vatechfan Posted July 27, 2016 #1076 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Another question - where do you guys have lunch on your tours? I think most people stop at the Swizzle in but I'm not looking for a long, sir down lunch. My group really wants to try the traditional fish sandwich on the raisin bread with coleslaw but we'd be happy going to a stand/stall to get a quick bite and back on the road. Can anyone suggest a place? Just got back from Celebrity Summit trip to Bermuda. Hired Louis Foggo as our island tour guide (recommend - he was really terrific) for a 4-5 hour island tour. Specifically asked him to take us for an "authentic" fish sandwich lunch. Louis timed our tour to begin in Dockyard to St Georges (all sights along the way), ending with lunch take-out to a picnic in a Hamilton park (then Hamilton on our own time with ferry back to Dockyard). Louis highly recommended Art Mel's for an authentic Bermuda fish sandwich. Art Mel's is a take-out place about 10 minutes drive from Hamilton, and is very well known throughout Bermuda. You can find reviews of Art Mel's on other sites. Two slices of inch thick raisin bread - fresh and delicious (got ours toasted); with more than generous amount of lightly fried fish. You can top with cole slaw, tartar sauce, ketchup or hot sauce. On advice of Louis and locals waiting in line, we went with tartar sauce and cole slaw - we were told the hot sauce was very hot! Sandwich is about 4.5 inches tall, and about 4-5 inches wide. Order extra tartar sauce to dip pieces of the fish in, as you will not be able to get your mouth around the sandwich and locals "pick" it apart to get it down to manageable size. More than plenty for 2 people to share; cost was $11.50. We also ordered 1/2 size fries (excellent) and it was plenty enough for two people to share for lunch. We all agreed that it was the best meal we had in Bermuda and the park/picnic was perfect (Cabinet Gardens - on Court St, between Front and Reid Streets). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellwingri Posted July 27, 2016 #1077 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Just got back from Celebrity Summit trip to Bermuda. Hired Louis Foggo as our island tour guide (recommend - he was really terrific) for a 4-5 hour island tour. Specifically asked him to take us for an "authentic" fish sandwich lunch. Louis timed our tour to begin in Dockyard to St Georges (all sights along the way), ending with lunch take-out to a picnic in a Hamilton park (then Hamilton on our own time with ferry back to Dockyard). Louis highly recommended Art Mel's for an authentic Bermuda fish sandwich. Art Mel's is a take-out place about 10 minutes drive from Hamilton, and is very well known throughout Bermuda. You can find reviews of Art Mel's on other sites. Two slices of inch thick raisin bread - fresh and delicious (got ours toasted); with more than generous amount of lightly fried fish. You can top with cole slaw, tartar sauce, ketchup or hot sauce. On advice of Louis and locals waiting in line, we went with tartar sauce and cole slaw - we were told the hot sauce was very hot! Sandwich is about 4.5 inches tall, and about 4-5 inches wide. Order extra tartar sauce to dip pieces of the fish in, as you will not be able to get your mouth around the sandwich and locals "pick" it apart to get it down to manageable size. More than plenty for 2 people to share; cost was $11.50. We also ordered 1/2 size fries (excellent) and it was plenty enough for two people to share for lunch. We all agreed that it was the best meal we had in Bermuda and the park/picnic was perfect (Cabinet Gardens - on Court St, between Front and Reid Streets). So glad to hear this! We booked him for a private tour in 2 weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sprasa03 Posted July 29, 2016 #1078 Share Posted July 29, 2016 Louis highly recommended Art Mel's for an authentic Bermuda fish sandwich. Art Mel's is a take-out place about 10 minutes drive from Hamilton, and is very well known throughout Bermuda. You can find reviews of Art Mel's on other sites. Two slices of inch thick raisin bread - fresh and delicious (got ours toasted); with more than generous amount of lightly fried fish. You can top with cole slaw, tartar sauce, ketchup or hot sauce. On advice of Louis and locals waiting in line, we went with tartar sauce and cole slaw - we were told the hot sauce was very hot! Sandwich is about 4.5 inches tall, and about 4-5 inches wide. Order extra tartar sauce to dip pieces of the fish in, as you will not be able to get your mouth around the sandwich and locals "pick" it apart to get it down to manageable size. More than plenty for 2 people to share; cost was $11.50. We also ordered 1/2 size fries (excellent) and it was plenty enough for two people to share for lunch. We all agreed that it was the best meal we had in Bermuda and the park/picnic was perfect (Cabinet Gardens - on Court St, between Front and Reid Streets). well that's great to hear cause last I heard Art Mel's wasn't open! I will suggest to my tour guide (Dennis Hollis) that he take us there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
choice Posted August 14, 2016 #1079 Share Posted August 14, 2016 As frequent cruisers we often use private tours to see various sites. Before we book we check for references, complaints and the experience of others. On our recent Celebrity Summit cruise to Bermuda we wanted a four hour afternoon tour of the island with a knowledgeable licensed guide. Bermuda makes the process easier with fixed rates by the hour. We chose Millard Lightbourne, a blue flag licensed guide, based on many positive reports. He answered our email questions promptly, and accepted our offer for day, date and pickup location. Millard contacted us before the tour to confirm the exact pickup location and to say he may arrive early. He greeted us warmly, helped us into his air conditioned minivan and then discussed his plans as well as our wishes. Millard was exceptional! He knows his country, its history and hundreds of facts and figures. He speaks with passion and love of Bermuda. When we asked to divert, skip a site or stop for a break he did so without hesitation. Our tour lasted five hours but we were charged for four. We were in good hands with Millard. Honest, trustworthy, reliable and knowledgeable about Bermuda, he will tailor your tour as you wish. We recommend him highly. millard@northrock.bm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IrishMoe Posted August 14, 2016 #1080 Share Posted August 14, 2016 IrishMoe. DH & DD used Heidi last week. They both thought she was wonderful. Hopefully you will be able to have the Bermuda favorite for lunch; they got fish sandwiches on raisin bread and couldn't stop talking about how yummy it was. Enjoy her. Good choice. Took we awhile and just found time to post again since we returned from our cruise. We had a great day with Heidi. Saw just about everything to see on the Island. Heidi was indeed a wonderful tour guide. Took us to a few beaches we had not had the pleasure of visiting before. Good insight for a next return. Yes the lunch was indeed the fish sandwich. So fresh and can I say HUGE!!! More than plenty for two people. While we were enjoying lunch we got to see a giant sea turtle that had been rescued and was now going to be released. Highly recommend her to anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeming Posted August 17, 2016 #1081 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Get off the ship and ask for Quinton Sherlock, Best taxi Driver around. Informative tour, Beach and shopping time too. I took the taxi tour for 5 hours. $50 per hour on weekends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiselover48 Posted August 17, 2016 #1082 Share Posted August 17, 2016 We are on the Summit on the 8/28 sail and want to tour the island. We have been there before and did the local bus trips but think we missed things. Please recommend either a tour guide for 2 or 3 or 4 couples. Hopefully we can join in. We are also on this sailing. We are touring with Ricky's tours on Wed. We booked on line $60 pp. Roz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandmaR Posted August 17, 2016 #1083 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Get off the ship and ask for Quinton Sherlock, Best taxi Driver around. Informative tour, Beach and shopping time too. I took the taxi tour for 5 hours. $50 per hour on weekends. $50 per hour for 5 hours would be $250. That's the difference between a taxi and a guide which is per person for a set time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles4515 Posted August 17, 2016 #1084 Share Posted August 17, 2016 Get off the ship and ask for Quinton Sherlock, Best taxi Driver around. Informative tour, Beach and shopping time too. I took the taxi tour for 5 hours. $50 per hour on weekends. Taxi tours are $50 per hour for 1-4 passengers, $70 per hour for 5-7 passengers. That is any day, not only weekends. As for the driver you mention being the best taxi driver around, does that mean you tried every taxi driver in Bermuda to compare him to? I doubt it. As for getting off the ship and asking for a particular driver that could work out, it might not. That driver might not be available. I think people reading this thread are more interested in reserving a guide in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sellwingri Posted August 19, 2016 #1085 Share Posted August 19, 2016 We just returned from Bermuda and used Lewis Foggo for a private tour of the island for the 2 of us. He was absolutely fabulous. His rate is $60 per hour. lewis_foggo@hotmail.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckyinpa Posted August 19, 2016 #1086 Share Posted August 19, 2016 This was an amazing experience for my husband and myself. We were on Oceania's Regatta cruise with 2 1/2 days in Hamilton Harbour. We were lucky to get an opening due to a cancellation. Heather is an experienced pilot and a lovely young lady. She is Canadian and did her flight school in Canada. She is a great guide as well, as she knows so much about the island. This is the best way to see it all. She even flew us over our ship so we could take pictures. We did not have a car, so Heather explained in detail how to get there by local transit. So easy to do, cheap, and lots to see from the bus as well. Time and money well spent. Highly recomend her! blueskybermuda@gmail.com 441.516.3305 http://www.blueskyflights.bm this looks like fun as long as you are within the weight limits :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ve3khq Posted August 19, 2016 #1087 Share Posted August 19, 2016 So glad to hear this! We booked him for a private tour in 2 weeks. Do you have any contact info for Louis?? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandmaR Posted August 20, 2016 #1088 Share Posted August 20, 2016 (edited) Do you have any contact info for Louis?? Thanks. If you mean Lewis Foggo lewis_foggo@hotmail.com I've used him too and found him to be excellent even though what I wanted wasn't the usual island tour. Edited August 20, 2016 by grandmaR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squangirl25 Posted August 22, 2016 #1089 Share Posted August 22, 2016 We had a tour with Heidi Cowan this week. She was terrific. This was our 5th trip to Bermuda but we saw things that were new to us. Heidi also knows so much history. Well worth the $100.Don't forget- the fish sandwiches are delicious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aztekpm Posted October 1, 2016 #1090 Share Posted October 1, 2016 We just returned and had Lewis as a guide. He was fantastic and gave us a fabulous tour. I truly recommend a private tour over a bus tour, many we spoke to weren't 100% happy with the times they had at places (the long and the short) and how they zoomed by other sites they wanted to see. We had a 5 hour tour and hit every spot on the island we wanted too, except St. David. Oh well, next time :D However and just as an FYI, his van is a little older and not pristine, if that might bother you. It didn't bother us, though, my mother did comment to us after the tour that he needed to clean his van ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurab23 Posted October 1, 2016 #1091 Share Posted October 1, 2016 We had a tour with Heidi Cowan this week. She was terrific. This was our 5th trip to Bermuda but we saw things that were new to us. Heidi also knows so much history. Well worth the $100.Don't forget- the fish sandwiches are delicious. Heidi is excellent. The most informative tour I have ever taken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NMLady Posted October 3, 2016 #1092 Share Posted October 3, 2016 Heidi is excellent. The most informative tour I have ever taken. Email address or website?? :confused: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zelldriver Posted November 12, 2016 #1093 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Just returned from Bermuda. Four of us did a tour with David Fox. He did an excellent job in covering all the highlights. His email is thefox@logic.bm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paintchip8 Posted December 5, 2016 #1094 Share Posted December 5, 2016 Bermudafootsteps.com is the web site for Heidi Cowan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizinisthebest Posted December 31, 2016 #1095 Share Posted December 31, 2016 I've been reading the comments and the many recommendations for tours, taxis. I would appreciate it if someone could give me adevice on who to use. I have been to Bermuda before on business trips. Twice but it was many years ago. In July we will be there via ship for just one day. I know most cruisers are there multiple days, but that's not an option for us. We want to visit the caves, the swizzle inn (original), and spend st least two hours at a beach. I was thinking Warwick Bay but not sure how close that is to the caves and swizzle, which I believe are close together. We have from 9:30am-4:00pm I would say as our ship is scheduled to dock from 9-5. Should we schedule something in advance or see if we can hire a driver once we get off? Someone on another page recommended a private tour, but when I inquired the price was over $400. And I think the bus/ferry would take up valuable time. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CTKaren Posted December 31, 2016 #1096 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Personally, I think that might be a lot to fit in seven hours but doable if you get off the ship as soon as you can. My suggestion is to see if you can find online the taxi rates. Not for a tour but just to get from the pier to the Crystal Caves. Go their first and then do an early lunch at the Swivel Inn which is right across the street. Then taxi back to either the Pier or Horseshoe Bay (depending on time). If you think you maybe short on time, the Snorkel Bay beach is within walking distance to the ship. It is a nice beach, maybe not as stunningly beautiful as many of them, but still an ok beach. As for Horseshoe Bay, usually there are cabs waiting to take people back to the pier. About $7 per person. Love Bermuda....have fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizinisthebest Posted December 31, 2016 #1097 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Personally, I think that might be a lot to fit in seven hours but doable if you get off the ship as soon as you can. My suggestion is to see if you can find online the taxi rates. Not for a tour but just to get from the pier to the Crystal Caves. Go their first and then do an early lunch at the Swivel Inn which is right across the street. Then taxi back to either the Pier or Horseshoe Bay (depending on time). If you think you maybe short on time, the Snorkel Bay beach is within walking distance to the ship. It is a nice beach, maybe not as stunningly beautiful as many of them, but still an ok beach. As for Horseshoe Bay, usually there are cabs waiting to take people back to the pier. About $7 per person. Love Bermuda....have fun! Thank you. Maybe I should cut beach time down to an hour. So you think it's best to go to a beach last? Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles4515 Posted December 31, 2016 #1098 Share Posted December 31, 2016 Thank you. Maybe I should cut beach time down to an hour. So you think it's best to go to a beach last? Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk What date and what ship are you taking? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruizinisthebest Posted December 31, 2016 #1099 Share Posted December 31, 2016 What date and what ship are you taking? Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk July 6 - Carnival Sunshine. Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njhorseman Posted December 31, 2016 #1100 Share Posted December 31, 2016 (edited) Personally, I think that might be a lot to fit in seven hours but doable if you get off the ship as soon as you can. My suggestion is to see if you can find online the taxi rates. Not for a tour but just to get from the pier to the Crystal Caves. Go their first and then do an early lunch at the Swivel Inn which is right across the street. Then taxi back to either the Pier or Horseshoe Bay (depending on time). If you think you maybe short on time, the Snorkel Bay beach is within walking distance to the ship. It is a nice beach, maybe not as stunningly beautiful as many of them, but still an ok beach. As for Horseshoe Bay, usually there are cabs waiting to take people back to the pier. About $7 per person. Love Bermuda....have fun! I strongly disagree. A taxi from Dockyard to Crystal Caves will cost about $75 including tip for 1 -4 passengers. The return about the same. And after spending all that money you don't gain a huge amount of time (maybe 30 minutes in each direction) versus taking taking the ferry and bus because the caves are on the opposite side of the island. Regardless, for someone have only one day in Bermuda about the last place I would recommend going is the caves. You'll end up spending all your time travelling without knowing what you're travelling through, and underground in a cave, which could be anywhere in the world. There is nothing about the caves that says "Bermuda". A five hour taxi tour would cost $250 for 1 -4 people, 6 hours for $300, and you could see a heck of a lot more of Bermuda in the process, and a good guide will tell you about everything you see and recommend where to stop and spend some time during the tour. Edited December 31, 2016 by njhorseman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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