Bermuda

It's not really mysterious at all. It's quite a wealthy island. Former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg has a place there. We went there on a cruise last fall. The best way to get around is by scooter. The beaches are pretty but they tend to be overrun by tourists, especially on the days when the cruise ships come in (I know, we were part of the problem). I like beach bars and we didn't see any when we were there, aside from an overpriced and snooty hotel.

The scenery is pretty, of course. There are a lot of golf courses, if you're into that (we weren't). There are some interesting old forts. Lots of history in Bermuda. It's not a winter vacation spot by any means. Its latitude is about the same as South Carolina, so you're not going to be lounging on the beach in January. In fact, the cruises only run from May till September/October. We went on the cruise because we're from NYC so we wouldn't have to fly. The problem is hurricane season, of course. Our cruise was fine, but a couple of weeks before we went, there was a hurricane and the cruise was diverted to Florida. I would have been pissed off if that had happened to us!

Oh, forgot to add that the reason we went on the cruise was that Bermuda is an expensive island. Food and accommodation are pricey. We figured that we'd save money by staying on the ship at night and exploring the island by day.

Thanks r1, that's exactly why I asked.

Norwegian is offering cruises to the island for decent rates, and I'm considering going with some friends.

The other factor is something you addressed, which is the weather. It seems like it would be fairly cool, and you pretty much confirmed it.

I'm not into golf either. I was just hoping to relax on a beach or do some sightseeing, if there are any sights to see.

I also wanted to try a "dark and stormy," which I've heard is "the" drink in Bermuda.

Is it very expensive?

Not very mysterious, no but it is a tiny, gorgeous island that is like a bit of the Kentish countryside set in the tropics. If you live in NYC, it is only an hour's flight away but it will be totally different. Beautiful beaches, pristine aqua-colored water, great for sailing.

Very conservative though, expensive, and the food is just so-so.

By the way, OP, others will mention this in a nasty manner, but it's not in the Caribbean.

Here's the cruise I was checking out.

It's a 7-day roundtrip cruise from Boston for only $569 per person.

Sounds like a good deal!

Well, this past Nov/Dec was warm and sunny I heard. It rains in the winter but temps are 60ish, maybe not swimming weather but perfectly enjoyable. Bermuda used to be a huge winter destination back in the 30s, 40s, and 50s.

R6 note that the cruise price does not include tips , drinks, and taxi fares/scooter rental on the island. I think bus fare is like $4 a ticket.

Do you need a passport to go to Bermuda?

R3, I tried the "Dark and Stormy" and hated it! It's all a matter of taste, obviously. It has ginger beer in it and I don't like beer. I gave it a try because I thought perhaps ginger beer tasted like ginger ale, but that was not the case.

Yeah, R6, we went on NCL. It was a good deal from NYC too, but beware of hidden charges. Internet, for instance! The thing is, NCL (or any other cruise for that matter) makes their money on those "sea days." I assume there are more sea days from Boston than from NYC, but we had two on the way to Bermuda and one on the way back. There's not much to do but drink and eat. Oh, and buy art! We went to one of those art shows for shits and giggles. And gamble. We didn't do that.

We did see a couple of shows - "Rock of Ages" - hated it! - and Second City which was funny but very short. Also, we went in September, so there were few kids. We hadn't even thought about it in advance but it was a huge plus.

People complain about the size of the ship relative to the number of passengers. You should check out Cruise Critic, although some of the posters there are kind of scary and seem to do nothing but go on cruises over and over again.

It's a very pretty island with an English, old-money feel; subtropical as opposed to tropical landscape and lacking the prodigious poverty of other British Caribbean colonies (Jamaica, Barbados).

Sort of like a piece of Greenwich Connecticut broke off and floated a few hundred miles south.

[quote] Sort of like a piece of Greenwich Connecticut broke off and floated a few hundred miles south.

Hmmm... sounds kind of nice, actually.

If Greenwich painted their houses in pastel colors. Actually, the houses look more like Cornwall. The roofs serve as a water collection system. There is no water on the island; they have to collect and store rain water.

Years ago I heard that Bermuda wasn't gay-friendly. Has that changed?

I went there for a business meeting once with BELCO. Had a grand time being wined and dined. Saw and did lots. Nice people on Bermuda. Bring lots of money though.

It's very conservative. A LOT of churches. Their economy is based on cruise ship passengers since the 2008 economic collapse so they are very welcoming to tourists. But discretion is the word.

Feature in the Times today.

It's off the coast of the Carolinas so it's not as hot as you think it might be. It's not the Caribbean. But it's very pretty and British. Bermuda drives on the left side of the road. Watch yourself as you speed around the winding roads on your motor bike.

Beautiful island and not as overtouristed as other spots. More families and older people than singles and scenesters. It would be like Greenwich if most people in Greenwich were black. Bus system is good, makes it easy to get around. Feels like it is waiting to be rediscovered by trendy types. As others have said, it is not beach weather in December/January, more like low 60s

It's very British. And it's a small island, you can really see most of it in a day.

If you dive, there a lot of good wreck dives not far off the coast.

Greyhound operates a route to Hamilton, Bermuda from Norfolk.

Fun Fact: It was settled by the Virginia Company in 1609 (the people who settled Jamestown in 1607) accidentally, due to shipwreck, and governed as part of Virginia until 1615. Then another company took over until 1684 when the Brits took over.

If your family is a member THE FORTY THIEVES crowd, life on Bermuda was and still is mostly sweet.

Here's a picture of Bermuda from the air, which has had the odd effect of making me lose interest in ever visiting the place.

Perhaps it's because every square inch of the island seems to have expensive houses or golf courses on it. The only wild or beautiful places are in the sea,

Just love their onions ....

It sounds really nice. Didn't realize it was such a short flight from NYC. Now I wish I'd visited pre-COVID :( I'll never have a chance now.

Some of it reminded me of old style Beverly Hills.

Love Bermuda. Discovered the lure of rum at the Swizzle Inn. Partied with the locals (most of whom work in the hotels) and when I checked out of my hotel and went to pay my two-week bar tab, I was told "what bar tab? Don't remember you doing any drinking...wink wink". Nice people. If you don't want to stay at a huge resort, e.g., Southampton Princess, there's scads of cottages like a tony yet friendly campground. Recommend it highly. Just not in September - whole place shuts down for the hurricanes; the causeway linking the island to the airport gets flooded out.

I know a Bermudan of English descent. He's massively intelligent, well-spoken with a Puritan work ethic and no real scope for advancement on the island.

(I offered myself to him but he declined)

It's one of those places strivers went to in the 80s to brag about, like the Bahamas. But there are way better and more interesting places to go that offer more if not the same experience.

[quote]It's one of those places strivers went to in the 80s to brag about, like the Bahamas. But there are way better and more interesting places to go that offer more if not the same experience.

Such as....?

Am scared of the Triangle

Went there a bunch growing up on family vacations (Fairmount, the big pink hotel) in the 90s and 00s and went back once in around 2014 -- really nice beaches, you get get anywhere on the bus system, very cool caves you can go on tours of (loved that as a kid)

No idea what other posters are talking about with "Greenwich, CT" -- there are very expensive parts of the island where people like Mike Bloomberg have vacation homes, but the locals don't live all that large and the areas where they live range from run down to middle class.

Very old school British feel to the place, more formal than much of the US.

IIRC, the weather from say November to March is iffy, can be low 70s beach day but can also be mid-50s. Flip is it does not get super hot in the summer.

It has definitely fallen out of favor with tourists--even when I was a kid (90s) there was a sense that its glory days were long past, though that was also part of the charm--it wasn't as overrrun with the sort of overly entitled people who make St. Barths and other islands unpleasant and the locals were glad to see tourists.

It is a great 4-day weekend from NY/BOS/DC as the flight is very quick and if all you do is lay on the beach and eat dinner at the hotel you're not missing a whole lot, though if you want to explore, there is plenty to do.