Earlier this year the airline Bermudair began a once a week direct flight from Charleston to Bermuda’s capital Hamilton. The direct flight takes only two hours covering the nearly 900 mile distance.
Bermuda is known for having beautiful beaches, turquoise water and pink sand. I took this photograph at Horseshoe Bay. Keep reading to see more pink sand we found at Warwick Long Bay beach.
I had not used my GoPro Black 8 model since then and needed to review how to use it. I did experience some malfunctions the first time or two in Bermuda but kept at it and have many nice captures, video and stills like the image above.
Alesia is a great swimmer and was very comfortable out there. I felt better wearing an inflatable “floaty” for my safety.
Bermuda is an archipelago of 181 islands that is shaped like a fishing hook or the letter J. Only 20 of the islands are inhabited with the main islands being connected by bridges and causeways.
I snapped this picture when we departed. Bermuda measures approximately 21 square miles. It is about 21 miles long and1.75 miles at its widest point. The population is around 65,000 with 54 percent being Black and 31 percent White.
The owners call their property Cove House. We stayed in the room on the first floor on the left side in this photo. Check out my video showing the layout we enjoyed.
A short distance from Cove House is this small section of sand, Pokiak Beach. Cove House is the white structure on a cliff in the distance. To get to the beach, a beautiful quiet spot with excellent snorkeling, required a trek across a hundred yards of rocks. The owner asked us not to cut through the neighbor’s grassy lawn seen below the puffy white cloud due to past complaints about people trespassing.
Our room was very comfortable with plenty of room with a king sized bed, a nice kitchen and a rainfall shower that I very much liked.
Before the trip I bought the soft pineapple blanket seen on the bed. It was to be a beach blanket but we liked it here instead. In came in handy for a few naps we enjoyed.
My coffee needs were met first with the provided nespresso machine then the French press once we bought coffee grounds at a nearby market.
We had this expansive perfectly kept lawn (soft grass too!) right outside our door. To die for views!
Early bird that I am, I caught the sunrise around 6:30 a.m. most mornings.
A walk up the steep driveway gets you to the Cove House entrance. Right behind the large marker is a charger for electric vehicles.
Our EV was this “microcar” called a YoYo. It took a few days to get used to driving it on Bermuda’s narrow, curvy roads, and on the left side as well. We parked it right by the charging plug in so that was super convenient.
On Bermuda, visitors can only rent EVs or motorbikes. The XEV Yoyo was a good vehicle though a bit cramped with limited room for our beach things. And I hit my head at least once a day when the “boot” or trunk was open. The Yoyo does have air conditioning, a major plus as temperatures were in the upper 80s at times. Some fellow visitors told us their EVs had no AC.
The car does not have a rear view camera. If you are used to that feature in your vehicle, which I am, going in reverse was sometimes nerve wracking. Parallel parking was an adventure too.
I snapped this photo after our visit to Fort Catherine (keep reading for that) in St. George. The background shows the rugged Bermuda coastline in all its beauty.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
1. The Beaches
We found lots of beaches that looked like this. Note the pink sand here at Warwick Long Bay. It was a nice surprise to come upon pink sand, as Bermuda is known for it.
Here’s the quick “AI Overview” explanation: Bermuda’s pink sand beaches get their unique color from a combination of crushed shells, coral, and the red shells of microscopic marine organisms called foraminifera.
These foraminifera, which live in and around Bermuda’s reefs, have reddish shells made of calcium carbonate. When they die, their shells are broken down and washed ashore, mixing with the other beach material to create the pink hue.
I made these two short videos at Warwick Beach to showcase the pink sand there:
They offer an intimate spot to enjoy the water and the snorkeling around the rocks can be good too.
This is the popular Horseshoe Bay. It is especially known for pink sand and I think you can see some on the beach. Horseshoe Bay may be the island’s best known and most popular beach. A few people we met who had been to Bermuda years ago complained that Horseshoe Bay today is too commercialized and crowded. But as you see quiet spots can still be found for reading.
In this beach section of my “Five Best Things About Bermuda” I’m also including photographs of the Atlantic Ocean and snorkeling.
Here are the beaches we visited. Each is located on the eastern side: John Smith, Elbow, Chaplin, Horseshoe, Chaplin, Warwick, Tobacco and Pokiok (the one by where we stayed).
Next visit we will hit the western ones and the Royal Naval Dockyard where the cruise ships go.
To follow are more of my favorite beach, ocean, sunrise and sunset photographs. If you want specific locations please contact me.
Here is a video I made of underwater activity while snorkeling and recording still shots (above) and video (below). I have a GoPro Hero 8.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
2. The History
Over time, the “Jewel of the East” would be expanded and renovated five times, per this sign.
Portuguese explorers may have been the first European visitors. There’s a “Portuguese Rock” down the eastern coast from here that dates to 1543.
The name Bermuda comes from the Spanish navigator Juan de Bermudez who is believed to have sighted the island in 1503 or 1505. “Las Bermudas” appeared on a Spanish map in 1511.
But it would be the British who would begin to settle here in the early 1600s.
They were determined to defend it too so many forts were built with St. Catherine’s being the first.
In 1609 it was a storm at sea that damaged this ship, the Sea Venture, and led its captain, Christopher Newport, to emergency stop at this island. Newport was leading a fleet of nine ships to supply the new American settlement of Jamestown, Va. with people and provisions.
Newport and his passengers would scratch out survival on Bermuda for several months. They built two smaller ships and were able to make it to Jamestown. The cargo they brought to the New World included tobacco seeds from Barbados. Tobacco would become a major cash crop in Virginia and other southern colonies.
I thought Newport cigarettes were named for Captain Christopher but that credit goes to Newport, R.I. Newport News, Va. is named for him as does Christopher Newport University in that coastal city.
Fort St. Catherine was the first of a series of forts built to defend the valuable British possession from the Spanish, French, Portuguese and even the United States.
What views from here! It is easy to see the fort’s strategic importance watching over the Atlantic Ocean.
A handout at Fort St. Catherine lists 12 other forts on the east end of the island but they can only be viewed from their outer areas.
Cannons at Fort St. Catherine range from the 17th century to the 20th century.
This anti-aircraft gun is, I believe World War II era. Bermuda was never attacked by forces from another nation during 400 years of British rule. Seeing a fort like this helps see why it was never assaulted.
Here are more images I took from inner and outer recesses of the large fort.
Replicas of Britain’s Crown jewels.
Before visiting the fort on St. George’s we stopped at this nearby historic site called “The Unfinished Church.”
A wedding rehearsal was underway.
Best of luck to the bride and groom for a long, happy marriage!
What a neat wedding setting! This reminds me of the Old Sheldon Church Ruins near Beaufort, S.C.
It’s a shame the Gothic church was never finished. The plan was that it would be big enough to hold a congregation of 650. Bad luck followed the project. Construction began in 1874 but was never completed “due to various complications” as this sign explains.
Last summer we visited another UNESCO World Heritage Site in Taos, N.M.
Next time in Bermuda we will need to explore St. George’s more.
If an island has lighthouses I must see at least one! Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse was a good choice for us. It is located on the eastern coast near the beaches we hit. And it has a nice gift shop in the building next to it where I bought several nifty souvenirs.
Gibb’s Hill Lighthouse stands 117 feet tall. It was erected in 1846. Made of cast iron it is the oldest light in the world of its kind and one of only two cast iron lighthouses still in existence.
For a $2.50 fee you can take the spiral staircase to the top. What a bargain to see such views!
This was as close as I got to the Royal Naval Dockyard, includes a cruise ship terminal. It is at the northwest tip of Bermuda.
I’m not sure the name of cruise ship or the line.
Going up the lighthouse stairs I took a few photos out the windows.
Pretty cool yes?!
Cool too was being able to see up close the Fresnel lens that magnifies a 1,000 watt electric bulb. Still operational, the beam can be seen up to 40 miles away by ships and 120 miles away by airplanes flying at 10,000 feet, according to BermudaLighthouse.com
A spider look to the lens!
Just to prove I was up there! Alesia didn’t do the lighthouse walk to the top, finding a spot in the shade to rest down below.
So happy to get my lighthouse fix at this interesting and special place!
It was very warm at times during our week here. Alesia found a cool place to cool down at Cathedral Cave, an underwater lake that is part of the Grotto Bay Beach resort and Bay. It is free and open to the public- the cave not the resort 😉.
We weren’t sure about the public access but just found the place and followed the signs that took us to these descending steps. There was no one overseeing the cave so we just took the plunge- literally.
Wow, what a neat spot this is! There were several other visitors at the time. Everyone was upbeat and excited for the unique experience of taking a dip in the chilly pristine water.
We spent about 15 minutes in the water. It took a minute to get used to the cold but it was so fun and refreshing. Cathedral Cave has its own website that says, “Underground lakes and inspiring stalactites and stalagmites can be found in caves all throughout Bermuda.”
A few signs cover the history of the cave, one of many on Bermuda. It says the island’s first found caves in 1609. Then: “In 1623 Captain John Smith (the one that fell for Pocahontas) wrote about Bermuda’s caves describing them as ‘very strange, dark and cumbersome.’”
It also says that Bermuda boasts one of the highest concentration of caves per square miles in the world.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
3. The Landscape and Architecture
Views like this are what bring tourists to Bermuda. The sand is soft, pink in places, and the water is clean and clear. As our week progressed we did see more of the brown algae in the ocean and on the shore, as you see here. The seaweed is called Sargassum and reports say there is more of it in Bermuda due to a record-breaking bloom in the Atlantic.
Seaweed aside this photographer was in his element capturing the beauty of the small North Atlantic island.
As we drove and walked around Bermuda more interesting and lovely views were revealed.
Even inland water was always on the horizon it seemed. Tall palm trees enhance the tropical look and feel.
Romantic and scenic dining spots abound.
We had a nice surprise at Coconuts restaurant, part of the seaside Reefs on the Reefs Resort & Club, when we were seated outside on the beach. More later on the great meal I enjoyed there.
Bermuda’s port in its capital city Hamilton is the small remote island’s lifeblood.
The day we walked around Hamilton this large ship was docked. It is a vehicle carrying vessel registered in Japan that was flying the flag of Bermuda. I’m not sure it was carrying cars. Perhaps this load was containers bringing to the island the residents and tourists necessities from toothbrushes and toilet paper to food and fashion.
Other vessels we spotted included what I believe is the biggest yacht I’ve ever seen.
A Norwegian Cruise Line ferry takes passengers from the big ship at Royal Naval Dockyard to Bermuda points of interest.
The Bermudian passenger ship is a ferry that carries people back and forth from the Royal Dockyard to Hamilton.
A pair of tugboat called Powerful (left) and Faithful on the standby at the Hamilton Port.
Motorcycles and motorbikes like these are popular among residents and tourists. You see them everywhere.
Bermuda is a very clean place, we observed. You don’t see litter and most streets, sidewalks and buildings are well maintained and tidy.
This is Hamilton’s City Hall and Arts Centre. It includes a museum we’ll need to see next visit. Free admission too.
This is the Cabinet Building. The office of Bermuda’s premier is inside.
PSST! What clever name for this Hamilton business. The name stands for Pizza, Subs, Salad, Sweets and Treats.
Another place for us to visit in the future!
Hamilton at night seems safe and can be fairly quiet with mos of the touristy gift shops closing at 5 or 6 p.m.
This sculpture near the waterfront in Hamiltonis called “Against Da Tide” dates to 2011. It depicts several x men in a boat battling a wave.
I found this article about the artist who created the art. Looks like the plaque that was missing when in 2023 when the Royal Gazette ran the piece is back in place. So that’s good news. And I like that name for Bermuda’s main newspaper: Royal Gazette.
While Bermuda is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean it gets very little fresh water from rivers, ponds or lakes. So since humans have lived here, rain water has been captured for the essential H2O people require to live and survive. Notice the white roofs on the buildings at the Reefs Resort & Club. The shelved design of the roofs catches rainfall and channels it into pipes and cisterns for storing water.
A posting from enterbermuda.com says rain provides 50-70 percent of the freshwater used in households. Wells are used in some places and reverse osmosis, an ocean water desalination process, is used also, especially by the big hotels and resorts.
The limestone roofs are very heavy, making them able to withstand high winds, even hurricanes.
The roof seen in the middle of this photograph you see the horizontal piece that guides rain water into a hole allowing the water to go down a pipe not a cistern.
At the house where we stayed was a note from the owner saying how Bermudians rely on water and please be conscientious of this when taking showers, using the sink faucets, etc.
Burial grounds also reflect the white limestone architecture. This is the cemetery at St. Mark’s (Anglican) Church. It was built with an impressive steeple in 1847. It is located in Smith’s Parish close to our Airbnb.
I’ve never seen a cemetery or graveyard like this one. It slopes down to help capture rain water I have to think.
This picture gives you an idea of the steepness. Many of the gravesites are not marked with the names of the departed. I find that unusual and have yet to come across anything explaining that.
At St. Mark’s I didn’t find much of the cemetery artistry I like to see. This was an exception. Alice and Eliza Musson were infants when they died days apart in April 1802. Online I found this article about the Musson family. Their prominence can perhaps explain the carving of two angelic girls on their grave marker.
You do see some traditional grave marker types such as die on base and obelisks. But the large flat white stones are the main type.
I can relate to the person buried here who must have been a coffee lover ☕️.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
4. The Restaurants
This was a classy restaurant with excellent service.
I tried sushi, something I normally wouldn’t order. Bud our visit here was later in our week so I was ready for something different. I really enjoyed it and the tropical cocktail in the unusual mug. I would have bought one of the mugs but they weren’t for sale.
After dinner there was a nice ocean view to enjoy.
We did not have a bad meal on Bermuda! The good eats began our first full day when we had some time to kill before our EV was ready to pick up. The Current rental place close to the beautiful Hamilton Princess and Beach Club. Love Alesia’s new hat!
For lunch at the Princess Hotel’s Crown & Anchor restaurant I enjoyed a tasty Bermudian Fish Sandwich (beer battered Atlantic cod, tomato, coleslaw, tartare sauce, raisin bread) and fries (she had a salad). This was a meal we were told is a “must have” here. I’m glad I took the plunge. It was very good.
The Wimbledon men’s tennis final was underway on a TV at the bar. I saw that Carlos Alcaraz won the first set but later learned that Jannik Sinner took the championship in four sets.
We didn’t plan on a dessert after lunch but our server surprised us with this customized cheesecake slice. Yum! He would be the first of numerous restaurant staff we encountered who were first rate.
The Princess Hotel is very artsy we learned, inside and out. It gave us our first taste (literally and figuratively) of Bermuda and it was all good!
After lunch we secured our Yoyo EV. Funny looking vehicle! It did the job for us but did take a few days to get used to its idiosyncrasies such as needing to start it in neutral, no rear camera, and hitting my head numerous times when the tailgate was up.
The steering wheel, like U.S. cars is on the left side so that was good. Bermudians do drive on the left side of the road. It was easy to get used to that. Lots of roundabouts here so those required great care. Texting and driving is not advisable. Alesia did a great job giving directions using GPS on her iPhone.
The fully charged Yoyo has a range of 100 miles. The island is small. I got under 50 percent charged just once. The charging station where we stayed was very convenient.
Sunday, July 13 for our 40th wedding anniversary we drove up to St. George’s for dinner at the St. Regis resort.
We had the chance to enjoy the ocean views before our reservation.
The St. Regis property extends to Fort St. Catherine, which we visited later in the week (shown earlier in this post).
The Newlweds- 40 years ago. Hard to believe! I’m a lucky guy to have lovely Alesia ad my bride all these years! 💕 😘
Back at our room, we enjoyed the spectacular views from the yard before calling it a night.
Downtown Hamilton has many restaurants. We tried two: L’Oriental (pictured) and Little Venice. They have the same address, 32 Bermudiana Rd. L’Oriental is upstairs from Little Venice. We didn’t know that so it was a nice surprise and we knew where to park for Little Venice a few nights later.
L’Oriental has Asian fusion cuisine. We were first served the above crispy treats. Our server couldn’t really describe what they were, which was odd but they were good.
Our cocktails were also colorful. The beef appetizer was delish (below).
I didn’t care for my first entree, Kung Pao Chicken and sent it back. The chicken taste didn’t agree with me. So I then went with the General Tsao Chicken (below) which was very good.
Alesia enjoyed her Paad Thai Noodles wok fried with chicken.
Another complimentary dessert!
Little Venice features its “Famous Casio & Pepe” cheese and pepper pasta.
A fun twist is that tagliolini pasta is flambéed tableside in a large Parmesan cheese wheel. The chef (pictured) who is also the owner says 50 pound cheese wheels are flown in weekly from Italy via British Airways.
Our server is from Romania. We met restaurant staff from all over the world on Bermuda.
Alesia recorded the flambé part (above).
The end result was excellent! And, yes, we received another special dessert.
The Reefs resort in Southampton was another place we dined.
The resort has three restaurants. I’m glad Alesia chose Coconuts because the dinner here would be my favorite of the trip.
What a nice surprise to be seated outside on the beach! Having not been here before we didn’t know that this was an option. The weather was accommodating so we enjoyed a beautiful, comfortable setting.
A popular cocktail on Bermuda is the Rum Swizzle. It includes Goslings Black Seal Rum, grenadine and different juices making for a very refreshing drink. Goslings rum began in Bermuda in 1806.
I selected the blackened rockfish and as I said it was my favorite meal on Bermuda. Here’s what made it so good: local rockfish, mashed potato, garden vegetables, Goslings black rum spiced banana chutney, crushed almonds, lemon butter sauce.
Worth the $45 price.
I enjoyed every bite! Good bread here too!
Lobster was Alesia’s choice.
No better setting to enjoy delicious seafood!
Yummy dessert topped off the fine meal.
When we plan our return to Bermuda, Coconuts at the Reef will be the first dinner reservation we make!
For our final dinner we went to the cloud.
We found The Cloud after returning our Yoyo EV to the rental place Current. We walked a few blocks to this restaurant.
We had a nice appetizer then shared a flatbread entree. The Cloud was pretty chill. We ate inside, wanting air conditioning.
Outside was busier.
Some great views of Bermuda from The Cloud!
We had a few good lunch experiences too. On our “must see” was The Swizzle Inn Pub and Restaurant.
This place is always busy, very popular among us tourists. We were lucky to get a good outside upstairs table.
The Swizzle Inn is known for its, you got it, rum swizzle drinks. Cheers! 🥂
The food is good too. We shared a reuben sandwich.
The Swizzle Inn has a fun vibe and we enjoyed it after our busy day at St. George’s seeing Fort St. Catherine, the Unfinished Church, and snorkeling at Tobacco Bay.
Across from the inn is the also popular Bailey’s Ice Cream Parlour. We visited this quaint place.
Gulfstream Restaurant was another lunch place for us. We were really hungry after a being at the beach then visiting the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. We were a bit wet and sandy and not sure if we would be let in as this restaurant looked kind of formal. But a staffer came out and send we were more than welcome. We sat outside, ordered a small pizza, and had a lovely time.
Our final full day on Bermuda was a rainy one. But that was fine. We had plenty of sun and surf all week. This was our day to explore Hamilton. After our walking and shopping we ducked into a really nice coffee shop called Brew. Hot coffee and warmed chocolate pastries were just what we needed.
Alesia bought for me at Brew a cool hat!
Wine time by the sea was always pleasant.
Alas, at the end of our last night on this beautiful island we ended up having a nightcap in Hamilton at the Princess Hotel, where we had lunch on our first day here last Sunday. I’m a lucky man to have Alesia by my side for these 40 years…and counting ♥️.
FIVE THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT BERMUDA
5. The People
The first taxi driver who took us to pick up our EV gave great advice about safely navigating the narrow, twisty roads and the many roundabouts.
I read that one-third of Bermuda’s 65,000 residents are foreign nationals with temporary work permits. We spoke with servers at restaurants who in some cases had worked in several other countries before finding their jobs here. Opportunities abound, it seems, for hard workers at high end restaurants around the world.
A trip highlight for me was taking Alesia to the Alexandra Mosher jewelry (British spelling “jewellery”) store in Hamilton.
In a Bermuda magazine picked up at the airport I spotted an ad for this shop.
Alexandra Mosher is from Bermuda. She makes all of her jewelry in a shop behind the store. I took this picture because Warwick Long Bay was the first beach where we saw pink sand.
Many of Alexandra’s creations include pink sand. These test tubes contain pink sand collected at different Bermuda beaches.
We had also been seeing many birds that the locals call Longtails. Keep reading to see some of my photos
of Longtails, formally called White-tailed Tropicbirds.
So we went shopping to see if the shop had jewelry that incorporated both Longtails and pink sand. The staff was very helpful.
Success! I was thrilled to buy Alesia this beautiful pink sand Longtail silver pendant as a 40th anniversary gift. Doesn’t it look great on her?!
A better shot of the necklace is next…
On our trip home, Bermudair flight attendant Amaya
wore a necklace similar to Alesia’s. Amaya bought hers at a different store but told us she is also a model who has had fashion shoots with Alexandra Mosher jewelry.
PARTING SHOTS
Want to work on your putting? You can do that at Bermuda’s airport. A few putters and golf balls were available so we played for a bit.
For Bermuda I brought a special book to read on the beach, at the airport and on the plane. My niece Camille Harwood recently published her first novel titled “Carolina Girls: Surfside Beach.” Based in Raleigh, N.C. where Cami lives, she tells the story of four close friends, their trials and tribulations in life and love.
So proud of Cami! Check out her “Carolina Girls” on Amazon!
Kudos also to Bermudair. Early in 2025 the airline, founded in fall 2023, began a once a week direct flight from Charleston to Bermuda. That got Alesia and I talking about a possible anniversary trip in July.
A two hour flight to paradise sounded great to us!
Our departure from Charleston was delayed a few hours by bad weather. The Embraer E190 plane was comfortable.
Drinks were complimentary and we were even served a large chocolate chip cookie- can’t beat that!
I was surprised that the flight was only about one third full. I heard Bermudair is considering modifying the Saturday to Saturday once a week flight. An airline worker told me some people complained the weeklong stay in Bermuda was too long.
Not for us, it was perfect!
Again, the Bermuda airport free baggage cart was greatly appreciated. We didn’t exactly travel light.
Due to the weather delay we didn’t get to our Airbnb until after 11 p.m.
But it was all worth it to wake up to such a beautiful sunrise on the morning of our 40th wedding anniversary!
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