Hamilton Parish Bermuda
Hamilton Parish is the second most eastern parish of Bermuda just west of St George. Hamilton City which is located some 8 miles away in Pembroke Parish has nothing to do with Hamilton Parish. Many tourists confuse the capital city to be part of the parish. In the early days Hamilton Parish was known as
Bailey's Bay. It was later named after James Hamilton, the 2nd Marquis of the parish who made large investments to colonize Bermuda in the early 1600s.
Hamilton parish circles around the Harrington Sound water area and has many deep water limestone caves and subterranean passages. The area is largely residential and has wonderful landscapes with waterfront homes and a number of public parks and nature reserves. If you are visiting St. George by land or getting out of St. George to the other parishes, you will need to go through Hamilton Parish.
Hotels in Hamilton Parish
Some of the great hotels of Bermuda are located in Hamilton parish. Click the links below for details about these hotels. Category "$" indicates cheapest while "$$$$" is the highest.
Category: $
The property is located near the Flatts village. It's a great place for an informal and relaxing vacation.
Category: $$
A cottage colony located in Hamilton Parish between City of Hamilton and St. George. There are some rooms with wonderful view of the ocean.
Category: $$$
The resort has been named after its subterranean caves or the grottos. It sits on a tropical estate with 21 acres of grounds on the water edge in Baileys Bay of Hamilton Parish.
Category: $$$
Opened in April 2009, this ocean facing hotel covers 200 acres of land in Tucker's Point.
Restaurants in Hamilton Parish
Hamilton Parish Attractions and Activities
Even if you have limited time in the island, you would still like to plan at least half a day in Hamilton parish for some of the great attractions it offers. Check out the links below to get detailed information about the main attractions and sights in Hamilton parish.
This complex is a home to over 200 species of fish and invertebrates. You will see great native fishes, exotic reptiles, pink flamingos and lot more all in a beautiful setting. It is a leading center for marine research in the island.
Crystal Caves is about 120 Feet under the ground and one of the largest and best caves in Bermuda. Close to it is Fantasy caves.
There are interesting Stalagmite and Stalactite formations in this cave.
A Nature Reserve in Bermuda spreading across 12 acres of land area.
Due to a long stretch of shallow waters, this is one of the great pink beaches of Bermuda ideally suited for kids and families.
It's is a sleepy but beautiful fishing village facing the Harrington Sound water area. It's a great place for snorkeling, kayaking, windsurfing, and even parasailing.
Bermuda Railway Museum holds memorabilia of Bermuda's trains that operated between 1931 to 1948.
A scenic water area surrounded by Hamilton Parish and St. George.
These two caves are located at the grounds of Grotto Bay Beach Resort in Hamilton Parish.
These are harbors for small boats with picturesque landscapes and small beaches.
You will see exquisite pieces of glass make articles made by artists from hot molten glasses. They are for sale and you can buy one of them to take back as a souvenir.
This is a scenic inland lake connected to the Atlantic ocean by the narrow Flatts inlet. The view from Harrington Sound Road is marvelous.
An 18 acres of nature reserve and a parkland with an unmarked lovely trail that goes all the way up to the Abbott cliff top. The views of water along the way and from the top are spectacular. The trail with its surrounding forests and plantations provides a glimpse of how Bermuda used to be centuries back.
Mangrove Lake
This is the largest pond measuring some 30 acres and located in Hamilton Parish towards the eastern side of the Harrington Sound. The pond is fringed by thick red mangroves and is home to killifish and diamondback terrapins.
Trott's Pond
It's located about half a mile north-east of Mangrove Lake and is the second largest pond in Bermuda measuring some 10 acres. About 90% of the lake is fringed with a band of thick red mangroves. It too is home to diamondback terrapins.
Shark Hole
At the eastern corner of Harrington Sound, this small water area is great for snorkeling. There are cliffs all around. A hairpin turn from Harrington Sound Road takes you into this cave-like water hole. Although the name suggests, it has nothing to do with Sharks. The cave or the grotto extends below the main road and if you get inside this area, you will hear sounds of traffic moving on the road.
Bay Island Beach
This is located off North Shore in Bay Island. There are two tiny beautiful beaches. But you need to time it correctly. During high tide the beaches disappear. Usually the tide is low in the morning.
One of the oldest churches in the western hemisphere, Holy Trinity is an Anglican church and located in a picturesque setting overlooking the Harrington Sound water area. The church has a graveyard and gardens with roses and royal palms.
Cockroach Island also known as Cockroach Rock is a wonderful nature reserve in Bermuda, located in Hamilton Parish at the northern end of Harrington Sound.
Blue Hole Water Sports offers a number of boating and water sports activities. They operate from the Grotto Bay Beach Resort. They have Boston Whaler motorboats, battery powered boats for relaxed cruising, kayaks, paddle boats, rafts, windsurfing boards, snorkel gears and more. You have a great opportunity to explore the water areas of Castle Harbor and Ferry Reach.
If you love helmet diving and walking underwater on the sea floor among the corals and colorful marine life, there is a helmet dive operator
Bermuda Bell Diving who offer a boat pickup from Flatts. They are one of the oldest and finest operators in the island. It's a 3 hour trip where the underwater experience lasts for about 25-30 minutes.
For scuba divers,
Triangle Diving, a five star PADI operator provides great opportunities and offers one and two tank dives, night dives, charters, certification and advanced courses. They operate from Grotto Bay Beach Resort.
In March, a race
Zoom Around The Sound is held to raise funds for Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo (BAMZ). Cyclists, runners and skaters participate in this 7.2 miles race that takes a circular course around the Harrington Sound. The race starts and ends at BAMZ. There is an entry fee of $10. T-shirts and refreshments are given to the participants. Call 441/293-2727 ext. 130, or email
[email protected] for further information.
Regular themed events, storytime for kids, yoga classes, lectures etc. are held at Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo. Call 441/293-2727 for information and schedules.
Shopping in Hamilton Parish
There are several souvenir and gift shops in Hamilton Parish which are mostly part of tourist places and restaurants. You will fund such shops in
Swizzle Inn Pub,
Crystal Caves and even in
Bermuda Aquarium Museum & Zoo. At the Aquarium, the store has stuffed as well as plastic animal toys for kids, classical CDs and nice collections of books based on Bermuda. Among the books, you will find great choices like
The Natural History of Bermuda and
Bermuda Reef Portraits published by the Bermuda Zoological Society.
There is a branch of
The MarketPlace chain of grocery stores called
Shelly Bay MarketPlace which is located just east of Shelly Bay Beach in Shelly Bay Plaza. Other than a grocery store with in-house bakery, there are pizzeria, clothing and other stores here as well.
There is a tiny convenience store called Twins Variety located on Middle road and half way up the Flatts Hill. Selling regular essentials including newspapers, cream buns etc., the store is owned by the twins Peter and Paul Adderle, and hence such name for the store. (5 Middle Road. Phone: 441/292-4583; Open daily from morning until midnight).
Tony's Fine Foods is located at Coney Island junction and quite popular to the islanders for the Chorizo on bun (a Portuguese specialty with sausage). It has a grocery store as well stocking fruits, vegetables, and other essentials (202 North Shore Road, Phone: 441/293-3354, Open daily).
Buses and Ferries for Hamilton Parish
Bus #1, #3, #10 and #11 start from Hamilton City, go through Hamilton Parish and go up to St. George. Bus #1 and #3 take a different route along the south of Harrington Sound.
Map of Hamilton Parish
Check this
Interactive Map of Hamilton Parish. You will be able to zoom and move the map around to see great details including the attractions and other main places of interest within the parish.
|
 By Raj Bhattacharya
Raj, a seasoned travel writer and Bermuda destination expert, has extensive global travel experience. This website reflects his profound insights, garnered over nearly two decades of dedicated findings and research on the island. Raj has assisted countless Bermuda-bound visitors by providing direct, personalized responses to their queries and imparting his wealth of knowledge through this platform. This site serves as an indispensable guide for those seeking informed and reliable insights into Bermuda's treasures.
|
Related Articles
