Short November Week in Bermuda - Snorkeling & Dining

Bermuda is a lovely island. Great scenery, mild temperatures and what we call an American/British/Bermudian culture. The dining is very good to spectacular, but expensive. We go in November, because air and water temperatures are still acceptable to us - in the 70s, the big tourist rush of the summer season is gone, and the lower off season hotel rates kick in. You will need a wet suit for snorkeling as water temperatures range from the mid- high 70s early in the month to the low 70s by the end of the month. It is a subtropical island whose temperatures fall into the mid 60s in the winter. It has the most northern coral reefs in the world and the ocean visibilities are very good. The main problem we find with Bermuda is it is very expensive - lodging, food, and just about everything else. But it's closeness to the eastern US and beauty bring us back! Most people think of snorkeling as something that kids or families do, and do not take it seriously as a sport – scuba diving reigns! As an old time diver, I can tell you that there is nothing more difficult and more exhilarating than good snorkeling. My journals on travel will focus on how to find the best snorkeling spots in various parts of the world. My perspective is that of a person who scuba dived the world for decades with a concentration on the deep wrecks of the northeast United States and select tropical locations. Diving is easy. Almost any location with at least some visibility and interesting things, no matter what the depth, makes for good scuba diving. Good snorkeling is much more difficult to find. You need the nexus of the proper depth (less than 25 feet), good visibility (15-35 feet at least – more is better), calm seas, and reasonably accessible. Of course, the scenery must have interesting floral and fauna. The journals that I write will seek out those spots that are the most rewarding.

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Scooters are the main form of travel, but the bus system is good. Taxis are great, but expensive. If you are in the right area, around Hamilton, using the ferries to go into town is a nice way to travel!

A very nice small cottage hotel with an excellent five-star restaurant. It's a cozy size at ten rooms. Not the plushiest rooms and furniture, but adequate. Continental breakfast included with the plan left a bit to be desired especially given the high quality restaurant. Free high speed Wi-Fi is nice. Good value at moderate price (for Bermuda).

On our November 2006 trip to Bermuda, we chose to purchase the Little Venice Group’s Dining Around package which includes three dinners at a choice of their nine restaurants. It’s only available in the winter season – from November 1st to April 15th. At $125 per person, it is a bargain worth doing for fine dining on the expensive island of Bermuda. You can find out about this package at the website – www.diningbermuda.com

The Harbourfront is a long time Hamilton restaurant with views overlooking the city’s harbor. It is noted for its grilled food as well as having a Sushi and Tempura Bar. The food was above average, but not what we would rate excellent.

The major downside for us was the lack of service and the stiffness of the staff, which held this to only an average dining experience. However, we were greatly pleased that the maitre ‘d, Pierangelo, waived the corkage fee on one of our fine wines from our home cellars (we did this by email in advance). This helped to keep our costs under control and gives us wines that, if available on any wine list, are at prices off the scale.

We liked this restaurant so much and stayed at the Fourways Inn that we wound up eating twice at this fabulous eatery during the short week trip. As nice as it is as an inn, the Fourways shines as a truly five-star dining location. I would classify the cuisine as French to Continental. Every dish we had was stellar. The service, atmosphere, and food were unsurpassed. Of course, with staying at the Four Ways, the commute was easy.

Alex, the charming maitre ‘d and General Manager is an orchestra leader that is the glue that holds the Fourways Inn together.

Lido is the main restaurant at the fabulous Elbow Beach Hotel. This restaurant has exceptional water views and is essentially right on the ocean. Going there during the week in off-season November 2006, we were able to be seated at the window with the waves crashing right below us.

The menu is primarily seafood with a Mediterranean touch. While the food did not overwhelm us, it was certainly above average. The location and the grounds of the Elbow Beach Hotel are fabulous.

On our getaway day from Bermuda, we had lunch at this wonderful Thai Restaurant. We have a penchant for Asian food and good Thai certainly turns us on. It is a very nice location overlooking the harbor in Hamilton, the restaurant has a lovely interior.

Most importantly, we found the food and service exceptional. We didn’t have a lot of time, and the staff helped us catch our ferry back to the hotel before leaving the island.

Clarence's Cove at the Admiralty House (northwest of the city of Hamilton) is a great snorkeling spot. Access is easy, just scooter down the winding small road to an excellent entry point on a little quay. You can drive a scooter right down to the waters edge and there is a great stairway for entry. Great north shore area, when the winds are from the south/southeast/southwest. The many caves that can be snorkeled into are very unique. Would not be good on north winds. I saw more lobsters here than any where else ever, although they were pretty small (be knowledgeable of the lobster laws, no taking them within 1.5 miles of shore). It also has two beautiful secluded beaches, great for advanced snorkelers and novices also. Visibility was about 30 feet with depths running 5-15 feet.

Devil’s Hole is adjacent to the main driving route from St. George and the airport south to the center of the island of Bermuda and Hamilton. It is a unique spot located at the bottom of Knapton Hill Road at the south corner of Harrington Sound. It is a very sheltered area that no matter how hard the winds are on either side of the ocean, Devil’s Hole will be calm and an adequate place to snorkel. The major drawback is that, compared to the rest of the water of Bermuda, the visibility is quite low, usually only about 15 feet. But since this is a "close up" snorkel, 15 the visibility is very adequate. Enter the water at the concrete boat ramp where parking for scooters is available, and work your way around the corner of the end of the sound. In November 2006, we even snorkeled all the way around the little island there. The most interesting thing about the snorkel in November is that there were so many small fish (less than 1/2 inch) that actually cut the visibility and you felt like you were swimming in a silver storm! The sea life in the Devil’s Hole area is quite different from the ocean, but there lies its uniqueness and the ability to see a variety of different creatures close up and in a calm water setting. We found a nice little sandwich shop and had a very good grilled fish sandwich right on the sound at Devil’s Hole. There is also an aquarium at this location that we did not visit.

Jobson’s Cove on the south shore of Bermuda was listed as one of many spots along the south coast of the island to snorkel. We would not recommend this spot as the cove itself is very tiny and it is just like any other entrance way to the reefs on the south shore. We’ve heard much better things about Church’s Bay and we will explore it further in the future. When we were there in November 2006, the seas were moderate out of the south/southeast which made the surf very rough. We wound up swimming through broken up seaweed that seemed like "vegetable soup." When we eventually got to the reef about 150 yards out, with only about 25 feet visibility and 15 feet depths, it was clearly not one of the better snorkeling experiences that we have had.

Tobacco Bay is quite a nice snorkeling area. It is a popular beach on the edge of the town of St. George on the northern end of Bermuda. To get there, you can follow the Duke of Kent Street from St. George or head to the golf course and you’ll find the beach over the hill just beyond the old Club Med hotel. When we were at this spot in November 2006, there were very few people there.

This beach area can be very busy during the summer and when cruise ships are in. We definitely recommend looking at the cruise ship schedules (available online) because when they are in St. George, the area is packed with shuttles taking people the Tobacco Bay beach. From May to October, there is a food concession where you can rent snorkeling gear. The scenery at Tobacco bay is beautiful. Columns of rock 15-20 feet high separate the bay from the open ocean. Water depths in the bay average 5-10 feet and are great for family /novice snorkeling. When we were there in November 2006, the visibility was between 25 and 35 feet, which was quite nice.

On the outside of the rock columns, you can snorkel at least a half mile north towards Fort St. Catherine. The depths here range from several feet to as much as 20-25 feet. As you approach the Fort, the visibility drops off quite a bit, supposedly because of the silty bottom of the channel that the cruise ships use. This site is quite good when winds are from the south or southeast and the state of the tide doesn’t really matter. On northern winds, the outside of the protected bay could be quite rough. In general, this is an excellent snorkeling location, and water clarity is usually very good. The sea life is very active and there are some very large parrotfish, even over 20 pounds. Even though the government concession stand was closed in November when we were there several workmen that were around for a couple of hours were very pleasant and helpful. Another nice thing about Tobacco Bay was that it had excellent public changing rooms.

Spittal Pond is located off the south road in Smith Parrish. It is a bird sanctuary and a nice place to do a short hike. Since it borders up against the ocean, there are some wonderful views of the extremely rocky coast. When we were there in November 2006, with winds from the south, the surf was crashing on the shore – quite a sight! There is much written about this nice place, and our view would just add to it as a nice place for a good hike.