Hello Bermudaful: Solo Island Tripping in Bermuda 2022

A while back I decided to count the number of countries I'd been to. Pretty easy to do as they were all displayed as patches on a pillow in my apartment, a necessity of many long backpacking trips being that souvenirs needed to be small and light. When I realized that the number of countries I'd travelled to was close to my age, I thought it would be fun to try and keep up that trend. This forced me to explore new places instead of always going back to my faves. 

COVID of course threw a bit of a wrench into these plans (luckily I was a couple of countries ahead). But then, through the miracle of modern medicine COVID was manageable and I was pregnant! And beyond itchy pregnant skin, I was itching to travel. The first trimester was a nauseous bust. But I was determined to find a spot to have a last little solo adventure (mostly solo as the little babe was not making his kicks noticeable at that point) before I got too big, or my bladder too squished, for it to be uncomfortable. The challenge was also that I'd developed a somewhat unhealthy fear of flying (at least without a good dose of tranquillizer or red wine), so the destination had to be close, somewhere new, and not carrying a Zika warning (yes, in the midst of all of the COVID worries, people had stopped talking about Zika, but it was still a threat for pregnant women travelling). 

Enter Bermuda, at the height of the hurricane season (can't win 'em all I guess). So I planned my trip and then watched as hurricane Fiona slammed the beautiful little island just a week and a half before my scheduled flight, followed by another big one n Florida. Thankfully I'd booked a transferrable ticket.

The week of my travel arrived and everything lined up somehow. I was on my turbulent way, stocked up with Melatonin, Magnesium, Mental Calmness tablets and Pascoflair. A pregnant woman's arsenal for nervous flying.  

So here are my country #44 observations from an amazing (and at the time incredibly expensive) little island...

A Bermuda for Everyone

Each island has its quirks. Its famous drink (rum swizzle) and its new food (fish wings). 

Bermuda had so many amazing things to do and see. Museums filled with remnants of shipwrecks lost in the infamous triangle. Perfumeries with sweet scents made and packaged right on the island. Lots of history and forts and geological interests. Fancy resorts if you've got the moula.  An impressive aquarium, lots of beaches and events like races, rugby matches or Gombey festivals to entertain, depending on the time of year you visit. 

Some highlights:

The crystal cave: I've been to many a cave, and this one was still pretty spectacular, complete with a really fun story of how a couple of kids discovered it while trying to recover a cricket ball that had been lost down a mysterious hole. 

Tea at the perfumery: There are lots of places to get a good old-fashioned English tea in Bermuda, but I chose this option at the Lili Bermuda Perfumery, and it was quaint and delicious. The pastries and savoury treats were made by the host herself, a retired pastry chef. There are limited options for days that this is available, so check ahead.

Naval Dockyard: I've never visited an island with a lot of cruise ship traffic. Apparently, COVID has really decreased the number of cruise ships that dock, which is bad for tourism of course but made the busyness a bit more bearable. It was kind of cool to go from nights when things were hushed in the main cities, to days with up to three cruise ships docked, filling the restaurants with very entertaining cruise-ship traffic. Could have done without 40 people filling my catamaran for a snorkel trip, but otherwise it was lively and festive. 

There are lots of good snorkel trip options leaving from the Naval Dockyard, but I chose Restless Native. It was decent though a bit overbooked. 

Southampton beach: This is where a lot of the cruise ship people land for the day, so it can be a bit busy, but fun. Especially when they all leave to catch their boat between 3-5 P.M. But even during the height of the rush, if you take a tiny little hike away from the main section, you will land at a bunch of private grottos and they are spectacular. 

Cooper's Island Nature reserve: This is an absolute must-see, but more on this one below

The town of St. George's: With its historical buildings, waterfront restaurants, unfinished church and grotto (Tobacco bay) full of snorkelling, this is a beautiful town to visit outside of Hamilton. It's also where I grabbed my tea service. 

Solo Travel is Therapy, Self Care and Heavenly

Out of all of the islands I've visited, Bermuda is definitely a good spot for solo travel. My Air B&B offered me a local phone for emergencies and gave me tips on where to go and how to use the buses. The buses, while not as frequent and requiring a bit of planning, could get you from one end of the island to the other in a couple of hours (traffic!) and were an amazing way to see the country. While I didn't walk alone down the sidewalk-free main roads at night or anything, it all felt very safe and friendly with the usual amount of solo travel caution being taken. 

I'm sure that the whole place would have a different vibe if I stayed on a resort, but I've gone on enough resort vacations to know that they all feel pretty much the same in the end. The beauty of Bermuda in my opinion is that you can really get a feel for local life. 

On one of my trips to the Naval Dockyard, I saw a woman trying to take a selfie in front of some London phone booths and offered to lend her a hand. We talked afterwards and at some point, it came up that I was travelling alone. She was dumbfounded. Couldn't imagine it and said I was so brave. Little did she know I'd been to probably about 25 countries entirely alone. Even before I had a cell phone and GPS! It just doesn't even occur to me that it's something that would be fear-filed for other people. 

For me, solo travel is a chance to actually immerse yourself in the place you're in. To see your life from afar and understand it better outside of its daily routine and distractions. Beyond that, it's just so liberating and empowering. Striped of all of the familiarities of your life at home, you can really confront all of the happy and hard feelings that come up. 

This woman went on to tell me that she had felt brave even coming off of the cruise ship alone that day, while her husband rested on board. To a town filled with literally thousands of people from the same boat, in bright daylight! To me, that was far more strange. 

Spirit House Lodging

Air B & B's can be a gamble, but Spirit House is a real find. A full apartment that sleeps up to 6 for $75 US a night, with a plush wild-chicken and palm-filled garden, and a yoga studio above that offers a number of drop-in classes a week. It was calm, clean, and beautiful and the hosts really made you feel at home away from home. I definitely recommend it and it makes the reality of going to Bermuda solo a lot more financially palatable. 

I really thought I'd spend a lot of time relaxing and journaling and writing in the beautiful garden, but there was just too much to do and see. 

I'm Singing on the Bus

The other day in Toronto, to the visible displeasure of his co-travellers, a jovial homeless man treated us early commuters to a rendition of the song Kokomo. It reminded me of my last morning in Bermuda when I took a break-of-day bus to Cooper's Island Nature Reserve. 

You can learn a lot about a culture by riding the bus. 

I'd been charmed all week with bus culture, so different from back home. The older patrons say good morning and have a good day to mark their entrances and exits, to a chorus of replies. The bus driver would stop and wait for you to stand and exit after the bus had stopped. In fact, I don't even think you were allowed to stand while the bus was moving. Everyone just sat patiently and waited for people to take their time to enter and exit in a method that was comfortable for them. It made the bus schedule a little less predictable, but it was a totally calm and refreshing way to treat people. Unhurried. Kind. Patient. Island life I guess. People over punctuality. 

On this last morning, as the sun traced its way across the darkness, the bus was lulled by the sweet sounds of reggae music. Not the popular variety on top hits playlists, but something unknown to me. And some of the others on the bus sang along quietly. It was almost hymnal and left me feeling so happy I could barely contain it. There was so much less reservation in behaviour. People weren't afraid to connect with other people. 

Cooper's Island Nature Reserve was the ultimate highlight of the trip. Once the property of NASA back when satellites had to be tracked from observatories on the ground, it had been given back to Bermuda and converted to its natural roots. I saw about 3 people on my entire trek around this craggy, beach-filled reserve and spent a couple of hours beaching solo.

Standing in the crystal clear water, in between the sparkling ocean and sandy pink peaches, a multitude of fish swimming around me and blue skies above, I cried in a moment of pure awe and thankfulness for this perfect last solo trip for a while. 

Now my next big adventure is on the horizon (fingers crossed that things continue to go well in this third trimester). so the country/age game is out the door as I tackle play dates and kid-friendly trips if any. A bon voyage for sure!

Rainbow for days! Means more this year.