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Hamilton is the best place to shop, although there are a number of shops in Dockyard and St. Georges as well.

 

For beaching it would depend on where you are. St. Georges has some nice beaches nearby and in May there should be a shuttle service in operation. St. Georges is a lovely small town that is nice to explore.

 

If you are at Hamilton or Dockyard I would suggest visiting one of the big hotels on the South Shore - either the Sonesta or the Southampton Princess. The Sonesta is right on the shore and has beaches but I believe non-guests have to pay a fee. The Southampton Princess has a shuttle service to its private beach (but that beach is right next door to Horseshoe Bay so you can just go there and not pay a fee). The Princess also has a few small stores in it, I don't know if the Sonesta does.

we will be in Bermuda June on Crown Princess on a Sunday. Would anyone know are most shops closed? Can we expect anything else to be closed?

At this time almost all stores in Hamilton and St. Georges are closed on Sunday although some restaurants are open. The Government recently passed legislation allowing stores to open Sunday afternoon if they wish but right now almost none of them are. This may change in the summer when tourists are here but I don't know for sure.

 

Tourist attractions (such as the Aquarium, Underwater Exploration Institute, Snorkel Park) should be open on Sunday.

I was thinking if we did Hamilton as soon as we got off the ship, in the morning and then the Snorkel park after lunch since it is closer to the ship?? I would love any suggestions you have. Thanks!!

That would be best. Snorkel Park is only a few mintues walk from the ship so you shouldn't have a problem being back on the ship in time. If you are in Hamilton you are at the mercy of the ferry schedule and the trip takes 20+ minutes so if you want to go to Hamilton I'd do that first.

In general there are three things to do from Dockyard:

 

1) Wander around Dockyard

2) take the ferry to Hamilton

3) take the bus to the South Shore beaches area (such as Horseshoe Bay)

 

In November the itinerary will definately be weather dependent. If it is sunny I recommend going to the beaches, even if only to see them rather than suntan. For shopping and things to do, or if the weather is not great, personally I would prefer spending time in Hamilton over Dockyard (except Sunday as almost everything in Hamilton is closed).