If you are on a tight budget for a holiday then Bermuda is not the place to go. Don't get me wrong, it's nice, but that’s about it. There are far more beautiful places in the world that are warmer, cheaper and a hell of a lot more interesting (the Maldives, Cuba, Jamaica, and Grand Cayman spring to mind).

We spent about £5000 for a 17 night holiday (not including flights). The majority went on accommodation (£3000)

A few pointers - Bermuda is not the Caribbean. The islands are stuck in the North Atlantic (not the Caribbean sea). About 7H30 from Gatwick and 2hours from NYC. It sits about 700 miles off the US mainland and is on a similar latitude to South Carolina, Baghdad, Islamabad and Shanghai. It is not tropical - more sub tropical so you need to choose your time to visit. The beaches are nice but I think there are more beautiful beaches in Cornwall, England.

We went from mid May to 01 June 2009 and the water was chilly - I went in every day but my wife and little boy found it a bit too cold. Weather was pleasant - about 80F (26C)

It is outrageously expensive and "we have to import everything" is the reason that all the locals give! They hardly grow any fruit and veg on the island and have no natural water so almost everything is imported. They have a totally bizarre reliance on rain to fill up their tanks. It's almost like stepping back into 1950's England. Very odd.

As a British protectorate you'd think it would have some Britishishness but it's rare - The Americans have arrived and are there to stay. There are some beautiful 17 Century churches - St Annes in Southampton was built in 1609. Colonial buildings are there but need to be found.

Bermuda is a no car destination for tourists. They are only allowed to be purchased by residents. Otherwise its the bus, the moped or taxi. You can buy a book of all island tickets (14 zone) and short journey (3 zone) tickets from Post Offices and some tourist shops that are valid on all buses and ferries. Buses were reliable but when a cruise ship is in it gets busy.

Bermuda is like an elongated horseshoe and is 22 miles in length. It takes an inordinate time to cover 22 miles as all traffic creeps along. If you are going to St George and or Dockyard go oh the ferry - it's a much nicer way to travel. There is a 35 KPH speed limit across the island. Hilariously you see locals driving high performance cars that could travel at 160 MPH with ease on a mainland but are just about getting into 3rd gear on Bermuda!!

Places to visit and things to do:

St Georges - is the oldest remaining overseas colony and dates back to 1612 and is the oldest continuously inhabited town in the Americas. Quite a pleasant little place although it was chucking it down when we went there.

Dockyard - probably the most interesting place on the island although very touristy. The fort itself is fascinating and well worth a visit.
•
Aquariam - worth a visit if your bored - so i give it 3 days and you'll be visiting it. My son loved it and there is also a little zoo on the same site.

Hamilton - not a lot to see or do. There is the botanical gardens and a lovely small garden tucked around the back though which is a nice green area.

Food and Drink:

The food we had on the island was excellent. We had a BBQ pretty much every night and the quality of the meat from local supermarkets was superb.

The cost of the food at shops was a tad expensive - booze was damn expensive - $12 for 6 small cans of beer. A normal 3 bags of shopping (milk, fruit, veg, meat, beer and wine) was about $180 each time. Shopping bills really start to add up.

Restaurants:

We'd recommend a meal at

* The Dining Room restaurant (Gibbs Lighthouse). Food was superb. About $100 a head.
* Komodaru Sushi Lounge - I love Japanese food and they do a happy hour here which is well worth a visit - excellent
* The Reefs - Coconuts restaurant, Southampton - sit overlooking the ocean/beach - very romantic and food pretty good.

Accommodation:

We went self catering and after a lot of research (through Bermudarentals)we decided on the "Outback", a two bedroom ground floor flat in Southampton parish. Although we went when the pound was very low against the dollar it cost $4180 for 17 nights. It worked out about £3000.

We wouldn't go back top Bermuda again - it is just too expensive and if you are counting the pennies at all then this place is not for you. We went because we had a friend there but didn't quite realise how much it was going to cost us. It was nearly double the cost of our 5* honeymoon in the Maldives and we were disappointed to be honest - it's a flat and pretty dull island!