My plan...will it work?

[mitsugirly]

Yes, the buses have a destination sign. If it's going to Dockyard it will say so.

 

Awesome. :)

 

The Dockyard - Horseshoe Bay express buses normally will say "Special" on the sign, rather than the normal type of destination sign that would say "Dockyard". The fare is the same as the local bus.

 

But, with the introduction of the private shuttles between Dockyard and Horseshoe Bay ($16 per person round trip) the "special" express public buses are apparently offered less frequently than in the past. One of the reasons for introducing the private express shuttles was to relieve the strain on the overburdened public bus system.

 

Does the express bus take the 3 day bus/ferry card/pass though is what I was trying to figure out.

[mitsugirly]

Just an FYI, the Clocktower Mall's hours are 9am to 6pm. Thought you might like to know that. Happy cruising! :D

 

Lorie

 

 

Oh yes, thank you! That definitely will have to be factored in then.

 

Is there anything else at the dockyard (shops) that stay open later than that? Or does everything close early? :confused:

[njhorseman]

Awesome. :)

 

 

 

Does the express bus take the 3 day bus/ferry card/pass though is what I was trying to figure out.

 

The express public buses do take the transportation pass. The private beach shuttle does not.

Edited May 5, 2015 by njhorseman

[mitsugirly]

The express public buses do take the transportation pass. The private beach shuttle does not.

 

 

Great thanks nj. :)

[marci22]

But, with the introduction of the private shuttles between Dockyard and Horseshoe Bay ($16 per person round trip) the "special" express public buses are apparently offered less frequently than in the past. One of the reasons for introducing the private express shuttles was to relieve the strain on the overburdened public bus system.

 

I'm surprised the private shuttle is so expensive.

 

**edit I see the shuttle drops you at the base of the hill so that saves you $4 pp by itself (if you usually take the hilltop shuttle bus)

Edited May 6, 2015 by marci22

[lah66]

Kim,

I am so glad to see in your plans that you are going to do the Warwick to Horseshoe walk! It is so beautiful! I cannot wait to see your pictures and review! Sakari will love Jobsons Cove..it is much more inviting than some of the other beaches for small kids. The others are indeed best for walking through the sand and taking pictures. Right before you get to Horseshoe you will see a little cove that has the best, maybe not body surfing, but bobbing in the waves! So much fun! And at the end of Horseshoes there is a nice calm area, I think they call it Baby Beach.

You will have a busy day with thie South Shore Beaches and the lighthouse. I am not sure if you would want to try snorkeling Church Bay. For one thing, the water can be very rough and the beach is not "swim" friendly. It's all rocky and coral right up to the shore. Definitely not a beach where Sakari can play in the shallow water. Snorkeling is best way out by the rocks. It is quite a swim and the water is deep. Not sure Sakari could make it out there with you. And to be really honest, compared to the snorkeling we have done (and I know you have done) it is not that great. The water is colder in Bermuda so the coral is not a pretty. Though you could return to Church Bay in the morning of your last day!

 

When we sent to St George, we got in a cab and went immediately to Tobacco Bay. We had the beach pretty much to ourselves for a few hours and got the heck out of there when it got crowded. It is a tiny beach. And the water was very stirred up when it started getting crowded. We walked back to St George (mostly downhill) and stopped at the Unfinished Church.

 

Sounds like you have a great plan in place! I hope you have an awesome trip!

Lauri

[mitsugirly]

Kim,

I am so glad to see in your plans that you are going to do the Warwick to Horseshoe walk! It is so beautiful! I cannot wait to see your pictures and review! Sakari will love Jobsons Cove..it is much more inviting than some of the other beaches for small kids. The others are indeed best for walking through the sand and taking pictures. Right before you get to Horseshoe you will see a little cove that has the best, maybe not body surfing, but bobbing in the waves! So much fun! And at the end of Horseshoes there is a nice calm area, I think they call it Baby Beach.

You will have a busy day with thie South Shore Beaches and the lighthouse. I am not sure if you would want to try snorkeling Church Bay. For one thing, the water can be very rough and the beach is not "swim" friendly. It's all rocky and coral right up to the shore. Definitely not a beach where Sakari can play in the shallow water. Snorkeling is best way out by the rocks. It is quite a swim and the water is deep. Not sure Sakari could make it out there with you. And to be really honest, compared to the snorkeling we have done (and I know you have done) it is not that great. The water is colder in Bermuda so the coral is not a pretty. Though you could return to Church Bay in the morning of your last day!

 

When we sent to St George, we got in a cab and went immediately to Tobacco Bay. We had the beach pretty much to ourselves for a few hours and got the heck out of there when it got crowded. It is a tiny beach. And the water was very stirred up when it started getting crowded. We walked back to St George (mostly downhill) and stopped at the Unfinished Church.

 

Sounds like you have a great plan in place! I hope you have an awesome trip!

Lauri

 

 

Lauri, thanks so much for all the information here on which beaches are good for little ones and which are just a "picture taking" type of beach.

 

When you say at the end of Horseshoe (for baby beach), I assume you are talking about the end that's not closer to the other beaches I will be hitting along the walk, but the opposite side right?

 

Yea, Church Bay doesn't really sound too great to me now.

 

Oh gosh, thanks for throwing in that "water is cooler in Bermuda" part. :eek: Yikes. Is it like this all the time or just the start of the season like right now?

[lah66]

So glad to help, Kim! You have given me so much great information over the years that it is good to be able to help you out!

 

Yes, the calm cove area at Horseshoe is the farthest you can walk down the beach. The cove is just a bit further down the beach from where the shower, concession and chair rental area is. There is a huge hill that you can climb for beautiful views and great pictures!

 

And be forewarned, at least when we were there, the food at the concession stand was horrendous! We wished we would have stopped somewhere to pick up sandwiches. We always carry a little lunch bag type cooler with us when we travel. I think the drug store right in the dockyard has sandwiches to go and I believe there is a little grocery store right in or just outside the dockyard.

 

Yes, unfortunately the water is a bit cooler. It will be cool when you are there. but you are not a wimp by any means, so you will be fine! We visited in late September and mid October and while it did not feel cool when we got in, after a few hours in the water we started to feel a bit of a chill.

 

Have a great trip! lauri

[marci22]

We usually get drinks at Horseshoe but I don't think we have eaten the food; good to know it is not great. We usually take the bus to South Shore Swizzle Inn after our morning at the beach. It's just a few minutes down the road by bus.

[mitsugirly]

So glad to help, Kim! You have given me so much great information over the years that it is good to be able to help you out!

 

Yes, the calm cove area at Horseshoe is the farthest you can walk down the beach. The cove is just a bit further down the beach from where the shower, concession and chair rental area is. There is a huge hill that you can climb for beautiful views and great pictures!

 

And be forewarned, at least when we were there, the food at the concession stand was horrendous! We wished we would have stopped somewhere to pick up sandwiches. We always carry a little lunch bag type cooler with us when we travel. I think the drug store right in the dockyard has sandwiches to go and I believe there is a little grocery store right in or just outside the dockyard.

 

Yes, unfortunately the water is a bit cooler. It will be cool when you are there. but you are not a wimp by any means, so you will be fine! We visited in late September and mid October and while it did not feel cool when we got in, after a few hours in the water we started to feel a bit of a chill.

 

Have a great trip! lauri

 

YES!!! The hills. I can't wait for those to get some awesome pics. I'm so looking forward to it.

 

Good to know about the food. Since it will sorta kinda be a short day, we may be able to just go without eating lunch and wait until we get back to the ship (or at least the port). We'll just eat a huge breakfast and hopefully it will tie us over for awhile. We'll probably just brings some drinks in our cooler that way we (hopefully) won't have to spend any money there, but you never know.

 

We usually get drinks at Horseshoe but I don't think we have eaten the food; good to know it is not great. We usually take the bus to South Shore Swizzle Inn after our morning at the beach. It's just a few minutes down the road by bus.

 

 

I had thought about going to Swizzle down the road, but we won't have enough time from the looks of things. I'm probably going to be lucky to get in all of the South shore beaches. I hear the food at Swizzle is good...just very pricey.

[marci22]

I hear the food at Swizzle is good...just very pricey.

 

You will find that food is all very pricey in Bermuda. Definitely no bargains.

[mitsugirly]

You will find that food is all very pricey in Bermuda. Definitely no bargains.

 

 

True, I've heard that as well. :o

[WinstonsMom]

You will find that food is all very pricey in Bermuda. Definitely no bargains.

 

On our last trip, DBF & I had lunch in a little place in St. Georges, nothing special at all, just a local place. $75 for 2 burgers & 2 beers! I love Bermuda, but DANG, it can be expensive!

[1bets1]

I'm excited to hear about that St George's beach bus! We're going to Tobacco on our first day. I had planned to walk from the ferry. I don't mind walking at all, but was a little concerned about getting lost. Now with this bus, I can still see everything. Have a great trip! I'm leaving Saturday the 16th, and I'm crazy excited.

[WinstonsMom]

I'm excited to hear about that St George's beach bus! We're going to Tobacco on our first day. I had planned to walk from the ferry. I don't mind walking at all, but was a little concerned about getting lost. Now with this bus, I can still see everything. Have a great trip! I'm leaving Saturday the 16th, and I'm crazy excited.

 

 

Please let us know how it goes, especially with the St. George's bus. Have a lovely time on your cruise and in Bermuda!:)

[mitsugirly]

I'm excited to hear about that St George's beach bus! We're going to Tobacco on our first day. I had planned to walk from the ferry. I don't mind walking at all, but was a little concerned about getting lost. Now with this bus, I can still see everything. Have a great trip! I'm leaving Saturday the 16th, and I'm crazy excited.

 

 

Yes, if you can, please come back and post your experience on using the St George bus. Maybe how easy it was to find the bus stops and maybe how often they might run. I would love to get some feedback before we leave.

[dcipjr]

mitsugirly, I just found this thread after I posted about Bermuda in one of your other threads!

 

I was reading through your plans, and they sound great. I think it's a good idea to do the first day at the South Shore beaches, and the second day at St. George.

 

After being to the other beaches, Snorkel Park is going to be a disappointment. The snorkeling isn't that great, compared to the other beaches. It's also a man-made beach, if I remember correctly, so it's not nearly as nice as the others.

 

Instead, I would suggest that you get up early, and head to the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse on the third day. We left the ship at around 6:30 AM on our last day, got on a bus (can't remember which one) shortly after 7 AM, and were at the lighthouse before it even opened -- around 8 AM. We found that there were great views all around the lighthouse (there's a "Queen's View" spot where Elizabeth II paused to admire the view, and we took some pictures there).

 

 

Then, at around 8:15, we were heading up the lighthouse steps, and we had the place to ourselves -- we were the first ones there!

 

The views from up top are spectacular -- and they will make you want to go to the beach and swim in those coves...

 

 

...which you'll absolutely be able to do, because the lighthouse is right near Horseshoe Bay and the South Shore Beaches!

 

We were out of the lighthouse by 9 AM, after stopping by the gift shop. My wife and I wound up visiting Hamilton that day and sightseeing there, but we could have easily gone to the beaches, since you're right on the south shore of the island.

 

You'd just have to walk back down to the South Road and catch a bus. You might be able to walk too. Either way, you'd likely be on the beach by 10 AM, and that leaves you tons of time for a good beach day. :)

[dcipjr]

actually, the cove in that second photo I posted appears to be Sinky Bay Beach. We've never visited it, but the pictures I can see online look nice, and that's walking distance from the lighthouse.

[mitsugirly]

mitsugirly, I just found this thread after I posted about Bermuda in one of your other threads!

 

I was reading through your plans, and they sound great. I think it's a good idea to do the first day at the South Shore beaches, and the second day at St. George.

 

After being to the other beaches, Snorkel Park is going to be a disappointment. The snorkeling isn't that great, compared to the other beaches. It's also a man-made beach, if I remember correctly, so it's not nearly as nice as the others.

 

Instead, I would suggest that you get up early, and head to the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse on the third day. We left the ship at around 6:30 AM on our last day, got on a bus (can't remember which one) shortly after 7 AM, and were at the lighthouse before it even opened -- around 8 AM. We found that there were great views all around the lighthouse (there's a "Queen's View" spot where Elizabeth II paused to admire the view, and we took some pictures there).

 

 

Then, at around 8:15, we were heading up the lighthouse steps, and we had the place to ourselves -- we were the first ones there!

 

The views from up top are spectacular -- and they will make you want to go to the beach and swim in those coves...

 

...which you'll absolutely be able to do, because the lighthouse is right near Horseshoe Bay and the South Shore Beaches!

 

We were out of the lighthouse by 9 AM, after stopping by the gift shop. My wife and I wound up visiting Hamilton that day and sightseeing there, but we could have easily gone to the beaches, since you're right on the south shore of the island.

 

You'd just have to walk back down to the South Road and catch a bus. You might be able to walk too. Either way, you'd likely be on the beach by 10 AM, and that leaves you tons of time for a good beach day. :)

 

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I do realize that Snorkle Park is probably going to be a let down compared to the other beaches. I just thought it might be a way to stick around the port on the last day. I will discuss it with our group and see what they want to do on the last day. We will probably play it by ear that day and if we didn't get to do all the beaches at South shore on the first day or just simply want to go back, we might just do exactly what you suggested (Gibbs and then back to the beaches). :D

 

I will also have to check the bus routes and see what time they start operating the #7 bus that way for the last day. I guess I didn't notice they started that early in the morning. :eek:

 

actually, the cove in that second photo I posted appears to be Sinky Bay Beach. We've never visited it, but the pictures I can see online look nice, and that's walking distance from the lighthouse.

 

I have never heard of "Sinky Bay Beach" and when I look it up online, everything keeps saying it's also Horseshoe? Is that right? Does it just have 2 different names but it's the same place?

[dcipjr]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I do realize that Snorkle Park is probably going to be a let down compared to the other beaches. I just thought it might be a way to stick around the port on the last day. I will discuss it with our group and see what they want to do on the last day. We will probably play it by ear that day and if we didn't get to do all the beaches at South shore on the first day or just simply want to go back, we might just do exactly what you suggested (Gibbs and then back to the beaches). :D

 

I will also have to check the bus routes and see what time they start operating the #7 bus that way for the last day. I guess I didn't notice they started that early in the morning. :eek:

 

It looks like the first #7 bus of the day is 7 AM in the Dockyard, according to this page.

 

Every time we've gone to Bermuda, we've always intended to spend the last day in the Dockyard, and never have -- during the course of the visit, we've always found some place where we wanted to go one more time. Our rationale was always that the third day is 1/3 of the stay in Bermuda, so why limit ourselves? You may have to be back by 4, but that's the way it would be if we were in a "normal" port where we would arrive in the morning and leave in the evening.

 

I have never heard of "Sinky Bay Beach" and when I look it up online, everything keeps saying it's also Horseshoe? Is that right? Does it just have 2 different names but it's the same place?

 

I never had heard of it either until I looked it up this morning, haha. When I looked at the picture, I started wondering which beach that was, and I used Google Maps to help me identify it.

 

It's definitely not Horseshoe Bay.

 

Apparently the two beaches there where Lighthouse Rd meets South Rd are "Sinky Bay" and "Cross Bay". Both are on the site of resorts, but all beaches in Bermuda are public, provided you don't trespass to get to them, and it looks like they're at the end of a public road.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.2506492,-64.8290823,1756m/data=!3m1!1e3

[njhorseman]

Thanks for the comments and suggestions. I do realize that Snorkle Park is probably going to be a let down compared to the other beaches. I just thought it might be a way to stick around the port on the last day. I will discuss it with our group and see what they want to do on the last day. We will probably play it by ear that day and if we didn't get to do all the beaches at South shore on the first day or just simply want to go back, we might just do exactly what you suggested (Gibbs and then back to the beaches). :D

 

I will also have to check the bus routes and see what time they start operating the #7 bus that way for the last day. I guess I didn't notice they started that early in the morning. :eek:

 

 

 

I have never heard of "Sinky Bay Beach" and when I look it up online, everything keeps saying it's also Horseshoe? Is that right? Does it just have 2 different names but it's the same place?

 

The first #7 doesn't depart Dockyard until 8:50 am. You could take a #8 as they start earlier in the day, but that would require you to find your way into the lighthouse grounds from the back side off of Middle Road. I honestly don't know how easy that is to do.

 

Sinky Bay is not the same as Horseshoe Bay . It's west of Horseshoe Bay and was one of the beaches on the grounds of the old Sonesta Beach hotel, which was destroyed by a hurricane years ago. That property was purchased by the family that owns the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, and has been converted to a private beach club for their hotel guests. It's just opening this spring .

[njhorseman]

It looks like the first #7 bus of the day is 7 AM in the Dockyard, according to this page.

 

Every time we've gone to Bermuda, we've always intended to spend the last day in the Dockyard, and never have -- during the course of the visit, we've always found some place where we wanted to go one more time. Our rationale was always that the third day is 1/3 of the stay in Bermuda, so why limit ourselves? You may have to be back by 4, but that's the way it would be if we were in a "normal" port where we would arrive in the morning and leave in the evening.

 

 

 

I never had heard of it either until I looked it up this morning, haha. When I looked at the picture, I started wondering which beach that was, and I used Google Maps to help me identify it.

 

It's definitely not Horseshoe Bay.

 

Apparently the two beaches there where Lighthouse Rd meets South Rd are "Sinky Bay" and "Cross Bay". Both are on the site of resorts, but all beaches in Bermuda are public, provided you don't trespass to get to them, and it looks like they're at the end of a public road.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/@32.2506492,-64.8290823,1756m/data=!3m1!1e3

 

Although it may be fairly accurate, that link is not to an official bus schedule, and in any event you're misreading it. The "mb" notation for the early #7 buses means that the bus leaves from Somerset Terminal and does not serve Dockyard.

Here's the official bus schedule: http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_20064_959_235551_43/http%3B/ptpublisher.gov.bm%3B7087/publishedcontent/publish/ministry_of_tourism_and_transport/department_of_public_transportation_2014/downloads/bus_schedule_april_2015.pdf

 

You can check my previous post for an explanation of what's going on at Sinky Bay. And although you're technically right about beaches being public, access to this beach is not public because it would require you to trespass on private property to gain access to it.

[mitsugirly]

 

Every time we've gone to Bermuda, we've always intended to spend the last day in the Dockyard, and never have -- during the course of the visit, we've always found some place where we wanted to go one more time. Our rationale was always that the third day is 1/3 of the stay in Bermuda, so why limit ourselves? You may have to be back by 4, but that's the way it would be if we were in a "normal" port where we would arrive in the morning and leave in the evening.

 

 

 

 

The schedule that I have downloaded shows that the first shuttle to leave the dockyard and go to that area is 8:50am. The other times listed there shows that those shuttles do not serve the dockyard. :confused:

 

 

I guess I had never thought of it that way (that it's just like being in any other port and only having that amount of time to spend there) but it just kinda makes me nervous, I guess, having to rely on the bus transportation. Since I have never been there before I have no way of knowing if the buses usually run on time as stated or if they fall behind. I also don't know how many they have running at any given time. For instance if we take the last bus back and it's full....then what? Will there still be another one coming along directly after it for those that couldn't fit on the prior bus? In most ports we just get in a cab and go. The only place I have ever done the public transportation by bus was just this last November in Nassau and I was super nervous about that. :o

[mitsugirly]

The first #7 doesn't depart Dockyard until 8:50 am. You could take a #8 as they start earlier in the day, but that would require you to find your way into the lighthouse grounds from the back side off of Middle Road. I honestly don't know how easy that is to do.

 

Sinky Bay is not the same as Horseshoe Bay . It's west of Horseshoe Bay and was one of the beaches on the grounds of the old Sonesta Beach hotel, which was destroyed by a hurricane years ago. That property was purchased by the family that owns the Fairmont Hamilton Princess, and has been converted to a private beach club for their hotel guests. It's just opening this spring .

 

That's the same information that I have on my papers I downloaded...first one out is 8:50. I wonder if there's such a huge line at that point of people wanting to go out of the dockyard that the bus fills up too quickly and you are required to wait on another. How many buses will they have running this route? Several? Or do you have to wait for that 1 bus to do it's route and return?

 

I did end up locating Sinky Bay on a map and I can tell it's definitely not Horseshoe after looking at it from a map perspective. So it sounds like a "no-go" on that beach since it's now a private beach club.

 

I do remember someone saying that you can get to the lighthouse from either direction (#7 or #8) but the walk from Middle Rd was about 20 minutes versus the walk from the #7 bus being about 10-15 minutes. But I believe they had said that it's still all the same road that cuts between the 2 main streets the bus lines are on. I'll have to research a little more to see. If we can get an earlier start, that would be great. :D

 

Thanks for the info horseman

 

Although it may be fairly accurate, that link is not to an official bus schedule, and in any event you're misreading it. The "mb" notation for the early #7 buses means that the bus leaves from Somerset Terminal and does not serve Dockyard.

Here's the official bus schedule: http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_20064_959_235551_43/http%3B/ptpublisher.gov.bm%3B7087/publishedcontent/publish/ministry_of_tourism_and_transport/department_of_public_transportation_2014/downloads/bus_schedule_april_2015.pdf

 

You can check my previous post for an explanation of what's going on at Sinky Bay. And although you're technically right about beaches being public, access to this beach is not public because it would require you to trespass on private property to gain access to it.

 

I believe that's the same I have downloaded for the bus schedule. I will double check just to make sure. Thank you. :)

[dcipjr]

Although it may be fairly accurate, that link is not to an official bus schedule, and in any event you're misreading it. The "mb" notation for the early #7 buses means that the bus leaves from Somerset Terminal and does not serve Dockyard.

Here's the official bus schedule: http://www.gov.bm/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_20064_959_235551_43/http%3B/ptpublisher.gov.bm%3B7087/publishedcontent/publish/ministry_of_tourism_and_transport/department_of_public_transportation_2014/downloads/bus_schedule_april_2015.pdf

 

You can check my previous post for an explanation of what's going on at Sinky Bay. And although you're technically right about beaches being public, access to this beach is not public because it would require you to trespass on private property to gain access to it.

 

Ahh, you're right! I didn't notice the mb on there. We definitely took a bus at around 7 AM in 2013. I guess the schedule changed. But the #8 should get you close as well if you decide to go that route.

 

Makes sense about Sinky Bay. Church Bay is also close by though, and Horseshoe as well, so there are plenty of other options.

 

Thanks for the clarifications -- I think they'll come in handy when we go later this year.