Bermuda

A friend of mine just sent me this great info on Bermuda that I wanted to share with everyone.

TRIP TO BERMUDA

I just returned from a fabulous trip to Bermuda and was there for two days to attend a wedding. It was a thrill to experience this very unique destination and even more thrilling to have this as a brand new destination to talk about! I boarded the plane thinking this would be similar to a Bahamian island trip…not so! This very UPSCALE destination and has lots to offer. It will be very important to sell this as a HUGE value for guests as this is a wildly expensive island to holiday on. The largest selling point – VALUE VALUE VALUE! The option to use our ship as a hotel will be amazing for clients as they can stroll off the ship and be in downtown Hamilton or St George to shop and enjoy the nightlife if they choose. Scooter rentals are available right at the pier (would only recommend to the brave hearts of the group…this is a VERY hazardous activity…sounds romantic and fun, but the roads are treacherously winding and BUSY!) and deep sea fishing, golf excursions and city tours are easy to arrange. St. George is the seat of Bermuda history – this island is 400 years old this year with lots of great celebrations going on … a wonderful historic and architecturally great old city. Great site seeing with the old forts and churches steeped in history!

A few things to know….

CURRENCY / MONEY

Bermudian $$ is on par with the USD – if you leave the island with Bermudian money, it is not accepted anywhere and will not be exchanged at most banks – you can use USD anywhere and it is a better bargaining tool for shopping.

Leave half your clothes and bring lots more money with you – breakfast at our hotel was an average of $50 – 60 USD, dinner was easily $150.00 without going crazy on wine.

Our passengers will be in a great position to be able to eat on board and avoid the high cost of imported EVERYTHING.

THINGS TO DO

Golf

MUST be pre arranged – courses are absolutely the most scenic and pristine I have seen! All of them run along the ocean and are beautiful…any golf groups will be amazed at the quality and consistency of these courses. Golf groups will know to pre book and having the 3 days in Bermuda gives ample opportunity for tournaments.

Water sports

Should also be booked early – Jet skiing is very popular, but you are on a guided tour with an escort and are not free to Jet Ski on your own in the ocean!

Deep Sea fishing and Diving

Amazing here – water is crystal clear and clean – again, bring your money belt….

BEACHES

Best part of the island!!! CLEAN and powdery soft sand – pink sand is not everywhere – only a few beaches have the pink overtone from the coral, but they are all magnificent sunning and swimming…the undertow is strong – not good for little ones on all beaches.

FOOD AND DRINK

Excellent food – very British in style with the Moroccan/East Med overtones - great seafood and better pub food! Spotlessly clean everywhere – no vendors on land or even beach to sell you anything! Drinks are expensive – local fun drink is DARK AND STORMY….spiced rum with ginger beer!

*Reservations MUST be made at any good restaurant – they are all small and not easy to get into for evenings.

I found the entire Colonial atmosphere of Bermuda lovely and it was like stepping back in time with the locals in their pink shorts and formal attire for business! This is a fairly “serious” island – lots of banking/insurance types walking around due to the t ax havens here. There is no gambling anywhere and it is very traditional in all respects. Very British “colony” feeling with a touch of stuffiness…just perfect for our guests! They will be safe as there is very little crime here, especially towards tourists. IT is almost a corporate feel to the island and tourism is a necessity….not their first thought!

The locals are very happy that HAL is returning – they are all very aware of who is “from the outside” and who is staying….the protectionism of their island is very apparent and has done very well for them. There are very proud of being BERMUDIAN…an elite group for certain!

For many years I have had agents and consumers ask me if they can cruise to an island, stay for a day or two and then sail again…we are finally offering this and I will be telling agents the great opportunity for them to have our product to sell this way! The other cruise lines are docked SO far away and their clients have to deal with water taxis (huge waste of time on VERY choppy waters). They will absolutely NOT have the same experience as we will offer them!