinanyform,
or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of the
publisher.
Thisguidefocusesonrecreationalactivities.Asallsuchactivi-
ties contain elements of risk, the publisher, author, affiliated
individualsand companies disclaim any responsibilityfor any
injury, harm, or illness that may occur to anyone through, or
by use of, the information in this book. Every effort was made
toinsuretheaccuracyofinformationinthisbook,butthepub-
lisherandauthordonotassume,andherebydisclaim,anylia-
bility or any loss or damage caused by errors, omissions,
misleadinginformationorpotentialtravelproblemscausedby
this guide, even if such errors or omissions result from negli-
gence,accidentoranyothercause.
AllphotoscourtesyBermudaDepartmentofTourism,
unlessotherwiseindicated.
Frontcover:DanielsHead,KerrickJamesPhotography
4 3 2 1
Blair Howard was bitten by the travel bug more than 30
years ago when, during a stint in the Royal Air Force, he
spentayearinparadiseonatinyislandinthemiddleofthe
IndianOcean.Fromthere, histravelshavetakenhimtothe
FarEast,NorthAfrica,acrossmostofEurope,totheislands
of the West Indies, the Bahamas, Bermuda and to almost
everystateintheUnion.Withcamerainhand,hewandered
fromone locationtoanother, finallysettlinginasmallrural
town in Tennessee. But there's no cure for wanderlust.
Today,after many miles on the road – and some 260 maga-
zine articles and nine books – he's still at it, visiting and
revisiting his favorite spots.
Renate Siekmann is an established photojournalist and a
respected business leader. Her articles and photographs
have been featured in newspapers throughout the United
States and she has been teaching photographic workshops
since 2005. Her article credits cover a wide array of topics
including gourmet foods and cooking, travel, recreational
activities and classical music. She has also written exten-
sively about the business of photography.
BeachoffofSouthRoad
TraditionalBermudaroof
Contents
Introduction 1
TheLand 2
TheAttractions 4
ThePeople 5
About Bermuda 7
History&Government 7
Economy 10
People 11
Holidays 12
Travel Information 15
WhenToGo 15
PeakSeason 15
Off-Season 16
GettingThere 17
VacationPlanningOnline 17
ByAir 19
CommercialAirlines 19
PrivateAircraft 19
BySea 20
CruiseShips 20
PrivateYacht 23
Passports&Visas 25
Customs&Duties 26
TripInsurance 26
TravelingwithChildren 27
DisabledTravelers 27
Money 28
Checks 28
CreditCards 29
Costs 29
Hotel&RestaurantPrices 30
Tipping 31
Golf&Tennis 31
TheNiceties 31
Clothing&Dress 31
MedicalServices 32
Telephones 33
InternationalCalls 33
CellPhones 34
UsingtheInternet 35
PostalService 36
Photography 36
PhotoOpportunities 39
GettingAround 40
vi (cid:2) TableofContents
Bicycles&Mopeds 42
Buses 43
Ferries 44
StoreHours 45
Sightseeing 47
TheBeaches 47
Sandy’sParish 49
SouthamptonParish 50
WarwickParish 52
PagetParish 54
PembrokeParish 54
Smith’sParish 55
HamiltonParish 56
St.George’sParish 56
TouringPembrokeParish 57
Hamilton 59
TouringSandy’sParish&theWestEnd 67
TheRoyalNavalDockyard 74
TouringSt.George’sParish 82
AWalkingTourofSt.George 84
TouringtheOtherParishes 96
TouringSouthamptonParish 98
TouringWarwickParish 102
TouringPagetParish 104
TouringDevonshireParish 106
TouringSmith’sParish 108
TouringHamiltonParish 113
Adventures 119
Boating 119
TheWildcat 119
KayakBermuda 121
BoatRentals 122
Fishing 123
TheCatches 124
Licenses&Regulations 126
Tournaments 127
QualificationsforAwards 127
Awards 127
WheretoFindtheFish 128
Reef&Deep-SeaFishing 128
RentalEquipmentforShoreFishing 129
CharterBoatsforDeep-Sea
&ReefFishing 129
Rates&Hours 130
CharterCompanies 130
Outfitters 131
Diving 132
DangerousDenizensoftheDeep 132
TableofContents (cid:2) vii
Where&When 135
HelmetDiving 136
Shipwrecks 137
DiveOperators 153
Swimming&Snorkeling 157
SnorkelingCruises 158
RentalEquipment 161
Golf 162
TheCourses 165
GolfWeeks 172
Spas 174
Sailing 177
YachtCharters 177
AllegroCharters 177
SailBermudaYachtCharters 178
SaltKettleYachtCharters 178
HorsebackRiding 179
Stables 179
Hiking 180
TheBermudaRailwayTrail 181
Shopping 183
Where to Eat 189
Where to Stay 200
AccommodationOptions 201
AccommodationPlans 202
Resorts 203
SmallHotels 208
CottageColonies 215
PrivateClubs 218
HousekeepingCottages&Apartments 219
GuestHouses 223
Floatels 226
Addenda 227
FerryInformation 227
BusInformation 231
Index 246
Maps
BermudaParishes 46
Hamilton 58
Sandy'sParish 68
RoyalNavalDockyard 75
St.George 83
SightsandAttractions 97
Shipwrecks 138
GolfCourses 166
TheBermudaRailwayTrail 182
Introduction
W
e’venowbeen
In This Chapter
writingabout
Bermuda for more than 10 (cid:2) TheLand 2
years. What a joy! Over the (cid:2) TheAttractions 4
years,thingshavechanged (cid:2) ThePeople 5
slowly and mostly for the
better. But, even if they
hadn’tchanged,Bermudaisstillthemagicalislandwefellin
lovewithallthoseyearsago.It’sstillarealthrilltoflyinfrom
the west and gaze down at the great, fishhook-shaped atoll
surrounded by the deep blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
The pastel-colored buildings with their snowy-white roofs
stand out like coral beads; the turquoise shallows and pale
pink beaches never change; and Hamilton, the islands’ tiny
capitalcityontheshoreoftheGreatSound,isanoh-so-Eng-
lish anomaly unique in the Western Hemisphere.
Bermuda is one of the most beautiful places on Earth.
Whether it’s the combination of the English culture and its
quasi-tropicalsetting, orsomething else. There’sjustsome-
thing very special about this little group of islands in the
middleoftheAtlanticthat,onceexperienced,isneverforgot-
ten. Perhaps it’s because I, Blair, am English and feel very
much at home among the little English-style shops, streets
and churches. The cathedral, the bright red British pillar
boxes,thefoodandespeciallytheafternoonteathat’salmost
a religious experience all help to make Bermuda even more
English than England itself. Add pink sandy beaches, with
some of the most beautiful island terrain to be found any-
where, and you have something very special indeed.
There was a time when only the very rich could afford to
vacationinBermuda;notsotoday.Almosteverybudgetcan
be accommodated here. From the small cottage colonies to
theexpensive luxuryresorthotels,fromtheprivateyachtto
the giant cruise ship, and from cook-for-yourself vacations
to the all-inclusive package deals offered by any one of a
2 (cid:2) TheLand
growing number of operators, you’ll find something to suit
yourtasteandyourwallet.Youcandosixnights,sevendays
on the islands for as little as $1,250 per person, or you can
payasmuchasthatpernight.Whateveryourbudget,you’re
sure of a grand time.
The Land
Bermuda, a tiny collection of rocks in the Atlantic Ocean
some 580miles due east ofCape Hatteras, isisolated. Even
so, this group of British islands is one of the most popular
touristresortsintheWesternHemisphere.Onmostmaps,if
it shows at all, it’s no more than a tiny dot. Close up, Ber-
mudalookssomewhat like afishhook,withthe curveatthe
southwest end and the stem extending to the northeast.
SatelliteimageofBermuda
The flight in over the island is incredible. The view is never
quite what you expect. The sparkling blue waters seen aro-
und any tropical island are mixed with eye-catching colors.
Homesandshopspaintedpastelshadesofpink,blue,green,
yellow and other colors of the rainbow sit anchored under
snowy white roofs. The effect is a patchwork quilt, thrown
down on a field of green in the middle of the blue ocean.