Bermuda!
Many people assume that it sits in the Caribbean, but in fact it is in the Atlantic – sort of level with New York – and therefore enjoys the same seasons as us, though their winters are much milder.
BA is the only airline flying direct from the UK, and we were very lucky to be upgraded to business class both ways – happy days!!
We stayed at the 3* superior Grotto Bay which is not that far from the airport. This hotel is very popular with the UK market as it is the only all-inclusive option. Our rooms were very much 3* and a little dated, but the setting is really quite lovely with a small sandy beach, nice pool and great views. The main building of this hotel is more of a 4* and we also found the food and service to be really good.
Our first day there saw us visiting the Crystal Caves – next to our hotel. They are quite spectacular and were discovered by accident when two little boys playing cricket on the ground above, lost their cricket ball in the grass. On looking further, they realised that it had fallen through a hole in the ground and the discovery of the caves had been made!
We then went to the Fairmont Southampton for a site inspection and lunch – this was definitely my favourite hotel. The rooms are very elegant, as are all the public areas and for families and sports enthusiasts, it has lots to offer. I would go back here for my own holiday. After lunch we headed off to see the sister hotel – the Hamilton Fairmont – which was undergoing some major enhancements around the pool area – but is clearly a great property. We then headed off to the Rosedon which is across the road and one of the boutique guest houses which Bermuda is famous for. It is a lovely property – quite colonial and with a really lovely homely feel.
The following day, we enjoyed a walking tour of St George’s taking in the perfumery, along the way. Site inspections that day included the luxurious Tucker’s Point, Elbow Beach and another of my favourites – the Reefs.
Our 3rd day saw us explore the city of Hamilton, before heading off to the Royal Naval Dockyard and Maritime Museum to take in a bit of history. A map there showed the huge number of ship wrecks around the island which underlined what a great place for diving Bermuda is. We then headed off to Cambridge Beaches for a site inspection before enjoying the quite spectacular Bermuda Boat Parade in the evening.
Our final day saw me off to do a bit of horse riding. I haven’t done this before but what a place to learn!! We ambled out of the yard and uphill through the woods before coming down the other side on to a most beautiful beach. Unfortunately my horse took one look at the sea and galloped in for a swim taking me with it! After the riding, I had to go back to the hotel to change before we all went to the famous Swizzle Inn for lunch – where after just 1 rum swizzle, I sadly fell off my chair!
What a great end to a fabulous trip – Bermuda was so much more than I expected – and we packed a lot in. There is currently no car hire there but you can hire mopeds. We had a great minivan and driver for the time we were there.
I am not sure I would do all-inclusive and to be fair, we only had breakfast at Grotto Bay. The charm of Bermuda is in its myriad of small charming restaurants and eating out is fabulous value for money. There are restaurants to suit all budgets. The island is picture postcard perfect – no factories, eyesores anywhere – just very pretty pastel coloured houses on green hillsides with stunning beaches everywhere you looked. The beaches are rumoured to be pink – they are white sand but where the surf tumbles on to the beach, it does indeed look pink!
I would love to go back one day