Beautiful Bermuda

Even the airport is surrounded by water and the take off and landings are picturesque.

We stayed in the Southampton Parish at the Reefs Hotel, which is a 35 min taxi ride from the airport. It is a 40 min bus ride from the Royal Naval Dockyard and a 1hr 30 min bus ride from the Crystal Caves.

The hotel's view was stunning, I have yet to stay in a room with such an idyllic view. A clear view out to sea and the beach, you can hear the waves lapping onto the shore.

The beach itself is as you would expect, soft sand with speckles of pink sand too. The water is crystal clear with sand underfoot, it can get deep not too far out so not ideal for young children.

The hotel is mainly couples or groups, it doesn't have a great deal of children's entertainment, it does have kayaks and paddle boarding but that would be the extent of their activities.

The hotel has a Club section which affords you some exclusive areas but the main part of the hotel has an infinity pool plus hot jacuzzi both overlooking the beach and fantastic sea views.

The breakfast is delicious and plentiful with an egg station, cooked buffet, along with pastries and cereals, but also offers waiter service too if you prefer,

The hotel has 2 different places to eat plus an a la carte restaurant, called Aqua Terra. The food was very good throughout but without transport you are confined to the hotel somewhat, the only thing outside the hotel was a restaurant called Henry VIII, which was about a 5-10 min walk, no pavements and dark at night, but no problem walking there. The food was top quality though with plenty of choice and about 2 times cheaper than the a la carte at the hotel.

Opposite Henry VIII is Horseshoe Bay, which has been voted one of the top 10 beaches in the world. You can kayak round from The Reefs to relax on this beautiful beach.

We travelled in September, which can be a little rainy and whilst it did rain and was a bit cloudy, the weather was still warm and we spent time on the beach and around the pool. For guaranteed sunshine though I would recommend travelling between April to early September.

In our limited time of 3 days we visited the Royal Naval Dockyard which has lots to do here. Fun golf, Rum Cake factory, shopping stalls, museum, cinema and much more. The bus ride to the Dockyard was $9 return from the hotel and the bus stop is right outside.

We also spent half a day at Crystal Caves, the cost is $22 for just the Crystal Caves entrance or $30 to also enter the Fantasy caves. This place is fascinating and well worth a visit. To see the stalagmites and stalactites that have been there for over 1.8 million years and to learn how the caves were discovered is amazing. The cost of the bus is $9 and requires a change of bus in the capital of Hamilton. The journey can take 1.5 hrs with the change of bus so it will take up a fair amount of your day.

As it is illegal for visitors to rent cars in Bermuda you have 3 choices: bus, taxi or hire a moped. The taxis are pricey and if you don't fancy taking your chances on a moped then bus is the best option. Not that the roads are dangerous, which they aren't with a 20mph speed limit plus they drive on the same side as the UK, but it may not be your thing.

Bermuda is spotless, I didn't see one piece of rubbish anywhere, the houses are immaculate, the greenery is lush and there are no shacks or outbuildings. It really oozes class and they obviously take pride in their country. I would say that everything comes at a price, food, drink, shopping is more expensive than in the UK.

They have more golf courses per square mile than any other country including the PGA course and they look in pristine condition, I believe the green fees for the PGA course is $250. You can also swim with Dolphins in Bermuda.

There is zero unemployment and the crime rate is extremely low, everyone knows everyone and like the UK, police do not carry guns.

With Bermuda only being under a 7 hour flight from London, plus a 2 hour flight from New York or Boston and 3 hours from Miami, it is a great stop en route to the USA or just to make it a single centre holiday.

To have paradise practically on your door step, it's one place that should be on your bucket list.