Author Topic: "You can go to heaven if you want. I’d rather stay in Bermuda." - Mark Twain  (Read 15219 times)

Offline Luvtotravel

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"There is no rush, no hurry, no money-getting frenzy, no fretting, no complaining, no fussing and quarreling; no telegrams, no daily newspapers, no railroads, no tramways, no subways, no trolleys, no Ls, no Tammany, no Republican party, no Democratic party, no graft, no office-seeking, no elections, no legislatures for sale; hardly a dog, seldom a cat, only one steam-whistle; not a saloon, nobody drunk; no W.C.T.U.; and there is a church and a school on every corner. The spirit of the place is serenity, repose, contentment, tranquility."
- Mark Twain


Now I'm not sure what a Tammany is, but haven't seen many saloons around. He had gotten it just about right.

https://goo.gl/photos/pUq32TR7gk6a1xmh7
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Dawie

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Offline mgoldhammer18

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So you ended up going in the end?
Nice!

Offline Luvtotravel

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IMG_4747 by luvto travel, on Flickr
view from my bed
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Luvtotravel

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Bermuda has been on my radar ever since the Zika outbreak eliminated Caribbean destinations for a quick beach holiday. The fact that it's all of 2:15 away from NYC is in and of itself a major motivating factor, since I generally can't travel for more than 4-5 days at most with little to no flexibility regarding timing. I was actually contemplating SoCal  or North Florida as well, but just when I was about to book, a Jetblue Flash Sale to Bermuda came up for my very specific dates and times and so, the decision was sealed. Thanks to the Jetblue promotion back in August, coupled with their kind thanks and subsequent double points promotion, coupled with the 6x points on Jetblue purchases on their World Elite Mastercard which awards back 10% of points redeemed and also awards free luggage, it was truly a no brainer!

So, let's start at the very beginning - a very good place to start...


Total RT pp
4,600 jetblue points plus 100.36 tax + fees.
Flights

We had an 8am flight from JFK. Uneventful hired ride to the airport, awful security lines, surprisingly no need to remove laptop or liquids from carry on and at the gate we are. With Jetblue in Terminal 5 with no Priority Pass lounges there, i checked out the T5 Rooftop which is directly across Gate 28. Nice little area to sit for some fresh air preflight. There are some tables, little grass hill and soft flooring  for kids (didn't bring any), and a small enclosed Wooftop for pets (didn't bring any). Not a great place to watch takeoff or landing.
IMG_4738 by luvto travel, on Flickr
IMG_4737 by luvto travel, on Flickr
Upon boarding the standard Jetblue A320, I was pleased to find that selecting the aisle and window seat did in fact award me an empty middle seat.  Free drinks, free movies (bring your own earbuds or spring $5 for a pair [50% off inflight purchases with Elite Mastercard]) and some Terra chips later, announcements were made for landing preparations. For those that have landed on islands before, this needs no explanation, but just WOW! The water, the islands, the rock formations, i have no words (and neither do i have pics of the landing since for some inexplicable reason my camera's battery decided to expire at this point.)
There is one airport in Bermuda, BDA - L F Wade International. We arrived to a remote stand to balmy 76 degree weather and after a short walk to a small, brightly colored building, found ourselves on a somewhat long customs line. There are several different lines, for residents, visitors and business visitors. Customs and Declaration forms were distributed on the airplane. I had arranged with my host to send someone for me at the airport, and therefore didn't have the address of the accommodations. I just filled in guest house when asked for my address where I'll be staying. After finally getting to the front and presenting our passports and forms, we were slightly afraid?miffed?annoyed? when asked to go to the Head Immigration Officer. Turns out that writing "guest house" is completely unacceptable. 
As I had yet to activate the phone, I tried logging in to my emails to get the address of my host, but as this is Bermuda, there is no wifi in the airport, only if you sit on a specific chair in a specific position, possibly at a specific angle, since i could not get a working signal. When I shared my predicament with an officer, and told her I had someone outside who could provide her with the address, she was kind enough to step outside to acquire the address from the cabby holding my name card. From there we made our way to the baggage claim which was entirely empty save for our two suitcases, and on to the empty no declarations lane, and in Bermuda we are! We found the cabby immediately, since this is after all Bermuda and after a quick ten minute ride we found ourselves in paradise. Words cannot suffice. I'll let the pictures try to do it justice.
IMG_4780 by luvto travel, on Flickr
IMG_4743 by luvto travel, on Flickr
IMG_4742 by luvto travel, on Flickr
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Luvtotravel

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Accommodations

I believe one of the reasons that Bermuda isn't that popular on DDF is due to the fact that there is only one points properties on the island. Being that I generally prefer a private vacation rental to a hotel anyhow, that didn't prove to be an issue for me. After perusing hundreds of properties, i narrowed down my search to the specifications i wanted, in no particular order:
<$200/night
view
separate sleeping and living areas
fresh and clean
wifi
kitchen
nice bathroom
private

bonus points for
pool
two tvs
smart tv
jacuzzi
proximity to beach

I got all of my needs and some wants, though I only searched on VRBO.com and airbnb.com since I've had good experiences with both. I ended up being torn between several properties, and several days prior i just booked one of them since I was driving myself and DW absolutely nuts with my indecision.
I ended up booking nearescape.com through his airbnb listing. He is listed on vrbo as well but airbnb came to about $150 less for some reason.
The pictures on the site are completely accurate save for different linen. The view is truly something out of this world. The house is completely fresh and new with very modern components imported from the US. It is a guest house attached to the main house, but as the host is a single guy who works 8-8, we didn't see much of him or his dog, save for on the weekend. The pool was for our exclusive use.
If you do rent this place, just bear in mind that there is no tv or ac in the master bedroom, only a fan. That being said, I'd be hard pressed to find something negative about this place. Simply amazing and peaceful.
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Luvtotravel

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IMG_4762 by luvto travel, on FlickrIMG_4768 by luvto travel, on Flickr
IMG_4778 by luvto travel, on Flickr
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Luvtotravel

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IMG_4776 by luvto travel, on Flickr
IMG_4775 by luvto travel, on Flickr
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline LoLo

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Beautiful!

Offline Emkay

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With Jetblue in Terminal 5 with no Priority Pass lounges there
Didn't have a plat card? Even nonactive?

Offline David Smith

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Didn't have a plat card? Even nonactive?
That's called a lounge?
Who do you think you are fooling? You think you are going to pull a quick one on your Creator? Good luck with that.
JTZ

Offline Emkay

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That's called a lounge?
Sure. You have a bathroom, shower, comfortable chair, bar, and in relative peace.

Offline Yaalili

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Great report.

Offline Luvtotravel

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Didn't have a plat card? Even nonactive?
yes I do but didn't want to take a chance since I was turned down by centurion lga and mia after producing inactive card
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Emkay

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yes I do but didn't want to take a chance since I was turned down by centurion lga and mia after producing inactive card
That's centurion.

Offline Luvtotravel

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That's centurion.
yes. wasn't aware airspace wouldn't make an issue. my future trips thank you!
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Emkay

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After finally getting to the front and presenting our passports and forms, we were slightly afraid?miffed?annoyed? when asked to go to the Head Immigration Officer. Turns out that writing "guest house" is completely unacceptable. 
I have never seen anyone actually read those forms.

Offline Luvtotravel

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I have never seen anyone actually read those forms.
exactly my faulty reasoning
Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Luvtotravel

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Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.

Offline Luvtotravel

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Don't wait for the perfect moment; take the moment and make it perfect.