BERMUDA!

Jul 9

This was my 6th trip to Bermuda. It is my “happy place”. It holds deep and meaningful memories for me as a teenager and young adult having traveled there with my family on business trips with my Dad, a post high school graduation trip for my sister with friends, a family reunion cruise with our large extended Lyons clan and my last trip in 2010 for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary. Bermuda can be nothing but spectacular for me.

My youngest, Charlotte “Charlie” made me promise I would wake her up as we arrived in Bermuda so she could see the sunrise. I don’t know many 5 year olds interested in that so I seized the chance to share a special moment with my baby who loved every single minute. We did try and wake her sister to join us but she was not really having it, so Charlie and I enjoyed the gorgeous sunrise as we slid into dock at Royal Navy Dockyard. The weather turned a bit and it started raining quickly but Bermuda is my happy place even when it rains. :-).

For this trip I booked a photographer for a family photo shoot which I had never done before (I am a bit of an amateur photographer and have been shooting family events for years). I was fortunate that our photographer was flexible and we were able to shift the time of the shoot for when the sun finally came out late morning of our arrival. We agreed to meet at Horseshoe Bay, the most gorgeous beach, to take some candid shots of me and my girls. It was very humid and my well planned hair and makeup took a beating LOL. I highly recommend our photog, www.amandatemple.com who was wonderful and understood exactly what I was looking for in a family photo shoot. We arrived as the rain stopped and the sun came out! I was sweating bullets for the entire shoot but you can hardly tell from the final product. If you’re looking for a great family photographer Amanda is your person on the island of Bermuda!

When we took this trip my kids were 5 and 7. We weren’t on the beach post-photo shoot more than 1 hour when my youngest, Charlie, started to complain that the sand was “itchy” and the salt water hurt her eyes. Then she and her sister started arguing and I looked at Naomi (who had commandeered 2 lounge chairs and a pop up canopy for us to the tune of over $100) and I said, “Nope, not ruining my day. let’s go back to The Haven pool”. And that’s what we did. We spent less than 3 hours total on Bermuda that first day. I was disappointed to a degree, but when you’re traveling with kids you can dig your heals in the sand and suffer or go with the flow and adapt. In this moment mommy chose to adapt (a smart move for me!). One important note about getting to Horseshoe Bay and other beaches from the Royal Navy Dockyard — DO NOT PAY FOR THE CRUISE EXCURSION! Way overpriced. There are shuttle buses just off the ship that will take you directly to HB and drop you at the bottom of the hill right at the entrance (the public buses do not do that) for $7pp each way. So for my group of 4 we paid $28 each way and it was a lovely scenic drive. Most of the shuttle drivers are terrific tour guides and will give you a history lesson on Bermuda as you head towards the beach and beyond. We had a glass bottom boat tour planned for our second morning but the weather did not cooperate and it was cancelled. We never left the ship our 2nd day due to rain. First time I had ever been to Bermuda and not made it into Hamilton! But my au pair did that first night with a bunch of young people she met on the ship. And miraculously she won more than $1000 in the casino that night! (I would be a big loser for the entire trip… oh well.)