The island is like a fish hook.     

The west side is where you fly into –  it’s St David’s Island.  Not populated with tourists however worth visiting later.  There is a lighthouse, great snorkeling beach called Cooper Island Beach and a local restaurant, Black Horse Tavern all shown to you if you do Hidden Gems tour.  Which we highly recommend.  Hidden Gems of Bermuda Ltd.   Read the reviews, wear Tevas or water shoes, they provide snorkels (you can bring your own), bring two towels (one for cave swimming and one for beach).

The island is very hilly with a lot of limestone.  It’s very humid, with breezes and bright sun.  The water is clear and turquoise, the sand is pink.  They are a hour ahead of EST.  When or if it rains it doesn’t last long.

It is very lush, lots of plant life, flowers, the fragrant smells are lovely.  There are also tree frogs!  I loved the sound.  You heard them all the time, mostly at night.  http://youtu.be/6lONsLv9Chk   

Birds –  lots of birds. I swear there were some that I heard that sounded like they said “hit the road Jack”.   There are no snakes or Mosquitos on the island. 

When you leave the airport you drive across a causeway that takes you over Castle Harbor to a main bus stop –  Grotto Bay.  This is Hamilton Parrish.  A great land option.  There is a great ice cream shop and the swizzle inn.  The restaurant isn’t that great and the gift shop was disappointing.  The drinks were good but they aren’t the only place to get good drinks.

   
   We stayed at Grotto Bay in 1980 and has been renovated.  We stopped in and asked to see a room for a future trip.  While we were on the grounds we walked around and saw the coolest thing —-  a cave, lit up, where you could swim.  It was worth peaking in.

   
   
Located near Grotto is crystal caves and the aquarium.  We were told the cave at Grotto Bay and the hidden gems tour were great alternatives to a crowded Crystal caves tour.

At the Grotto you take a left towards Tuckers Point is located.  Along the way is a really neat restaurant called  

 
It was next to Tom Moores Jungle.  Which we explored in the hidden gems tour.  The food was excellent.

   
             

As you head around Harrington Sound you will come upon a beautiful golf course called Tuckers Pointe. 

It’s is a sprawling golf course with Rosewood hotels, cottages to rent and several restaurants.  

We got dropped off by bus at the entrance and walked all over the place looking for this restaurant called Sul Verde.  Turned out it was located in the Tuckers Point Golf Course club house.  

   

           
Finally found the restaurant!  We had passed by the turn on the way to the main hotel.

The food was excellent, especially the Anti-Pasta bar which you can make as an appetizer or meal.  Next time I would make as a meal.  They recommend you sit on the porch and enjoy the views!  

   

  

  Leaving Tuckers Point there was another really neat area calls Flatts Fishing Village.  It was within walking distance of our Cottage we rented in Smith Parish.  We walked down for dinner and took a cab home.

We ate Italian, at Rustico.  

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

If you stay on the bus route it will take you into Hamilton.  There are tons of restaurant options but we didn’t find one we would recommend.  Pickled Olive was just okay.  We did find a hidden park that was beautiful and some alleys.  We were surprised at the homeless people in the city so be aware of that.  Best place to souvenir shop is Hamilton.  

   
       
From Hamilton you can continue by bus towards the South side of the island where all the beaches are or take the ferry to Dockside.  

Our favorite option was Elbow Beach because you could get served food and beverages while you lay on the beach.  Plus you can snorkel right there.  You can rent a kayak to take you out to their coral reefs.  It was a little too rough that day for me so we skipped that but it is an option to consider.   They have three restaurants, the one on the beach is fine for lunch food.  The other two up a level are both great dinner options.  We ate at the fancier one but the other one had outside seating and a band.  Would recommend returning there.

To the right of the lunch place was a bathroom with showers.  We quietly slipped in there to wash up before dinner.  

   
          
If you continue on the bus route you will pass all the popular beaches.  This area is South Hampton Parish. Stunning cliffs, clear water, pink sands.  Jobson’s Cove is a favorite.  An option to avoid is Horseshoe Bay.  The cruise ships drop everyone off there.  It’s crowded, no restaurants and the bus stop is so crowded you may have to wait for a long time to catch a bus.  

Now parallel to this route is Middle Road and it is the harbor side.  You will find Gibbs lighthouse and another gem you shouldn’t miss called BLU hidden in Belmont Hills Golf Club. They have breath taking sunset views and out of this world food.  

   
         
Continue heading towards Dockside and you will end up in Sandys Parrish where a cute area called Somerset is.  

They have the worlds smallest drawbridge and Cambridge Beaches.  They have a restaurant that isn’t easy to find called Breezes.  Literally on the beach with the best sunsets on the island.  

   
            
We took the bus and had to walk to this hotel.  I would recommend a cab.  Totally worth it.  They even have live music.  The food is fresh and good.  Not tons of options but the sunsets make up for everything.  Loved their dark and stormys!  

This restaurant is located close to Dockyard and is a good option for dinner.  Not to be missed!  

We were not impressed with Dockyard, we are lunch and it was just okay.  Everything there you had to pay a fee.  

There is so much to see and do in Bermuda.  This is just a snippet.  We scheduled our day around where we would end up for dinner and researched the reviews using trip adviser and were pleasantly surprised.  We went to Bermuda 12 years earlier and never really found a restaurant we would recommend, this time was different.