Is there a better beach than Horseshoe Bay?

[smeyer418]

LOL I was there three weeks ago...it was fairly empty...

[Cathey]

Or picking the sand out of his bathing suit while sitting on a hot crowded bus.

Horseshoe is by far the best beach we visted. Did 5 beaches in 5 days.

I would stay away from snorkle park. Not fully completed, small and lots of jelly fish. We got stuck there when the buses had the shut down 2 weeks ago.

[tinker]

Cathey,

Were you on the Empress?

Please let me know your "itinerary" while you were there and what beaches you did when. Did you buy the 3-day bus passes and is that best?

We are beach people as well, and leaving in 9 days.

 

Any other tips, review etc. appreciated! We are so excited!

[Cathey]

Hey Tinker

We enjoyed Fort St. Catherine beach, Tobacco Bay ( both St. Geroge), Horseshoe Bay, Elbow,(bus trip from dockyard)Snorkle park is a short walk off the ship in dockyard. Skip St. Catherine beach by the fort. Your in St. George such a short time - time better spent at Tabacco. We had our 14 yr old with us. Kids as well as adults were climbing the 30 foot rocks and jumping off. They had a blast. Snorkle park was a waste as well as Elbow.

The 3 day bus pass we were unable to use the first day in Dockyard. There was a bus stoppage (strike). But the ship did refund our unused 3 day pass money. We then brought daily passes. The bus pass is worth it when in Dockyard.

Anyway, Tabacco Bay is a short walk from the ship (about a mile or so). In Dockyard, Horseshoe is a 15 minute ride by bus. Just outside the ship by the bus stop is a small store. Ice cold beverages and snack. I think the bus is marked "Special" or the number 7.You can rent chairs, umbrellas, floats,etc. They have showers as well clean changing areas.

If your into parasailing or jet skis do that while in dockyard.

 

If you don't mind riding the mopeds. I would do that at least one day and just beach hop. The southshore has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Pack a small thermo lunch bag with water. Many of the beach spots have no facilities.

On Thursday leave the ship early and take the water ferry over to Hamilton. You can catch a bus to anywhere on the Island. We did the caves (ok), Rum Swizzle for lunch (ok), zoo and aquarium (ok). We did spend most of that day in the rain. The rum swizzle has gotten expensive ($14-18 for lunch without beverages - 3 lunches couple cokes and a small pitcher of swizzles $89 without tip)

Wednesday night don't waste your money on Don't stop the carnival. The ship has better entertainment.

 

Keep surfing the boards - everyone has their own opinion of their favorite beaches. Hope this helps. Have a wonder cruise.

 

On the ship Sunday and Friday is formal night, Tuesday night is a party pool side, Wednesday is chocolate dessert party late pool side. Oh yeah do not miss dueling pianos in the lounge. They were great. Enjoy

[blueberry2]

Dear Tinker- oN the same trip as Cathey and we are big beach people as well. In St. georges go to achille bay. It is a small beach on the left of the fort. You go past st catherine's beach and the fort, then walk down steps to get to the beach. Snorkeling is fantastic. Swim out and to the rocks on the left. If you keep going (in and out of the little bays) you will eventually get to tobacco beach where you can get out, get a drink and check out the action. Then snorkel back. The bay itself is calm not to deep and no waves. There is not alot of actual beach but it is rarely crowded. There are chairs to rent and refreshments.

 

At the Dockyards we rented a motorbike and went to somerset beach and Daniel's head beach. Both very shallow, quiet, practically deserted. Somerset has alot of turtle grass and does not seem very appealling at first but there sere literally millions of small fish- we were in a cloud of them at times. Daniels Head is totally deserted and there is some snorkeling at the rocks to the left of the public beach. Both lovely white sand, no crowds, no facilities. There are small shops in Somerset though- a very nice deli/bakery to buy lunch at very reasonable prices. We also went to the fort (Scaur) in somerset and to the Heydon trust chapel. They do Gregorian chants there every afternoon at 3 and it was very peaceful and pretty.

 

The second day at dockyards we took the bike down to see the Gibb lighthouse and then go snorkeling at CHurch Bay. The reef is about 100 yards off shore. Church Bay can be very iffy- sometimes it is way too windy we got lucky and had a perffect day. By the way it seems that generally snorkeling along the south shore is better in the am and can get very iffy this time of year because of the hurricanes- the waves/wind to pick up along the south shore.

 

The third day the boat leaves Dockyards and goes to Hamilton. We took a bus to horseshoe bay. It was pretty windy and rough but we were content to float around in the small cove to the right of the main beach where it is pretty calm and sheltered- and occaisionally bounce in the waves. We left horeshoe and just took the bus directly into Hamilton to meet the boat.

 

The last day we were going to go to elbow- one of my personal favorites - but the high winds convinced uus that the beach would be rough. ALso when the winds are higgh they don't rent umbrellas and Elbow has no natural shade (unlike horeshoe which has some small caves), So we stayed in Hamilton and toured Fort Hamilton- very interesting and the underwater museum. We loved the museum but of course we really are into sea life, snorkeling etc.

This was not our first trip to Bermuda. In the past we relied solely on the bus and had no problem or complaint. However I really enjoyed being able to get to beaches which are pretty inaccessable without your own transportation. However Somerset is the quietest part of the island. I wouldn't take a motorbike into Hamilton and you really don't need one in St georges. The cab from the boat to the beaches in st georges is 6- for the cab for 2 or 4 people so it is not really expensive. We always cab up and walk down for the excercise.

 

 

Have fun- I wish I were going again next week!~!

[tinker]

Thanks Blueberry and Cathey!

 

This is our first trip and I didn't book any excursions but want to have some sort of plan for our 5 days there.

[Host Kewlguy]

Ok. Been back for a little over a week. Let me clarify my statement on Horseshoe Bay. It is a beautiful beach without a doubt. Took some great pictures. I just prefer someplace less crowded. Just my opinion. Living in northern NJ I'm use to crowds and would like to aviod them on vacation. And yes it was VERY crowded. No exaggeration.

[Swizzle]

Another nice beach that no one has mentioned yet is John Smith's Bay. It is on the South side of Smith's parish. It is a smaller beach then most of the South Shore beaches such as Horseshoe but the sand is the same and it is quieter, it usually has locals on it.

 

There are no equipment rentals or other amenities there, the toilets were destroyed in Hurricane Fabian and I can't recall if they've been rebuilt.

 

If you don't rent a scooter then bus route #1 takes you there but be sure you know the schedule as that bus route doesn't usually run past 5:30 or so. The beach is close to Spittal Pond Nature reserve so to make a day of it you can plan to see both and there is a grocery store near the pond so you can buy something for lunch there.

 

I've also liked West Whale Bay beach in Somerset, last time I was swimming there a couple, with minister and 2 witnesses in tow, got married on the beach. Like John Smith's it is a small beach with no amenities but the sand is the same as Horseshoe. I'm not sure how easy it would be to get there by bus but it is well worth a visit.

[Host Kewlguy]

John Smith's Bay has the pinkest sand we have seen in Bermuda.

[Dolphins]

If there is a strong south wind, Horseshoe Bay and the other south shore beaches can have rough surf. You might want to try Shelley Bay Beach on the north shore between Hamilton and St. George and easy to reach by bus from either port. Changing facilities and refreshments available. Ideal for children, no undertow.

[ineedacruise]

I am a fan of Jobsons Cove. Last time we were there, we had the whole place to ourselves. Not many people must be able to find it.

[kdo711]

I use to live in Bermuda as a child and have only had the opportunity to return twice as an adult.

 

The beaches on the South Shore are amazing -- any of them. Horseshoe Bay is infamous and a must see. It definitely is one of the most touristy beaches in Bermuda but quite enjoyable. My all time fave beach in the world is John Smiths Bay. It's definitely not a tourist trap. When my husband and I went on one of our trips we took the bus. We were the only tourists on the beach. There were maybe half a dozen persons -- two moms with their kids, young couples....obviously residents. It had no amenities but was worth the sentimental journey for me. I spent almost every week day there the last three years we were in Bermuda as we lived only five minute away. There are all kinds of rock formations that provide interesting places to snorkel. As a child we use to dive off of them -- what were we thinking?!?!?

[kdo711]

[ In St. georges go to achille bay. It is a small beach on the left of the fort. You go past st catherine's beach and the fort, then walk down steps to get to the beach.

 

Isn't that a private beach -- associated with the St. George's club. We went there too -- 'snuck in'.....nobody seemed to mind but it was the end of the day. It's not opened to the public.

[CruisFran]

Achilles is not a private beach, although it is used by mostly by St. George Club people. It is very small, and open to the ocean. It is not often found by tourists/cruisers...it's less crowded than Tobacco Bay, and very nice!

[Ocean Boy]

It is my understanding that all beaches in Bermuda are open to the public.

[Swizzle v2.0]

The majority of beaches are public but there are a few private ones, mostly in Tucker's Town (for example, Ross Perot's home has its own private beach). I don't know of any private beaches in St. Georges.

[Barbie1]

Hi All,

I will be traveling to Bermuda on 6/25 on the Celebrity Zenith. We will have 3 and a half beach days so I wanted to plan ahead and figure out which beaches we should go to. Reason being that we have a large group and if someone wanted to sleep in a little longer they will know where to find us. We have 9 children in our group, ages range from 4 to 17. Here are some of my choices...

1. Horseshoe

2. Elbow

now for 3 & 4, I am not sure...

what do you think about...

John Smiths Bay or Jobson Cove or Warick Long Bay or St Catherines Beach or Shelly Bay.

 

I have not seen anything written about Shelly Bay, has anyone ever been there?

 

thanks, Barb :)

[Jett456]

I was wondering if anyone has a beach map. I saw one on-line a few years ago when I was planning my first cruise to Bermuda. It was a map with all the names of the beaches mentioned here. That would be a great thing to have, especially for the South Shore as you can just walk along from Horsehoe Beach. Thanks, if anyone has it can you post the link here.

[Host Kewlguy]

You can obtain a map of the entire island at the visitor centers. This map will show you all the beaches on the South Shore as well as all the rest of the island.

[smeyer418]

try this

 

http://www.bermuda-online.org/beaches.htm

[Swizzle v2.0]

Traveller99's website has a beach map as well. Just look for his posts, his website is in his signature.

[Jett456]

try this

 

http://www.bermuda-online.org/beaches.htm

 

Thank you, this is the one I was referring to.

[billdaffy]

We're going on the Zenith on 6/18 -- our beach choices are -- Tobacco (snorkeling ) ; Horseshoe +Jobson's Cove -- (they're together) ; Churches Bay - (Snorkeling ) -- if it's too crowded the police may direct Horseshoe traffic to Warwick Long Bay & Tobacco Bay traffic to St. Catherine's -- Bermuda is trying to spread the crowds a little -- better for everyone --

[smeyer418]

Thank you, this is the one I was referring to.

 

You are welcome :)

[Barb Nahoumi]

Has anyone encountered a jellyfish problem on Bermuda beaches? I read about influxes of Portuguese Men of War during early summer.