Saturday Magazine - 31.08.2019

66 SATURDAY MAGAZINE

W

hen my husband and I mentioned to

friends and family that we were off to

Bermuda on holiday, we were met

with two responses: ‘Watch out for

the Bermuda Triangle!’ followed by, ‘Um, where

is that then?’

It turns out that plenty of people know about

the infamous area of ocean near Bermuda where

ships, planes and people are alleged to have

mysteriously vanished – but that’s about the

extent of their knowledge. Which is funny, really,

given that it’s Britain’s oldest overseas territory

(since 1609).

Perhaps it’s down to Bermuda’s diminutive

size – a cluster of 181 interlinked islands and

islets that measure, in total, just 21 miles by

two miles – coupled with its remote location.

Contrary to popular belief, Bermuda is not

a Caribbean island; in fact it lies 900 miles to

the north. Marooned in the North Atlantic

Ocean, its nearest neighbour is the

USA’s North Carolina, about 650

miles west.

But while this means it’s a

favourite holiday destination

of Americans, Bermuda still

has a quaint, distinctly British

charm. Arriving after our

seven-hour direct flight from

London, we were whisked by taxi

through the green, hilly landscape

and stole tantalising glimpses through the

trees of the sun-dappled turquoise water and

sandy beaches, as well as Bermuda’s distinctive

pastel-coloured houses. It made us feel like we

were in a British seaside town – albeit a tropical

one – and, to add to the effect, there are British

traffic lights and red post boxes everywhere.

Twenty-five minutes later, we arrived in

Hamilton, the tiny, village-like capital city.

Bermuda is a tax haven and officially the most

expensive nation on Earth, with Hamilton also

the most expensive individual city, and as such

the low-rise pastel buildings house high-end

boutiques, restaurants and bars. So make sure

you save a few pennies if you plan on eating out

and shopping here.

Our base for the first four days of our trip was

Rosedon Hotel, a boutique 44-room property

that’s a stone’s throw from the

main waterfront promenade,

Front Street, but set well back

from the road amid lush, tropical

gardens. Pulling up outside this

grand, white, colonial manor, with

its royal blue window shutters and

awnings, we felt like royalty. This continued

long after our welcome Rum Swizzle punches

(an island speciality), as we checked into our

light, bright and elegantly decorated room with

dark-wood furniture and an enormous four-

poster, king-sized bed.

Each morning, we enjoyed breakfast on the

pretty front verandah at Huckleberry restaurant

and then ventured out for lunch and dinner to

sample the offerings in town. Our favourite spot

was Harbourfront Restaurant, set on a raised

deck over the water, and for pre-dinner drinks

we headed to The Birdcage, a buzzy, newly

opened bar overlooking Hamilton Harbour.

In the past, tourists weren’t permitted to hire

cars on Bermuda, only scooters and bicycles,

but since last year a new electric minicar, the

Renault Twizy, has been introduced – a tiny

Kirsty Nutkins discovers a tropical paradise with

a distinctly British feel on a break to Bermuda

Life’s a beach

‘It's not hard

to imagine

why the British

chose to settle

here all those

years ago’

The capital city

of Hamilton

British telephone

boxes are dotted

around Bermuda

The idyllic

Elbow Beach

Pictures: Getty Images; Alamy