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Is Bermuda Worth It? Our Honest Review from NYC

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Bermuda is one of the easiest island getaways from NYC—just a 2-hour flight—but is it actually worth it? After a long weekend of beaches, food tours, and a few travel mishaps, here’s my honest take.

At A Glance

Bermuda! There was a solid British (kind of Irish) theme) present throughout the island due to it being a British outpost for years. This was pretty interesting.

My husband and I spent a long weekend in Bermuda last Labor Day weekend. It was our first visit and the simple reason – it is only 2 hours from the NYC area and there was a relatively reasonably priced flight that fit our schedule. We had a very nice time, but we have certainly been to nicer islands (in our opinion). I think I need to go back (and we will, I have my eye on the St. Regis!) for longer and stay elsewhere for a different experience on the island. This post details what we ate, where we stayed, and what we did during our weekend getaway to Bermuda so that you can recreate our trip on your own!

Bermuda is very pretty.

Day 1 In Bermuda: Arrival, Beaching, and Hamilton Pubs

We departed Newark airport on a Friday morning, around 10:30 AM, and arrived in Bermuda by 1:30 PM, local time. The flight and immigration went smoothly, even though we did need to complete some sort of immigration form that I really should have done in advance (totally my fault – don’t make this mistake). We pre-booked a transfer to our hotel with AirportsTaxiTransfers.com, as I heard there could be a wait for taxis at the airport. Well, the pre-booked and paid taxi completely failed to pick us up and then refused a refund (!!). We successfully disputed the charge with our credit card and found a taxi easily to our hotel. Moral of the story – don’t use AirportsTaxiTransfers.com! Despite these set backs, we made it to our hotel around the time we expected.

Arrival at our hotel. It was now starting to feel like vacation.

Our hotel, the Coco Reef Resort Bermuda, is located in the center of the island opposite Hamilton (about a 10 minute drive) very close to Elbow Beach. It is kind of remote, and a car will definitely be helpful if staying here. We booked the Coco Reef Resort due to a deal and recommendation on Capital One Travel; not our best move, LOL. The Coco Reef turned out to be incredibly dated, done in a seemingly Trump Tower style theme, and had not the greatest management. For example, our room was not ready until 1.5 hours after checkin, there was a leak in our room that was dismissed, and due to the hotel calling a taxi at the wrong time (despite promising otherwise), we missed a sunset cruise… In other words, I do not recommend the Coco Reef Resort. I still stop here, but I don’t recommend this hotel.

Setting aside some of our issues, we began our day with a complimentary drink and lunch due to the delay in checkin. This was nice and relaxing, as the hotel’s main bar is in a beautiful location overlooking the ocean. We then laid out on the beach for a bit, which was dotted with these really cute yellow and white sun loungers. This part of Coco Reef was very nice.

Enjoying the Bermuda beach at Coco Reef Resort.

This evening, after unfortunately missing our sunset cruise due to the hotel’s mix up, we gave in and went into Hamilton for drinks, this time using the ride app Hitch (which was pretty good – worked like Uber). We first stopped for drinks at one of Hamilton’s oldest bar’s, The Hog Penny (and home to the bar that was the inspiration for Cheers!). We opted for outdoor seating with a slight water view.

In Hamilton. This is the famous Hamilton sign with so many mopeds parked in front of it.

I love Savanna Cider, first had it in Morocco 15 years ago!

Dan on the streets of Hamilton.

We ended our day with dinner at Flannagan’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, which claims to be Bermuda’s #1 pub. Not sure how true that is, but Flanaggan’s was very fun. We sat on the second floor outside, overlooking Front Street. Flannagan’s menu offers traditional pub fare, which in many pubs (especially those with British ties) includes Indian dishes (one of my favorites!). I ordered the Chicken Madras Curry. It was very good. Dan ordered chicken wings, which were also tasty.

Bermuda’s #1 Irish Pub.

Guinness at Flanagan’s.

One of several tasty curries in Bermuda.

Mozzarella sticks at Flanagan’s. These were pretty fun.

Chicken wings at Flanagan’s Irish Pub.

We went to bed after dinner, planning on an early morning the next day.

Day 2 in Bermuda: The Cutest Coffee Shop a Food Tour, & Dinner in St. George’s

After our ups and downs on day 1, we were optimistic for day 2. We began our day with a quiet walk on the beach, which, while small, was very pretty. The sun was out; vibes were high.

A ridiculously beautiful morning in Bermuda.

We then Hitched (no more hotel taxi!) to the cutest coffee shop in Hamilton named Rock Island Coffee. We enjoyed delicious coffee on its back patio…before it started pouring, LOL. The very nice staff ushered us inside with golf umbrellas. We loved Rock Island Coffee and definitely recommend it! We attempted to return our final morning, but it was closed due to a public holiday (apparently Bermuda also has a public holiday on our Labor Day).

Rock Island Coffee in Hamilton, Bermuda.

Rock Island Coffee’s back deck.

Me at Rock Island Coffee.

For today’s main activity, we scheduled a walking food tour around Hamilton, Bermuda’s capital. The food tour was very interesting, and we sampled lots of delicious treats. We also saw interesting sites around Hamilton and even visited a local jewelry maker’s shop, Alexandra Mosher. The food tour took about 3.5 hours and was very fun. It rained for a decent portion of our tour, so we didn’t feel so bad about missing the beach or other outdoor activities.

The tour began with Bermuda’s most famous drink, a Rum Swizzle.

Shopping at Alexander Mosher on the food tour.

A Bermuda lunch sampler from The Astwood Arms.

After our food tour, we savored a Guinness before calling a Hitch back to our hotel. The rain had subsided by the time we reached our room, so we relaxed on our little outdoor area for a bit.

Well poured Guinness at the Astwood Arms.

Room view at Coco Reef Resort.

We called another Hitch out to St. George’s this evening for dinner, which is quite close to Bermuda’s airport. St. George’s is really cute and walkable, and I kind of wish I had stayed in this area (it is not far from the St. Regis!). Next time! I made dinner reservations at a restaurant that is rumored to have good Indian food, The Three Kings. We sat outside on the second floor balcony over looking Kings Square. I, of course, ordered Indian, a Lamb Rogan Josh. My meal was fantastic! We also ordered chicken wings (for Dan, again), a salad, and mozzarella sticks (also again), which are popular in Bermuda, LOL. I think we ordered them daily.

The Three Kings in St. George.

Indian at The Three Kings.

The Three Kings mozzarella sticks.

Dan’s wings.

The caesar salad.

We again called it an evening after dinner, which was a pretty easy sell. Despite it being a Saturday night, St. George’s appeared largely closed and there was no where to “go out” near Coco Reef. It’s bar also closed pretty early. FYI for those looking for nightlife in St. George’s.

Day 3 in Bermuda: Breakfast Biscuits, Underground Caves, The Famous Swizzle Inn, and More Curry!

Our third day skipped the beach walk, as it rained. We instead slept in a bit and took a Hitch into Hamilton for breakfast at Brew, a popular coffee and beer store on Front Street in Hamilton. We had passed Brew on our food tour, and I noted that it served breakfast biscuits. Done. I had a pretty tasty bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit, and the biscuit was actually quite good. The coffee was also on point. Highly recommend Brew.

Brew cappuccino.

Bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit.

After a leisurely breakfast, we called a Hitch to Crystal and Fantasy Caves, which is quite the attraction in Bermuda. It was about a 30 minute ride from Hamilton. I wrote about our experience in Crystal and Fantasy Cave here if you are curious. It was fun, didn’t take too long, and I would recommend it to those in Bermuda with a free morning or afternoon.

Crystal Cave. This was a cool site.

The water in Crystal Cave is crystal clear.

Dan in Crystal Cave.

After the caves, we walked a short 5 minutes to the famous The Swizzle Inn for lunch! For those unfamiliar with The Swizzle Inn, it is one of Bermuda’s most well-known pubs, claiming to be the inventor of the Rum Swizzle. While the Swizzle’s were a bit too sweet for our palettes, the food was good and we tried the famous Wahoo fish sandwich on raisin bread. Definitely recommend lunch or dinner at The Swizzle Inn for a fabulous Bermuda experience.

The Swizzle Inn, Bermuda.

The Swizzle Inn’s rum swizzle. It was more cocktail-y that I expected.

The Wahoo sandwich.

After our big adventure, we returned to the hotel to spend time on the beach. It was quite sunny, which was nice, as we had had a bit of rain on this short trip. We were happy to enjoy the beach and relax.

The water is a very pretty blue in Bermuda.

I did love these yellow beach chairs.

This evening’s dinner had us return to The Astwood Arms (which we visited on our food tour). I wanted to try Indian at Ruby Murphys’s but Dan did not. We settled on a restaurant that serves Indian and other cuisine. Enter – The Astwood Arms. Dan enjoyed a Scotch Egg and Sausage Roll (truly sausage wrapped in bread) and I enjoyed yet another Tikka. I have to say, this was probably my least favorite Indian on the trip, but it was still great.

Scotch Egg and Sausage Roll.

My Indian dinner at The Astwood Arms.

This evening also had us heading to bed early.

Day 4 in Bermuda: A Beach Morning & The Airport Lounge

We had decent weather our last morning in Bermuda – isn’t that always how it works! We walked on the beach at Coco Reef Resort, enjoyed a beer, and packed before we took a Hitch back to the airport.

The beach on our last morning. While it looks dirty, that is seaweed from rain the prior night. Tractors were actively cleaning it up as we walked.

A Kopparberg before the airport.

Luckily, the Bermuda airport has a small, but very nice, lounge that we were able to use before our flight. We even ran into some friends from our food tour in the lounge! You can read about the Primeclass Bermuda Lounge here. In brief, while small, it was incredibly well decorated with a tropical retro vibe. Great colors and plentiful drinks.

The surprisingly nice Bermuda Primeclass lounge.

Just look at the bathroom decor at the Primeclass Lounge in Bermuda!

Takeaway After Spending a Weekend in Bermuda over Labor Day.

Bermuda surprised us—it’s beautiful, easy to reach, and full of great food—but not without its flaws. While our hotel experience wasn’t ideal, we’d absolutely return…just with a different hotel and plans.

STEAL OUR TRIP

Coco Reef Bermuda: This is the hotel’s website. We booked via Capital One’s travel portal when they ran a sale. Again, do NOT recommend.

The Hog Penny:  Burnaby St, Hamilton, Bermuda. Open daily 11:30 AM – 9:00 PM, until 10:00 PM Wednesday – Saturday.

Flanagan’s Irish Pub: 69 Front St, Hamilton, Bermuda. Open daily 11:00 AM – 1:00 AM. Reservations suggested on weekends but probably not required.

Rock Island Coffee: 48 Reid Street, Hamilton, Bermuda. Open Monday – Friday 7:30 – 1:00, Saturday 8:30 – 1:00.

Bermuda Food Tour: We took the Saturday Flavor and Flair Tour. You can read all about it here.

The Three Kings: 3 Kings Square, St.George’s GE 05, Bermuda. Open 11:00 – 2:00 and 5:00 – 9:30. Closed Monday.

Brew: 3 Front St, Hamilton, Bermuda. Open Monday – Thursday 7:00 – 7:00, Saturday 8:00 – 7:00, and Sunday 8:00 – 6:00.

Crystal and Fantasy Caves: 9 am to 5 pm daily. Crystal Cave and Fantasy Cave each cost $24 to enter, with a discount to $10 for children 12 and under, and under 5 free. A combo ticket is sold for $35 per adult, $12 for under 12, and 5 and under free.

Swizzle Inn: #3 Blue Hole Hill, Hamilton Parish CR04. Kitchen open daily from 11:00 – 10:00, bar open until about midnight. Reservations only accepted for parties of 5 or more.

The Astwood Arms: 81 Front St City of, Hamilton, Bermuda. Open daily at 12:00 PM until at least 9:00 PM, much later on the weekends.

Primeclass Lounge – US Flight Departures: Bermuda St. George’s L.F. Wade International Airport. Located past-security on the second floor in the U.S. Departure’s area. Open daily 7:00 – 16:00. All guests can book access for $59 per 3 hour stay. Complimentary access for members of Priority Pass, Lounge Pass, Lounge Key, Dragon Pass, and Lounge Buddy.

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