FAQs about Bermuda

Is it really warm?
Yes, for much of the year, the semi-tropical climate beckons many visitors, especially from the Northeast.

Are the beaches really pink?
Yes, when you hold the velvety soft sand in your hand, the pink grains you see are the remains of single-celled animals whose red skeletons calcify on reefs offshore, are crushed by waves and then washed up on the beaches.

Is there really a lot of golf?
Yes, there are seven 18-hole courses and two nine-hole courses on an island measuring 22 and half miles long and two and a half miles wide.

Do actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones really live there?
Yes. His mom is Bermudian, they own a hotel, their son Dylan attends a local school and they are active in the community.

Is it really expensive?
No more than many other island destinations that must import everything, such as Nevis, St. Bart’s or Turks & Caicos.

Is the Queen really pictured on the money?
Yes, but the Bermudian dollar is pegged to the U.S. dollar, so you don’t need to change currency unless you want a souvenir.

Do Bermudian men really wear Bermuda shorts?
Yes, they do, with knee-highs and dress shoes.

Bermuda Living

But there’s more to Bermuda than sun, sand, sports, celebrities, currency and shorts. First discovered in 1503 by Spanish explorer Juan de Bermudez, the land wasn’t claimed for a century, until English sailors bound for the fledging Virginia colony shipwrecked in 1609. The courtesy, crispness and British accents remain to this day, lending Bermuda a civilized, though still laid-back, air.

In addition to its proximity to the US, and well developed infrastructure, Bermuda, unlike many southerly Caribbean destinations, is affluent. This British territory of approximately 60,000 has a per capita average annual income about 50% higher than in the U.S. You won’t find any of the often off-putting trappings of poorer, developing countries: no feral dogs or cats, no panhandlers, no touts.

Furthermore, the tidy, compact capitol, Hamilton, is immaculate; I actually walked barefoot downtown, something I have never done before in an urban setting. And, when you are ready to head home, you can clear customs in Bermuda, thus eliminating the buzz kill —- and long waits —- of some major city airports.

Visiting Bermuda

Since visitors are not allowed to rent cars (and locals are allowed but one vehicle per household—and that includes the governor), you’ll see mopeds zipping around the island. I preferred riding the shell pink buses that crisscross Bermuda, allowing me time to admire the handsome, well-maintained pastel-hued homes nestled in the manicured hills.I also enjoyed the ferry to visit St. George’s Parish, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the oldest continually settled British settlement in the new world, or The Royal Naval Dockyard, once the largest naval base in the Western Atlantic, which now houses shops, restaurants and attractions such as the Maritime Museum in a six-acre fort, a snorkel park and the Bermuda Rum Cake Company.

As a temporary address, one of the two Fairmont hotels will suit your style. I loved the historic intimacy of the Princess, named after Princess Louise, daughter of Queen Victoria, its blush façade reigning over the picturesque harbor. The Fairmont Southampton benefits from its high point overlooking both bay and ocean and is near popular Horseshoe Bay beach. There’s also the Willow Stream Spa, which boasts pampering treatments such as a caviar facial and fine dining at the AAA Diamond Newport Room. I sampled such delicacies as twice cooked pork belly, voluptuous lobster gratin, duck breast with seared foie gras, and brie with fig chutney and gombay jam made with hot peppers. Both hotels offer Sunday brunch with traditional dishes like salted codfish and potatoes and cassava pie. A 20-minute ferry connects the city and resort hotels and guests can use the facilities at either property.

And, I discovered, there really is a drink called a Dark n’ Stormy, a highball of Gosling’s Black Seal rum mixed with Barritt’s Bermuda Stone Ginger Beer; it’s Bermuda’s signature libation. I drank mine while watching the sky fill with cottony pink and lavender clouds, a chorus of tree frogs filling the soft evening air. Bermuda is no longer misunderstood, at least by this visitor.