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Rosalie B.

wrote:

We're planning a trip to Bermuda (from NC) in early summer. This will
be our first voyage out there, so Bermuda solidly classifies as an
unfamiliar landfall.

We're trying to connect with friends and family who will be flying
in. There's not enough room onboard for all of us, so I'm looking for
cheap (but not flea-bag) shoreside lodging near an anchorage in
Bermuda. (Right now, it's looking like, after checking in at St.
George, we'd push on to Hamilton, where the opportunities for lodging
appear to be greater).

There's really no cheap lodging on Bermuda, but there ARE some places
to stay in St. George. There are some condos and bed and breakfasts
etc. I stayed in St. George (which is nearest to the airport) when I
first went to Bermuda in 1963, but that hotel was mysteriously burned
down and is no longer there.

I don't think there's much lodging at King's Wharf - that's where the
cruise ships come in.

The hotel we've stayed at is the Princess in Hamilton. This is in
walking distance of the town and the ferry terminal. The Rosedon is
across the street. There is a yacht club right near the Hamilton
Princess (which has another name now, but Hamilton and Princess are
probably still part of it.)

I'm also looking for tips on
o Travel while on the island (mopeds? bicycles? taxis-only?)

Hands down travel by bus and you do a lot of walking. Very good,
inexpensive system and you can buy passes that include the ferries. If
you are out in Kings Wharf, you can get one of the frequent ferries
across the bay to Hamilton. Passes are sold by the day, three days,
week or month.

Taxis are too expensive - I would only use taxis to and from the
airport. Mopeds are (IMHO) too dangerous. The lady I know who did
this trip in a sailboat was supposed to have a job with someone there,
but he was so seriously injured in a road accident (and he was a local
person) that he had to be sent to the US to recover. They drive on
the left. Our friends borrowed a slip from someone in King's Wharf
while they were there.

If you want to do the old railroad trail, you can rent a push bike
for that.

o Where best to reprovision -- i.e. food, fuel, water
o Where to pump out
o Where to repair (in case something breaks along the way)
o Great SCUBA companies -- we would like to do some snorkeling/scuba
while there
o Things to do, places to see

More on this later - lots of things and places. We've been there four
or five times and have not managed to see/do everything.

o Anything else a cruiser would need to know.

Has anyone on this group done something similar relatively recently,
who would share this type of information?

Note 1: I have already received and read Bermuda Dept. of Tourism's
"Bermuda" guide, which describes entry procedures, general anchorage,
VHF stations, and so forth. It's an excellent publication, with tons
of information concisely formatted. So, that's not the sort of stuff
I'm looking for.

Thanks in advance!
Adrian in NC
s/v "Canto"