planning your trip: bermuda "hacks"

The wedding will be taking place next door to Sinky Bay Beach.  The main rental property is located up the road on Beaming Hill. And nearby accommodations can be found anywhere along Southampton Parish: 

Points of reference are Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, Church Bay, Horseshoe Bay and Jobsons Cove

 

*PLEASE EMAIL YOUR RESERVATION AND ACCOMMODATION INFORMATION TO RYANLOVESBLAIR@GMAIL.COM*

How to "Hack" An Expensive Trip To Bermuda

Bermuda isn't cheap!  We get it.

Links, information, and our "tips and tricks" below...

Flights: What To Expect From Where You Live

Flights run direct from the East Coast
Rochester to Hamilton: 5-7 hours, Approx. $400
Baltimore to Hamilton: 2 hours, Approx $400, direct flights open up 6 months ahead.
Houston to Hamilton: 6 1/2-12 hours, Approx $400

The Reefs

Lafayette to Hamilton: $587
Sacramento, CA to Hamilton: $540

Cruise from Baltimore May 23rd
You will arrive in Bermuda on the 25th at 3 PM, just in time to head down to the celebration

 Cruise from Boston May 23rd

Accommodations: Recommendations and What To Avoid

We strongly recommend working with a vacation rental agency to find a rental property or apartment.  These are spread all over the Island and there are quite a lot in and around Southampton Parish.

Crossbay Beach Apartments and Rentals:

• "The Gemstones" is a large estate directly on Crossbay beach, where the wedding will be held.  They can be found at all of the below rental websites and have multiple rooms and rates.
• 1 bedroom apartment on Crossbay Beach:
  http://www.vrbo.com/3510103ha
• 5 minute walk, Outback apartments:
  http://www.bermudagetaway.com/indexOB.htm
• 10 minute walk to Crossbay (nearby to the main house):
  http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3023695
  http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p436055vb
• Across the street from the beach (affordable, for 3):
  http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p3020385
• 20 minute walk to Crossbay Beach:
  http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p421549

Recommended rental websites:
www.vrbo.com
www.bermudarentals.com
www.homeaway.com
www.bermudagetaway.com

Luxury Hotel
The Reefs (Our recommended resort)


Guests House and B&B's:
Located just around the corner, Greenes is about 10 minutes away by scooter, bus or taxi
Greene's Guest House
Watercolours is about 15 minutes away in central Bermuda:
Watercolours

No-No's

We mean this.  We have our serious faces on right now.

DO. NOT. WAIT. TO. BOOK. YOUR. TRIP.
Bermuda is an itty bitty island in the middle of a really large space.  Cost will skyrocket.  Availability will not exist.  Please book as soon as you can!
Passport!
Do not forget to apply for/update/check your passport.  Bermuda is a UK territory.  It is not ours.  It is property of great Britain.  And just to be sure we are all on the same page here is a picture of a British Flag.

(Not Our Island)

Now back to the good stuff:

Getting Around

Bus
The least expensive and very convenient way to get around.  When you land grab a taxi and head directly to the post office or Visitors Center to buy a bus pass.  Don't forget to ask the cabbie to wait for you!

Rates below:

Fares effective April 1, 2013 

1-day	2-day	3-day	4-day	7-day	Monthly	3-Months
$15	$25	$35	$44	$56	$55	$135

If you do not purchase a bus pass you MUST carry exact change and each trip is $4.50.

Where to get the passes, tickets and tokens in Bermuda? 

Bermuda's Central Bus Terminal - Washington Street, Hamilton City (Next to City Hall) 

Here you will get Tickets, Passes (bot day and monthly passes) and Tokens for both bus and ferry. The information booth is open from 7:15am to 5:30pm weekdays, 8:15am to 5:30pm Saturdays and 9:15am to 4:45pm Sundays and holidays. 

Main Ferry Terminal - Hamilton City 

The ferry terminal is near the Bank of Bermuda at the western end of Front Street. Here you will get tokens, tickets and passes for Buses and Ferries (both day and monthly passes). The Main Ferry Terminal hours of operation are 6a.m - 10p.m, Monday to Saturday and 8a.m - 7p.m, Sundays and Holidays.  

You can call the Main Ferry Terminal at 441/295-4506 or the Department of Marine and Ports at 441/295-6575 for further information. 

Visitors Information Centers 

Here you will get only passes and tokens for buses and ferries, but not tickets. There are several such centers located at different places of the island including in the Dockyard, Hamilton and St George. Check out the above link for the exact location of the tourist centers along with contacts. 

Post Offices 

Tickets, School Passes and Adult Passes (both day and monthly passes) are available at many sub-post offices. Check out the above link to find location and address of all the post offices in Bermuda. 

In some select hotels 

Usually you will get tokens and passes in several hotels and guesthouses, but not tickets. The hotels will also exchange dollar bills for cash in Bermuda currency should you need some to take a bus or ferry.

Taxi
Taxi's in Bermuda are regulated but they are very, very pricey.

Motorbike (or Scooter!!)
This is how we do it!  We Rent from Elbow Beach Cycles with Mrs. T.  She's a hoot and she has a great crew.

Food Hackin' (sounds gross)
Eating in Bermuda is very expensive.  This is why we recommend renting a property.
If you rent a property with a kitchen do a bit of grocery shopping on your first day and consider cooking a few of your meals.  This will cut down costs significantly.

Bermuda Map and Parishes
(The wedding and our property will be in #2, Southampton Parish)