self-catering accommodations?

[Lorenzoid]

My fiancee and I are exploring the idea of a 7-10 day dive trip to Bermuda in mid July. It would be the first visit to Bermuda for either of us. The thing is, we have found that we are much happier on our trips staying in self-catering accommodations, such as a house or condo, where we can cook for ourselves and have some privacy, than doing dive packages and eating in restaurants. We love cooking and especially enjoy going to a local market and picking up fresh fish, vegetables, etc. Is this possible in Bermuda? If so, where in Bermuda? In other words, is there a place where we can rent a house or condo unit for a week, shop at local markets, AND do some great diving, all ideally without having to rent a car? It's not necessarily about cost--it's just the way we enjoy doing our trips.

 

[BDA]

Try Bermuda Accommodations - Rental Properties & Small Hotels for your Bermuda Vacation Getaway. for weekly rentals or Bermuda Yellow Pages | Local Search for the Bermuda Yellow Pages and search for 'guest house' (there's loads!).

Also an announcement in today's local newspaper that many hotels will offer up to 50% reductions for the next 24 hours The Royal Gazette

That may mean that hotels may actually be cheaper than the guest houses.

Yes to everything else, but remember that the majority of foodstuffs are imported, so you'll find everything more expensive. I know your motivation wasn't cost, but still worth bearing in mind.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks. I had already found the bermudarentals.com site, but I am hoping that somebody here knows whether any of the places listed are within a reasonably convenient distance of a dive outfit AND markets where we can buy our provisions. Without contacting each and every property, it's difficult (and for an outsider, nearly impossible) to determine whether the place is convenient to diving and shopping or is totally isolated and requires driving some distance.

I would expect that much is imported, but please tell me that at least seafood is abundant, and some vegetables are locally grown there in your mild climate.

 

[teddyg04]

I'm pretty familiar with the locations of dive ops and markets. Are you planning on renting a scooter? It's a challenge to carry groceries on one if you haven't tried it before.

Perhaps you could let me know (pm if you like) what properties interest you, or you could tell me what you want/need. I'd be glad to do what I can to help you out. I love Bermuda, and enjoy sharing.

 

[NJdiver85]

Unfortunately, there is no place in Bermuda where you can be in walking distance of a dive operation, a guest house, and a food market. To add to the difficulty, you can't rent a car in Bermuda. You can only rent a scooter.

That being said, if you are willing to rent scooters, prefereably one for each of you, than a Bermuda trip would really work. That would allow you to travel to grocery stores, markets, dive operations, and tour the island, and be largely self sufficient which is what your goal is.

Regarding "local markets", there are a few vegtable stands scattered throughout the island on Saturday only (one in the back of town near Bulls Head garage, one on South Road just east of the Botanical Gardens, and one at Barnes Corner in Southamption. There may be a few more. Getting fresh fish is hit or miss, in that someone will randomly put up a sign on the roadside if they have something. Some of the markets or stores may also have fresh fish.

 

[BDAfreediver]

If the weather is good, fresh fish can easily be found. I have to admit I know the west end for fresh fish options better than the east (As this is where I live) You can also find fresh fish in some of the supermarkets on the island, but best to ask as well. Vegetables are also avialable like said earlier now adays more and more farmers and fishermen are setting up together to sell their items.

The suggestions of scooters is also a great option as it does for sure give you the ability to move around with ease.

Let us know once you find a place to stay at (Some hotels especially some of the cottage colonies have cottages with kitchens so best to enquire) then we can give you a more acurate knowledge of what foods/markets and dive shops are close to the location.

take care

 

[Lorenzoid]

Thanks for the candid assessment, NJdiver. We're resourceful, able to work with whatever provisions we find, and not discouraged yet.

With a little digging, we've found that staying at one of the several places advertising themselves as guesthouses (with kitchenettes) in Somerset and diving with Blue Water might achieve our goal. Somerset sounds nice. I would think that, with a scooter, we could get anywhere in the Somerset area in a few minutes. Does this sound correct?

 

[NJdiver85]

Lorenzoid,

To give you an idea of what you can accomplish on a scooter, I am reposting my sample "3 day" itinerary I posted last year on a different thread. The poster was intersted in what they can do on scooters in three days, staying in the Southamption area. The idea is that you will want to use multiple operators to dive the best wrecks in Bermuda. If you stay with Blue Water Divers for the entire time, you will miss out on some of the best wrecks in Bermuda. Given you are looking at 7-10 days, you can really expand this.

Day 1 (Southamption Area): Morning dive with Dive Bermuda on South Shore, Snorkeling at Church Bay, Horseshoe Beach for Sunbathing, Ride up to the Southampton Lighthouse for some of the best views of the island. Great little restaurant just opened in the lighthouse. Spending first day like this close to B&B will get you comfortable with the scooters for the next few days where you should venture further out!

Day 2 (East End): Dive with Triangle Diving, Snorkel at Achille's Bay, Walk the town of St Georges, Stop at the Swizzle Inn (which is next to Triangle Diving) for a drink and bar food.

Day 3 (Hamilton and Dockyard): Scooter to Dockyard and walk around the shops there, Take fast ferry from Dockyard to City of Hamilton (makes for a nice and cheap boat trip as you get to see the harbour and inner islands), walk around Hamilton, return on Fast Ferry to Dockyard). You only need 1 hour to visit Dockyard shops, maybe 2-3 hours to spend in Hamilton). Lots of decent restaurants in Hamilton.

 

[teddyg04]

I agree with NJ; if you can, dive with as many different ops as you can. You'll be glad. If you rent scooters, Oleander has the most rental operations around the island, and will be most convenient. Also, buy a 7-day ferry pass; you'll get around faster. A scooter takes at least an hour to get from the west end to St. George; the fast ferry takes about 30 minutes. Do you know which property you'll be renting? There are several markets on the west end that are convenient; consider packing a couple of bungie cords to keep things in the basket.

Will you be posting photos?

 

[NJdiver85]

Regarding the type of accomodations you are looking for, Bermuda has a lot of what are called "guest apartments" and "cottages". Here is the link with the best listing of these . . .

Accommodations