Vacation in Bermuda?A different island?

Question

We are thinking of taking a 5 day vacation in Bermuda the first part of May. Any information you have from past vacations is welcomed! If not Bermuda, then where?

Answer 1

The beginning of May is still a bit chilly in Bermuda, depending on where you are from, (me Fla). And the cruses don't start until late May ref: Tinkertoy's suggestion (he always suggests a cruise). If you are from Boston Charlotte, or NY, Bermuda is a good choice as there are a lot of direct flights here at reasonable cost. Traveling here from almost anywhere else can be costly. Bermuda is a beautiful island and a very safe one to visit. There are no slums, and very low almost non existent crime rate. You Will have a good time.
For some these facts outweigh the relative high cost of airfare, hotels, and dining. How much is it worth to you not to be robbed by a knife wielding impoverished person in Jamaica, Dominican Republic or Bahamas, all of which are also worth considering despite their shortfalls especially if you like to gamble.
For me it's about the experience, and memories not the cost. There are loads of nice places to stay in Bermuda, lots are beach cottage communities (Ariel Sands, Pink Beach Club & 9 Beaches are just a few), some are lovely and quaint B&B's (Aunt Neas), The Fairmount Hammilton Princess is a bit posh, and Grotto Bay Beach Club has a mixture of the two's feel. I have stayed at Grotto and Aunt Neas, and liked them both (free wifi @ Aunte Neas).
I am not a cruise person but have heard people talking about the great food and seeing Whales on the way which does seem apealing. With The trip Advisor you can read peoples reviews but keep in mind people are more likely to give reports when thigs are unsatisfactory. Good luck and have a great trip whichever you choose.

Answer 2

I have been to Bermuda twice on cruise ships and frankly if you want to go there I suggest/reccomend a cruise rather than a flight and hotel stay.

In my two visit it seemed to me that the majority of the people visiting the island were those on the two or three cruise ships which docked there during my stay. There are a few hotels in the town of Hamilton and about a dozen other properties/beach hotels, but they are nice. There are NO slums and ghettos in Bermuda like you may see on other islands. All of the houses are well maintained and painted in pastel colors. All of the public beaches are great. Bermuda has some of the best beaches anywhere; pink sand beaches that you can easily find a deserted spot on. Be sure to go to Elbow Beach and Long Beach.

Royal Caribbean, NCL and Holland America have cruise to Bermuda from many cities on the each coast. When you cruise there its less expensive than flying and staying in a hotel because, you stay and eat on the ship. You will probably want to eat on ship anyway because meals (and everything else) are expensive since everything has to be imported.

A five, six, or seven day cruise to Bermuda is plenty enough time to see and enjoy everything there. There is not a lot to do in Bermuda other than water sports and golf. There are two main towns Hamilton, the largest (where most cruise ships dock for at least a day) and St George (also a port stop) which is like a small town and has just a few shops. The third place ships may dock while there is The Kings Dockyard.. The Dockyard is on the far end of the 22 mile long island and has a small mall with shops and a museum. The Crystal Cave and Fantesy Caves are worth visiting as a tour, or on your own. I also visited one of the lighthouses, for lack of anything else to do. You can visit one of the many forts on the island like Fort St Catherine if you like that type activity.

In the town of Hamilton we took a walking tour which took us to the Cathedral of the Most Holy, a maritime museum and a nice garden/park a few blocks from the port. There is shopping in Hamilton and restaurants, but not much else. The best way to get around in Bermuda is to buy a transportation pass (may be able to get it on ship) which will let you take the buses, and the ferry, all over the island. There is a big bus depot just a couple blocks from where ships dock in the town of Hamilton. You can take the buses to the beach, they are not very far away and easy to get to from the bus stop. You want to go to Elbow Beach and Long Beach, both open to the public. If you want to snorkel, the Tobacco Bay Beach near the town of St George is great, and its walking distance (about 3/4 mile from town).

So my recommendation is a cruise to Bermuda. I have been on so many "vacations" that its hard to tell you just one not knowing what you like. But if its a great beach you want (and beach activities) I suggest either Cancun Mexico or Aruba.

Cancun is a built up tourist place with many nice big hotels, restaurants and shopping centers as well as the downtown market. It actually has THE best beaches in Mexico. But do beware of the undertow warnings posted daily. Cancun is set up perfectly for tourists with all of the hotels in a location called “the hotel district”. There are a large variety of restaurants and a couple of shopping malls in the hotel district. There is no need for a car because there is continuous bus service up and down the hotel district that will take you where ever you need/want to go for about $1.00. You can also take the bus into town if you want to go to the market or just see the town. From Cancun you can take tours to Chichen Itza, and Xcarat and some other great places. There are a lot of beach activities in Cancun like para-sailing, jet skiing, surfing, and lots of fun things for couples, like the booze cruise and the jungle cruise across the lagoon. You can reserve tours online; we used the Best Day tour company and they were good and so was our tour to Chichen Itza with them..

Aruba is a very nice place to visit. It has great beaches and hotels and plenty of nice restaurants. It also has a few casinos in several of the hotels. There is not much to do in Aruba other than beach stuff. You can tour the island in half a day; you’ll see the lighthouse, a national park that’s kinda like wilderness, and a cave with some petroglyphics. There is a tour that takes you in a jeep across some of the desert areas but I would skip this. Aruba is not lush like other Caribbean islands, probably because it is below the hurricane zone. It is arid and all very windy, winds blow about 15 to 20 MPH all the time.

You really don't need a car in Aruba, there's not that much to drive to see. Baby Beach is kinda nice but don't feel disappointed if you don't get there. Its not that special. You can easily take a public bus to town from the beach areas. There are lots of water sports in Aruba including jet skis, snorkel and scuba, para-sailing and wind surfing and just lounging on the beaches. The casinos are nice, but small. Restaurants are rather expensive. I do recommend the Marriott in Aruba; it’s a great hotel.