Have you been to the Carribean or Bermuda?

[american_mama]

I posted a while back about my hopes for a very special trip sometime next year if/when DH gets tenure. The Carribean is looking likely, and I had a few basic questions about travel there.

1. Are Carribean beaches calm and wave-less? Does it depend on where you are and if the beach is on the Carribean sea vs. the Atlantic? By waves, I am talking about waves that you could body surf on with a boogie board.

2. I was shocked to discover that Bermuda is not in the Carrribean. It's way east of North Carolina, and not covered in any of the books on the Carribean which I've been reading. What is it like? Is it as warm and lovely as Carribean islands... palm tress, aqua water, awesome beaches?

3. Does anyone have recommendations for a Carribean island, bearing in mind that I am leaning AGAINST an all-inclusive resort? So far, I am interested in Grenada, Dominica, and Barbados.

4. Any good websites to recommend about Carribean travel, or general travel? Any good cruise websites? I am 98% sure we don't want a cruise, but I do want to start planting seeds for a different trip, an extended family cruise when MIL retires in a few years. She will have worked for over 40 years at that point, putting in the time to raise two awesome sons as a single mom under significant odds, and she deserves a cruise many times over.

eta: 5. What is a plunge pool? I ahve seen this listed as being a room amentiy at certain hotels/resorts. It seems to be specific to the room, not a general pool for the whole hotel/resort.

[jenmcadams]

1. Are Carribean beaches calm and wave-less? Does it depend on where you are and if the beach is on the Carribean sea vs. the Atlantic? By waves, I am talking about waves that you could body surf on with a boogie board.
It definitely depends on the beach and whether it's Atlantic or Caribbean, but none of the Caribbean beaches I've been too would be that great for bodyboarding (nothing like Hawaii or Mexico).



2. I was shocked to discover that Bermuda is not in the Carrribean. It's way east of North Carolina, and not covered in any of the books on the Carribean which I've been reading. What is it like? Is it as warm and lovely as Carribean islands... palm tress, aqua water, awesome beaches?
Never been to Bermuda, so can't help there.



3. Does anyone have recommendations for a Carribean island, bearing in mind that I am leaning AGAINST an all-inclusive resort? So far, I am interested in Grenada, Dominica, and Barbados.
We typically avoid all-inclusives too..not our style. We haven't traveled to the Caribbean since we've had kids (we've done Mexico with them), but pre-Kids we did a few trips down there. Our first trip was to St. Kitts & Nevis (a small two island country in the West Indies). We spent 7 nights on St. Kitts (larger island) and 3 nights in Nevis. Both islands are beautiful and we snorkeled, enjoyed the local people, and did a bunch of hikes (volcano on St. Kitts, cool rain forest on Nevis). Our second Caribbean trip was to St. Vincent & the Grenadines -- My sister was in the Peace Corps there and we spent 5-6 days with her on St. Vincent and then the three of us chartered a boat for a 3 day sail through the Grenadines (small islands). Both of these destinations are more out of the way and tend to attract more Europeans than Americans, but are still very tourist friendly. My sister did a lot of traveling all over the Caribbean and she also loved St. Lucia. My in-laws rave about St. John (and I've heard good things about the other US Virgin Islands) -- they normally rent a car and condo and explore when they're there. Compared to the two places I've been, I get the impression that the USVI have much less poverty and might be slightly "easier" to travel (especially with your MIL and kids), but the other destinations still might be worth a look).



4. Any good websites to recommend about Carribean travel, or general travel? Any good cruise websites? I am 98% sure we don't want a cruise, but I do want to start planting seeds for an extended family cruise when MIL retires in a few years. She will have worked for over 40 years at that point, putting in the time to raise two awesome sons as a single mom under significant odds, and she deserves this trip many times over.
I would focus on TripAdvisor honestly...get a few potential destinations and look at hotel reviews, attraction reviews, the destination forums, trip reports, etc.

[octmom]

I can't speak about the Caribbean, but I loooooove Bermuda. DH and I went there on our honeymoon in 1999 and we went back a few years later (before kids) when DH had a work project there. It's not as tropical as the Caribbean, but it is absolutely wonderful, IMO. The beaches are beautiful with pinkish sand. Some areas have bigger waves than others. We were there in the fall both times, slightly off season (late October and mid November) and we were able to swim in the ocean. The second trip (late October) was a bit breezier than the first, but still terrific.

DH and I were just talking about how we'd love to go back and bring the kids. It's a very safe place, unlike some parts of the Caribbean, where I understand it may not be wise to leave your resort. I walked around Hamilton by myself a lot while DH was in meetings on the second trip and I was very comfortable doing so. The British influence in Bermuda is very charming. I highly recommend it.

ETA, if you look into Bermuda, look at Elbow Beach. We stayed there on our honeymoon and really liked it. We stayed at a smaller place that was not on the beach on the second trip because DH's colleagues were there too. I think it was called the Royal Palms. It was a very nice place if you want to be in walking distance of Hamilton.

[fivi2]

I can't really answer your exact questions, but I can just tell you my experiences!

I have been to St. John (USVI) and Grand Cayman (once each). I LOVED LOVED LOVED St John and would go back in a heartbeat. The waves were pretty calm from what I remember. It was hilly, much of the island is protected parkland or something, and it was laid back and just gorgeous. One day we had a boat take us out to one of the BVIs and it was also nice (jost van ****).

Grand Cayman was nice, but flatter and more arid/beachy feeling. It was fine, but I prefer St. John. We were in a rented villa on each (with family). St Jon was kind of a pain to get to (we went pre-kids) but so worth it, imo.

fodors has a Caribbean board that may be helpful.

eta: apparently the name of the BVI is censored lol.

[Roni]

I have been to Bermuda in April. It's definitely not as warm as the Caribbean. The water was pretty chilly. I think the waves were pretty calm. I enjoyed the island, though. I've been to Puerto Rico (briefly) and on a Caribbean cruise. Do you speak Spanish or French? If you speak Spanish, Puerto Rico is nice. I wouldn't mind spending more time there. I only did day trips to St. Lucia & Grenada, but I liked them both. I also did a day in the Dominican Republic. That probably wouldn't be my first choice for a full vacation.

HTH

[octmom]

Oops, I forgot that I went to Puerto Rico once too! I was there for a work event and didn't have a ton of down time, but I didn't like the parts I saw as much as I liked Bermuda. I am told that some parts of Puerto Rico are absolutely beautiful, but I didn't see those parts. I stayed at a Ritz-Carlton that was way too close to the airport (made the beach at the hotel a bit unpleasant) and there was a cock-fighting place just across the street. not my cup of tea. Old San Juan was nice to walk around, but we had a cab ride from hell to get there. I'll never forget it!

[happyturtles]

I loved St. Thomas (US virgin islands). We got a condo off vrbo facing the beach, rented a jeep and drove all over the island, played golf, and took the jeep over the ferry to St. Johns too. We enjoy eating the local fare and trying all the different cuisine. Beautiful beaches and sand.

[arivecchi]

I am from Puerto Rico and have travelled all over the Caribbean. My favorite islands are St. Martin (French side) and Anguilla. Check out Cap Juluca in Anguilla - heaven on Earth. And to the PP, there are many areas in PR that are absolutely heavenly. PR is a large island compared to many others in the Caribbean, so there is a LOT more to do.

[arivecchi]

1. Are Carribean beaches calm and wave-less? Does it depend on where you are and if the beach is on the Carribean sea vs. the Atlantic? By waves, I am talking about waves that you could body surf on with a boogie board.

You can boogie board in many beaches in PR.


3. Does anyone have recommendations for a Carribean island, bearing in mind that I am leaning AGAINST an all-inclusive resort? So far, I am interested in Grenada, Dominica, and Barbados.

See my previous post. Those would be my top two.


5. What is a plunge pool? I ahve seen this listed as being a room amentiy at certain hotels/resorts. It seems to be specific to the room, not a general pool for the whole hotel/resort.

Private small pool in your room/suite.

[boltfam]

I can't really answer your exact questions, but I can just tell you my experiences!

I have been to St. John (USVI) and Grand Cayman (once each). I LOVED LOVED LOVED St John and would go back in a heartbeat. The waves were pretty calm from what I remember. It was hilly, much of the island is protected parkland or something, and it was laid back and just gorgeous. One day we had a boat take us out to one of the BVIs and it was also nice (jost van ****).


We went to St. John for our honeymoon and the waters were calm, so no body boarding but we did a LOT of snorkeling. The beaches there are so pristine and non-touristy because much of the island is national forestland. We stayed at the Westin, which is not all inclusive. You'd have to fly into St. Thomas and take a short ferry ride over. I would LOVE to go back to St. John!

While we were there, we also took a boat to a BVI called Virgin Gorda.

[cuca_]

Like arivecchi I also grew up in Puerto Rico. As she said it is a larger island, so it is pretty different from the rest of the Caribbean islands being mentioned. In general, the Atlantic side has more waves than the Caribbean side (southern side of the island), except that there are a several beaches in the north that have jettys, thus they are calmer.

I have only been to the Bermuda airport, so can rely any personal experience, but I believe it is not like the Caribbean, very warm all year round.

As far as Caribbean islands, I really like St. John, Antigua and Virgin Gorda. There is also a small island off Tortola called Peter Island, that is really nice. It is a very small island with just the hotel and a marina, but if that is the kind of thing you are looking for, it is really nice. I have also heard great things about St. Lucia, Anguilla and St. Barts, but have never been there.

Another option is a boat charter. We used to boat around the USVI and the BVI when I was young, and it was great.

Also, keep in mind, when planning your trip, that hurricane season lasts from late summer to the end of fall.

HTH

[lmh2402]

i've been to several carribean islands as well as bermuda

lumping the carribean as a whole, versus bermuda, i prefer the carribean

bermuda is just not as warm. it's lovely. but i've been in the fall and the spring and have been disappointed with the weather both times. pretty scenery...but not the warm, tropical vaca i was imagining. BUT...there is good food and lots of safe places to go outside of your resort of hotel. so you wouldn't need all inclusive


for the carribean, here's my take:
- turks & caicos - b.e.a.u.t.i.f.u.l. really, really lovely islands and beautiful beaches. i truly believe some of the most beautiful water i have ever seen was on my vaca here. and some good restaurant options.

- anguilla - i liked it...i also stayed at cap juluca...and it was fantastic. but i didn't love the island as a whole. it's really dry and scrubby. lots of goats! not sure why i remember this, but i do. here too, had some good meals off-resort.

- st. john - i think this is my current fave. we stayed at caneel bay and had a spectacular time. they have 4 or 5 beach options...each with a different feel/vibe. amazing aquatic life. i will never forget floating on a foam thingy in this ridiculously blue water...while turtles were just swimming by - it was amazing! and we had some amazing meals outside of the resort - no issues with leaving the grounds.

- st. thomas...eh...i wasn't a huge fan

- st. martin...again, not a huge fan

- margarita island...it's a pretty island off the coast of venezuela... it was very lovely, but i think i would stick with all inclusives if i went there

- the domincan republic - beautiful beaches. but i again, i would stick with all inclusives. it think the ritz opened a location there in the last few years?

- st. lucia - very cool island. wildly hilly terrain. the pitons are truly a sight to see. very lush, green, lovely island. definitely worth going at some point!

have fun! and i definitely second trip advisor...that is my go-to resource for trip ideas and planning

[TwinFoxes]

From what I understand, Dominica doesn't really have the sandy beaches people typically think of when they think of the Caribbean.

I've been to St. Martin/St. Maarten, in fact it's where we spent our honeymoon. I liked it OK. We stayed on the French side. The Dutch side has more nightlife, but isn't as charming. We also went to Anguilla which has some of the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen. It's a British colony. It's a medium sized island, but when I was there nine years ago it was not a bustling place.

You might also consider Aruba, which also has unbelievable beaches. It's not in the Carribean though, it's one of the ABC islands and is just off the coast of South America, you can see Venezuela on a clear day. The ABC islands are outside of the hurricane zone, which is important if you're traveling in late summer/early fall. Check with someone who's been more recently than I have. It had the potential for overdevelopment. Have fun!

[newg]

Do you have a AAA membership....?? They are great for getting tons of info on places and even with helping book a trip.

[Karinyc]

Bermuda- I found it lovely, old world charm and $$, and British. Fabulous restaurants and tranquil, beautiful beaches. There are some very upscale hotels (labeled resorts, but I wouldn't consider them stereotypical, all-inclusives). I went in July and it was the hottest weather I've ever experienced (the humidity was literally unbearable at times...and I've traveled in the Carribean, S. America, and the US Southwest, so I'm no stranger to heat & humidity). I also found it to be very, very expensive.

Jamaica- I liked it more than expected. Lots of culture and fun things to do. Great music, very friendly people and good eats. Not as expensive as the other islands. Yes, I would be careful where you stay & some neighborhoods are sketchy, but not different from my other travels (although I was offered drugs several times during my stay & just politely declined-no biggie). Overalll I had a positive experience & am glad I went (for some reason, where I stayed, there was an overwhelmingly high # of European tourists). I also did not stay in an all-inclusive (not my style).

St. Thomas- Nice island, but not my favorite. Great shopping and resorts, but not as "special" as the other places I've been to and I really disliked when the cruise ships would dock (many tourists and the beaches start to feel crowded).

St. Johns- My favorite and the most "special", secluded one I've visited. The snorkeling is amazing and 2/3 is a designated national park. Remarkably pristine (well, it was 15 years ago). Easy to get around. I found it to be a true "island" experience. A local gave us a tour of the more "hidden" areas (where the islanders eat & swim, etc.). Absolutely beautiful. I also stayed here:

http://www.maho.org/MahoBayCamps.cfm

Just a wonderful experience and something a little different. I went during hurricane season and fortunately had no problems. I'd also recommend Tripadvisor. My DH is West Indian and he likes Barbados (very laid-back and friendly atmosphere w/nice beaches).

[wellyes]

I went to Puerto Rico just a few weeks ago. It's a very easy place to take a family vacation. No passport required, quick (4 hr) nonstop flight from Boston. You can find the same WalMarts and fast food places as in other parts of the US -- plus lots of local cuisine and especially seafood. The beaches are all free and public. There are palm trees and cute little lizards everywhere and it's 80+ degree every day. We rented a villa (based on most excellent advice from arivecchi!). It was much much cheaper than staying at a resort plus I liked having the freedom to cook our own meals and let my toddler make noise vs staying in a hotel or resort.

I've heard nothing but good things about St. John, particularly the eco-camping experience there. [ETA: I've had more than 1 set of friends stay at the campground karinyc mentioned!]

I got married in Jamaica. While it was a positive experience, I would not go there again and I wouldn't recommend staying anywhere but an all-inclusive. The beaches are all owned by resorts. Unlike PR, there is a huge divide between the Jamaicans and tourists. I did not enjoy my jaunts off the resort, basically I felt like a predatory rich person.

I've had friends stay in St Lucia, it is apparently lovely, but I really don't have any interest traveling anywhere I can't get a direct flight to, at least while traveling with kids.

[Jo..]

We've been to Negril Jamaica, and St Lucia


LOVED ADORED Negril. Loved it. Will return some day. Friendly people, amazing climate, awesome food. No waves at all due to some kind of natural inlet thing there. We did stay at an all inclusive.

Liked St Lucia but felt the vibe was less friendly.

[arivecchi]

I liked Anguilla because it was understated, the hotel was amazing and the food was great. I go by resort as I don't really roam a lot when I am on a Caribbean vacay. These articles might help.

http://www.travelandleisure.com/tl500/2010/region/caribbean-bermuda-bahamas

http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/the-tropical-10-the-best-caribbean-resorts/1

[Tondi G]

we did a southern Caribbean cruise for our honeymoon. LOVE the caribbean, can't wait to take my kids!

Our ship left from Puerto Rico,

stopped in St Thomas (our favorite beach of all of them, Coki beach was SO clear... incredible fish. I've heard Meagans Bay is beautiful too. And St John is a ferry ride away!

Martinique ... we had a short stop here so we didn't visit any beaches but a cab driver took us up into their "rain forest" of sorts and we walked around town

Antigua ... beautiful beach but the water wasn't as clear as St Thomas

St Martin ... super cool, half dutch/half french. Orient Beach was the busiest beach we visited while in the Caribbean

Barbados... toured Mt Gay rum distillery, had a WONDERFUL cab driver who showed us the inside and out of the island. SO nice. Stayed with us the entire day. Took us to a great beach... helped us negotiate a snorkel trip out on a glass bottom boat. Ended up side by side with the catamaran snorkel tour that our cruise mates had paid big money for! It was a really great island and warm people.

We docked back in Puerto Rico and stayed at a beautiful Hyatt in Dorado Beach (which is no longer there... bummer!). The water here was not as clear but still nice and warm. I wish we had more than 2 days in Puerto Rico cause there was so much we didn't get to see/do while we were there! Maybe we'll try another cruise from there one day!

One other option if you are at all interested in it is Play Del Carmen Mexico. Carribean blue waters but you can also rent a car and see Mayan pyramids etc. My neighbors have been and they LOVED it so much they booked it a second and third time. Playa Del Carmen is a mellow option compared to Cancun with the same beautiful coast/water!

I've also heard Turk and Caicos is beautiful, as is Grand Cayman (in Grand Cayman you can swim with the rays)!

[khalloc]

Beaches really depend on the island. Most islands have a calm side and a more rough side.

Bermuda - I've been to Bermuda. Its very nice. I went in June and it was very humid. The beaches are gorgeous. Some have nice pink sand. The island is beautiful, its kept up very nice because its a British island.

I would HIGHLY recommend Aruba. Aruba is not humid. The beaches are TO DIE FOR. I recommend staying on Eagle Beach. If you are looking for a nice, but modest place, look at the Manchebo. If you want to spend more $$ try the Bucuti, but only if you are not bringing kids. Bucuti is more for couples and they do not cater to children.

Barbados is lovely as well. But expensive. The beaches are sometimes very small at the resorts. I was more used to long stretches of beaches in Aruba.

Antigua is also very nice. Humid again. Really I love Aruba for the no-humidity thing

[BillK]

I've been to:

Dominica
Antigua
Roatan

Dominica is definitely the "adventure" island - tons and tons of hiking and sights to see - like waterfalls, boiling lake etc etc. If you like hiking and being off the beaten path - you'd love it. Not really much beach to speak of - being volcanic and all. My favorite of the places I've been.

Antigua I was only at for 1 day but my impression was it was much more developed than Dominica or Roatan - and great if that's what you're looking for. Great beaches.

Roatan (off the coast of Honduras) was beautiful but very undeveloped and somewhat depressed "off site". The beach where we were (Fantasy Island) was fabulous - however there were a fair number of biting sand flies even on the beach that were relentless. Great scuba diving locale.

[jenmcadams]

Dominica is definitely the "adventure" island - tons and tons of hiking and sights to see - like waterfalls, boiling lake etc etc. If you like hiking and being off the beaten path - you'd love it. Not really much beach to speak of - being volcanic and all. My favorite of the places I've been.


I forgot about Dominica...my sister (the one who was in the Peace Corps in SVG) actually took a trip there and said it was her favorite island :)

[egoldber]

I've been to Puerto Rico, Jamaica, St Vincent, the Turks&Caicos and Bonaire. Of all of those, my hands down favorite was Bonaire. It's in the ABCs (like Aruba) and I prefer that dryer climate. It's like California vs Florida, if that makes sense. :) It's less buggy, less humid and the snorkeling was truly out of this world. My DH is an avid scuba diver (I am not) and he said that you could see as much snorkeling in Bonaire as you can diving in most places. And as the PP mentioned, if you go during hurricane season, it's a safer bet from the weather perspective.

The T&C was gorgeous, but alas a hurricane was nearby. It did not hit the island, but it did make the weather very unpleasant for about half of our visit.

We have been to Jamaica 3 times, but mainly because we have gotten incredible deals. We went to Negril twice and Montego Bay once. The beach at Negril is fabulous.

Also, consider Mexico. I know several people who have been to Playa del Carmen Mexico recently and had an amazing time.

[codex57]

I don't think I've been to Bermuda.

As for the Caribbean, I say avoid the Western Caribbean. From cruise critic, it sounds like the Eastern or Southern Carib islands are nicer anyways. I didn't think the W. Carib spots were that great. I think my favorite was Grand Cayman, but they really didn't WOW me like a tropical paradise should. Hawaii is still light years better IMO than the W. Carib islands.

[veronica]

St. Lucia.

We stayed at the Jalousie Hilton, literally between the Piton mountains, in the rainforest. Each room has it's own private plunge pool too. It is absolutely beautiful. The food was great. We relaxed and ate and loved every moment of it!

[PearlsMom]

Well, I'll drop in some Bermuda info, as I live here.

Perhaps the best part is that it's much closer to most of the U.S. than the Caribbean -- direct flights from Boston/NYC/Philly/DC are all about 2.5 hours. It's also very safe with a very high standard of living, and though it's a British territory, it's very easy for Americans to get around: English is the primary/only language; you can use U.S. currency here (the Bermuda dollar is pegged to the U.S. dollar; they're interchangable here so no need to convert prices etc.); and the power outlets are the same as the U.S. so your curling iron will work :)

Other nice aspects: beautiful pink sand beaches which are all very calm because the island is surrounded by reefs. The water is exceptionally clear. Yes, it is pink and blue and palm trees all over. My little bro loves skim boarding, but it's disappointing for boogie boarding etc. There is lots of good snorkeling. There are a number of very good restaurants (but expect to pay resort/big city prices). In terms of things to do with kids, there is a nice little aquarium, some historic forts to explore, horseback riding (Spicelands Equestrian - the folks are great) and tours of the Crystal Caves which are full of stalactites and stalagmites and are actually pretty darn neat.

Because it's so much farther north than the other islands, it doesn't get really warm here until June; it's only about 70 degrees here today. June through mid-October are the best months for swimming, according to the locals. The ocean gets bath-water-warm, which may or may not be your thing.

Interesting fact: Bermudians get almost all of their water by collecting rain from their roofs into underground tanks, so all the houses have terraced white-washed roofs. It's quite picturesque.

One big downside is that there are no rental cars on the island, only rental mopeds (don't even go there, please! so dangerous!). So especially with kids, you'll be stuck with taxis, which are usually easy to get but expensive. If you stay somewhere like the Fairmont Southampton, though, you're right on one of the most lovely beaches on the island, with golf and tennis onsite, as well as several nice bars/restaurants. The spa there is fantastic, too. There is a free ferry from the Fairmont Southampton to their sister property in town (that's Hamilton, the capital and biggest town on this tiny island), a ride that can be fun in and of itself. Elbow Beach, mentioned earlier, is really lovely but under construction right now, so I'd avoid it for the immediate future.

There's so much to say, but I hope this was helpful. PM me if you decided to go or have any specific questions. Have fun!

[american_mama]

Emma in Bermuda, how fabulous to have someone on the spot reply! Many thanks! Can you tell me about the humidity, how it varies seasonally in Bermuda? I live in the US southeast, so I am used to humidity with heat, but I don't know how that would compare to Bermuda.

Also, can you swim in the water in the winter or (I am betting) is it too cold for that?

[Melbel]

Bermuda would have been my top choice for our honeymoon, but with a November wedding, I thought that it would not be the warm, tropical environment that I craved. We ultimately decided on Barbados, which was absolutely wonderful. There is a strong British influence with the children all in school uniforms which was charming. The literacy rate was very high, and the island was not plagued with the aggressive sellers we faced on other islands (Jamaica, Bahamas, St. Marten/St. Martin). We stayed at the Sandy Lane resort, which was on the calm side of the island, with crystal clear waters. There were plenty of wonderful restaurants. The Atlantic side had a rough surf w/ lots of wind surfers. Barbados very rarely gets hit with hurricanes, a big plus since we were at the end of hurricane season.

We have also visited:

Turks & Caicos - visited for our 10 year anniversary; pros: beautiful beaches, closer to USA, great snorkeling; cons: more commercial

Cruise ports: Jamaica, Cayman Islands, St. Martin/St. Marten, Bahamas, Dominica, Cozumel, St. Thomas; of these, we still liked Barbados and T&C better

Places I have researched and would love to visit: St. Barts, St. Lucia, Anguilla

A DF just went on a Regency 10 day cruise that was very upscale. They gave it a big thumbs up.

www.tripadvisor.com is great and has links to frommers and fodors

HTH!

[PearlsMom]

Emma in Bermuda, how fabulous to have someone on the spot reply! Many thanks! Can you tell me about the humidity, how it varies seasonally in Bermuda? I live in the US southeast, so I am used to humidity with heat, but I don't know how that would compare to Bermuda.

Also, can you swim in the water in the winter or (I am betting) is it too cold for that?

Well, I grew up just outside D.C., and I still haven't found anyplace with humidity as bad as that during the summer. Still, Bermuda is humid all year long, which makes the cold colder and hot hotter. But because the island is only 1 mile wide in most places, you can usually catch a nice sea breeze (and everywhere is air conditioned - hotels, restaurants, homes, etc.). It also doesn't get as super hot here during the summer as the Caribbean; most summer days are in the 80s, not 90s. I've been hotter in the Bahamas in April than I've ever been in Bermuda in the summer.

As for swimming in the winter: no. It's not that the water is so cold -- it's not worse than, say, Cape Cod in July -- but the air temps will be in the high 50s/low 60s, so you don't get toasty before dipping into the cold water. On the other hand, summer lasts a long time. Last year my whole department went snorkeling in mid-October and it was hot on the boat and the water was still very warm. I'd say it would be nice swimming May through the end of October. But it's not a sunny, tropical winter getaway. Winter is golf season.

Other tidbits: all the schoolchildren here wear uniforms, too; and all the public buses are pink. I should have mentioned the buses - they run frequently during the day, are cheap, clean, safe, and the system is very easy to figure out.

[moosemama]

As for swimming in the winter: no.

I should have mentioned the buses - they run frequently during the day, are cheap, clean, safe, and the system is very easy to figure out.

Well, I know a couple of crazy Canadians who snorkelled in late December/early January, but we did get some strange looks from the locals (and a couple of "they must be Canadian" comments)!

The buses are great. We were there for a week and only used taxis to get to/from the airport.