Surviving the Bermuda Triangle

Contrary to what the title of this post might lead you to believe, this is not an outlandish and increasingly ridiculous story about how my plane almost went down and I managed to survive (as terrifyingly cool as that story might have been). No. This is post is a journey around the wonderful island of Bermuda through the many magical places tourists can visit. It is less about surviving in the Bermuda Triangle and more about thriving in the Bermuda Triangle. 

The Swizzle Inn:

Image courtesy of djLicious

The Swizzle Inn is a must visit watering hole. Their motto is "Swizzle Inn, Swagger Out", but it should really be Stagger Out. They are the original inventors of the Rum Swizzle. To understand how historic this is, it is important to grasp how much Bermuda loves rum. Most of the main drinks on the island contain rum. The two most famous drinks are  a Dark and Stormy (made with rum and ginger beer) and the aforementioned Rum Swizzle both of which contain rum. Ironically everywhere you order a Rum Swizzle on the island it is made differently. The original recipe for the drink is a hard kept secret, however if you are ever on the island and over 18 it should become your personal goal to determine who makes the best Rum Swizzle. I mean you're on vacation after all.

At the Swizzle Inn, Rum Swizzles are served by the pitcher. 

Blue Hole Park:

A five minute walk from the Swizzle Inn will take you across the street to Blue Hole Park. This lesser known attraction is home to numerous caves and subterranean grottos. To fully appreciate this attraction a little extra work and sense of adventure is required; the cave locations are not marked, so you must do some exploring to find them. While cave hunting be careful not to get lost because the pathways are not marked and are occasionally overgrown.

This jungle like path leads into the park.

The park begins as a main jungle path which eventually leads to the Mongrove Pond, the "Blue Hole" for which the park was named. If your heart desires you can do some cliff jumping into the crystal clear blue water and swim with the fishes. However, if you are more conservative and/or didn't prepare to swim there is a lovely observation deck that allows you to view the fish and the water below.

The secluded Blue Hole is found deep into the park. 

St. George's Island:

St. George's Island is where the British first landed on and discovered Bermuda. It is also the location of the oldest house and a lovely historic town. One of the main attractions in St. George's is the Unfinished Church. Construction began on the church in 1874 when it was interrupted by a storm and the church was partially destroyed. Construction never resumed due to disagreements within the parish. Located at the top of a hill this church stands as a beautiful historic monument.

The inside of the Unfinished Church. 

A more mainstream attraction of St. George's Island is Fort St. Catherine. This fort is located where, in 1609, the British ship Sea Venture wrecked on a nearby reef and its sailors swam to shore. These sailors became the first inhabitants of Bermuda. In later years the British decided to build a fort here to defend against attacks from the Spanish. I think it is worth spending the few dollars to tour the fort and climb around the same halls that were occupied by soldiers hundreds of years ago. It provides an interesting perspective on how soldiers lived.

The fort offers a stunning view of the surrounding water.

Horseshoe Bay Beach:

A resort island would not be complete without it's beaches. Although Bermuda contains dozens of stunning beaches around the island none are as famous as it's pink sand beach Horseshoe Bay.

The beach becomes very popular during the day, so pick a spot early. 

While this beach is officially considered pink sand, don't come expecting vivid rosy colors, it has more of a gentle hue if you squint. The main attraction is not in the color of the sand, however, it is in the gentle waves and sharp angled rocks that can be found at the beach. If you are one for exploring, this beach is perfect as the rocks hide secluded mini-beaches and make the terrain interesting to traverse.

Rocks like these are common on Horseshoe Bay Beach

These are just a few of the many wonderful attractions waiting for you to see in Bermuda. It is a destination well worth putting on you bucket list. And if you ever make it to the island and back you can officially claim that you too have survived the Bermuda Triangle.