A Long Weekend in Bermuda

Bermuda. 5 days. No kids.  It was amazing.  After 10 years of marriage, we decided that we needed to take a trip together, without kids, to celebrate.  Thanks to amazing grandparents, we were able to make that happen!  The ironic thing is that the whole time we were in Bermuda, we were thinking about how the kids would love it and how we should take them…ha.  So, for this post, it’s just things that we did, but keep your eye out for another more kid-oriented post in the future.  🙂

One of the reasons we chose Bermuda for our trip is that it is super easy to get to.  There are direct flights out of Boston and in an hour and a half you’re there!  There are also multiple daily flights back to Boston, and some to New York and Philly, so we were confident that we could easily get back home, if needed.  Although the grandparents definitely had everything under control (especially since I left them a 25 page binder that included every piece of information they could possibly need…), I liked knowing that I wasn’t stuck somewhere with 30 hours of travel to get home, just in case…

I have to say that flying without children is amazing.  I got to read my kindle and watch an episode of The Crown; there was no yelling, constant snack requests, squirming kiddos, and the best part – I wasn’t sticky and covered in snack residue at the end of the flight!! yay!!

We decided to stay at the Fairmont Southampton, as we were familiar with the resort, and I found a great deal on Groupon.  When I called the hotel to confirm our reservation, I mentioned that we were celebrating our 10 year anniversary; when we arrived we found that we had been upgraded to the concierge level and were surprised by chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of Prosecco later that afternoon!  Thank you Fairmont!

We had an amazing view from our room,

and we enjoyed that view while sipping on our Prosecco.

The Fairmont has a lovely beach with a decent size swim area.  We weren’t initially able to get front row chairs, but after lunch, we grabbed some.  There are many chairs, so getting one was never a problem and there are people who will help you move umbrellas and chairs to create the set-up you want! There is also a great little lunch place right on the beach where you can get sandwiches, salads, and drinks; we both had an AMAZING Caesar salad.  You can also order right from your beach chair – we took advantage of that for an afternoon cocktail.

The beach is also home to Dive Bermuda, which offers dive and snorkel trips, dive training, and water sport rentals.  I decided last minute that I really wanted to snorkel, so we rented snorkel gear and followed the set out snorkel route around the swim area.  We saw some HUGE parrot fish, snapper, pieces of coral, and even a trumpet fish.  While it’s probably not the best snorkeling in Bermuda or the Caribbean, it was definitely perfect for my needs! (And I didn’t have to stray too far from this beautiful beach!)

During our time in Bermuda, we had some phenomenal meals (it probably helped that we weren’t eating at 5, and stressing about when Little Man was going to start yelling…). One such dinner took place at the Ocean Club.  The Ocean club is a wonderful restaurant adjacent to the Fairmont beach.  It has outdoor and indoor seating and we were fortunate to have beautiful weather, allowing us to eat outside; in fact, I think that we had the best seat in the house!

The food and service was stellar and we absolutely would go back there in a heartbeat! We also enjoyed a fabulous meal at Marcus’, located in the Hamilton Princess. While the atmosphere and service weren’t outstanding, the food was divine.  We both agreed that it was the best food we ate in Bermuda, and some of the best food we’ve had.  We absolutely would go back there for the amazing cuisine.  The Waterlot Inn provided another excellent meal.  It has a traditional atmosphere and menu, and while not inexpensive, provides for a lovely evening of conversation, delicious food, and superb service; the chef even sent out a little message with my to-die-for “snickers bar” dessert.

Bermuda also offers many fun outings.  We enjoyed exploring the capital city, Hamilton, where you can find a variety of unique and traditional stores, as well as yummy snacks and meals.  There are quite a few outdoor eating venues along the main road where you can enjoy lunch and watch the Bermudian world go by.

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse is a fascinating bit of history that offers lovely views from the outdoor walk (even in the rain!).

You reach the outdoor walk after climbing 186 stairs. It’s definitely worth it though, as it goes all the way around the lighthouse so you get views in every direction.

Horseshoe Beach is another great outing; it’s a beautiful beach on which you can walk for quite a bit.  Once you walk the length of the main beach, there are tons of little coves and coral formations to explore.

Even with angry clouds, it is still beautiful.

Although we didn’t have time to visit this trip, the Royal Naval Dockyard, St. George’s and Fort St. Catherine, and the Swizzle Inn (home of the original Bermuda Rum Swizzle) are other fun adventures.  The bus system around Bermuda is great, so if you’re not up for renting a motorbike or electric motorbike/car hybrid (you can’t rent cars on the island), the buses are a great option and get you to all of the major island experiences.

I’m going to hop my soap box for just a second now.  Because it rained one day during our trip, the beach wasn’t raked; this left all of the ocean “residue” for us to see. 

And it made me mad.  There was SO MUCH plastic mixed in with seaweed; and this was just one little piece of beach, on one little island.  I can’t even imagine how much plastic is in the ocean.  We absolutely are going to continue to do our best as a family to minimize our plastic (and other) waste.

Bermuda is truly a wonderful place to visit.  It has beautiful beaches, many adventures, and amazing and friendly people.  We definitely will be going back – and I can’t wait!

Make sure to check out our vacation on Grand Cayman for more Caribbean inspiration!

What is your favorite island to visit? Let me know in the comments!

I hope this inspires you to have your own adventure!