Our favorite vacation destination is BERMUDA! My husband and I have been on 9 cruises ... we started cruising when we went on our honeymoon to the Bahamas. We pretty much went on one every year until we had our first daughter. Then after having kids, we went on one when the girls were 1 and 2 yrs old, then another when they were 3 and 4 yrs old ... THEN we got brave and started taking them WITH US on cruises and they have been on two with us.
We have cruised most of the Caribbean - St Thomas, St Croix, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, St John, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Jamaica, etc ... as well as a cruise around several of the Hawaiian islands. But the past 3 cruises we have taken were all to Bermuda because it has easily become our FAVORITE place!
We took the girls for the first time back in 2009 and they loved it as much as we did. We loved the fact that this was an island where we felt VERY safe to bring our children to. We have been on islands where they basically advise you to stay at the resorts or in large groups and where people beg you for money to push the items they're selling in your faces. You get NONE of that in Bermuda. You feel VERY safe there.
It's a very formal island, the people there where very proper clothes - kids in uniforms for school, men in long Bermuda shorts, collared shirts and long knee socks. People from the island don't wear bathing suits once off the beach, they cover up and dress appropriately.
{Snorkel Park Beach}
{Royal Naval Dockyard}
There is a lot of rich history there and lots of gorgeous old forts and buildings. It's very clean, hardly any litter and very little crime. They also don't have critters like rats, mice, skunks, etc and very few bugs.
{The Moongate in Royal Naval Dockyard}
{9 Beaches resort}
{Police at a huge Sailfest celebration that was happening in Hamilton while we were there. There were ships from all over the world there, including the Coast Guard Eagle from where we live!}
{Even very little children were dressed up and dancing in the streets for this celebration!}
One downfall would be that it's very expensive ... we have never stayed ON the island because the hotel prices are too expensive for us. That's one reason we like the cruising option, you stay on the boat and eat most meals on the boat, but can explore the island during the day.
{Tobacco Bay}
The crystal clear waters are GORGEOUS and snorkeling is great. There are tons of neat tide pools and little coves between rock formations so there are lots of neat little places to snorkel around and explore. The water is the most comfortable temperature ... you can just sit in it for hours. We have been there in August, June and September and all three times the weather was stunningly gorgeous. {Bermuda is NOT a good destination in winter months like many of the Caribbean islands are - it does get cooler there in winter, probably similar to weather in the Carolinas.}
{Second trip with the girls in Sept. 2012 - Horseshoe Bay Beach}
{Old phone booths in Royal Naval Dockyard}
The beaches are said to be pink sand and there are certain times of day in certain light where you can look across the beach and see a pinkish tint ... but it's really neat if you pick up a handful and look at it up close because you really do see specks of pink sand. {I've heard it's crushed shells, but not sure on the truth of that - I will say there are hardly ANY shells to be found on the island.}
Probably my one and only complaint about Bermuda would be that we did find quite a bit of glass at certain beaches ... some of it is neat sea glass that has been ground down by the sea ... but we also came across many sharp pieces too. I'm not sure if this is from people littering, or boats throwing it overboard or what exactly. I just know we were always careful to keep flip flops on our feet at certain beaches. Not all the beaches were like that, just certain places.
Ok I have one more complaint ... I wish I was there right NOW!!!!
Would you like to see a lot more vacation destination ideas? Go check out Kelly's Korner today!
