Canadians who saw Bermuda during their military service know its strategic importance as a lone fortress in a hostile sea. A new generation of Canadians discovered the island as a honeymoon hideaway. Today Bermuda is an affluent, tourism friendly island peppered with smart hotels, guesthouses, B&Bs, luxury resorts and more golf holes per square mile than anywhere else on earth.
History in a Nutshell
Ten million years ago a volcanic upheaval formed an island so remote it lay undiscovered for centuries. Spanish explorers noted the landmass in 1505, but Bermuda wasn’t settled until the 17th century, when shipwrecked English sailors stumbled ashore. They found no sign that humans had ever inhabited this verdant paradise. As new populations took root, they united into a culture unlike any other. Slaves, first mentioned in 1617, arrived from the West Indies and West Africa. In 1619, Jacob Jacobson, a shipwright from Holland who wrecked off Bermuda, swam to shore and founded a boat-building industry. English and Irish adventurers, exiled American Indian prisoners and Portuguese seamen sought new lives in the 181 islands and cays that make up the archipelago.
During American revolutionary and civil wars, when United States seaports were blockaded, Bermuda was a hotbed of spies, arms smugglers and profiteers. Again during the 1920s when Americans weren’t permitted to buy alcoholic drinks in any form, its location made Bermuda a hot
spot for rum-runners. A display called “Rogues and Runners” in the Bermuda National Trust Museum, St. George, tells the story of Bermuda’s role in these intrigues.
By the late 1800s, stylish visitors, including Britain’s Princess Louise, were wintering in Bermuda. From here tennis was introduced to the North American continent in 1874. During the Second World War, 1,200 censors and code breakers worked in underground rooms at the Hamilton Princess Hotel. The Canadian Forces Station Bermuda, founded in 1963, closed in 1993. Today an overseas territory of Britain, Bermuda is largely self-governing and has one of the highest standards of living in
the world.
Sorting Out the Geography
Less than four kilometres at its widest point, Bermuda is deceptively tiny. Its speed limit of only 35 km/h and unbelievably thick traffic (each household is permitted to have only one car) mean visitors can spend an hour getting from their hotels to a restaurant or attraction by taxi. Bus service is excellent but takes even longer. Tourists are permitted to rent scooters, but not motorcars.
The three major way points are Hamilton, the political and commercial capital; historic St. George; and West End, also known as Dockyard, where tourists find shops, dining and historical sites, and a major cruise ship port at the former Royal Navy Dockyard.
Hamilton is a shopper’s nirvana with an abundance of duty-free bargains in British woollens, Waterford crystal, cashmere sweat-ers, Irish linens, watches and jewelry, kilts and accessories, silk ties and, of course, Bermuda shorts and the socks to wear with them.
City streets are steeply hilly but easily navigated. Dominating the Hamilton skyline is the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity. Admission is free, so note the masterful craftsmanship in the sanctuary then climb the tower ($3) for fine views of the sea and countryside. The church is open daily 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.; the tower is open Monday to Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission to the Historical Society Museum is
also free.
Visitors also find excellent views at Fort Hamilton, a hilly hike up King Street to Happy Valley Road. Admission is free. On Mondays at noon in season, the Bermuda Islands Pipe Band gives a skirling performance featuring bagpipes, drums and dancers. Check schedules with your concierge.
St. George is a small, walkable city with a pleasant park overlooking the waterfront. A replica of the Deliverance, one of two ships built 400 years ago by the original shipwreck survivors, bobs at her moorings here. Stocks and a dunking stool, used to punish erring citizens in early times, entertain (and may even ensnare) amused visitors. Look for the town crier, often seen here in full regalia. Visit the town hall on King’s Square, then walk to St. Peter’s Church, the oldest Anglican church in the New World. It isn’t always open to visitors, but the grounds with their ancient gravestones tell an
eloquent story.
The State House, built in 1620 and the oldest building in Bermuda, is open only on Wednesday afternoons but its exterior is worth seeing any time. It’s here that the colourful Peppercorn Ceremony takes place each April. Freemasons, who took over the structure after the legislature moved to Hamilton, must pay the government one peppercorn in rent yearly. It’s a grand show filled with music and ceremony. Just outside St. George, the Unfinished Church is just that, not a historic ruin, but it’s a popular stop on sightseeing tours.
West End is home to the Royal Naval Dockyard with its many buildings and own cemetery. Allot at least one full day here to try the restaurants and tour the Bermuda Arts Centre, Bermuda Craft Market, Bermuda Maritime Museum in the old fort, Bermuda Rum Cake Factory and the Dockyard Glassworks, where visitors can watch glass-blowers at work. Visit the Clocktower Shopping Mall and note that one clock tells the time, the other tells the state of the tide.
The Great Outdoors
Golf and tennis have been Bermudian passions since they were introduced by the British during the Victorian era, and winter supplies perfect temperatures for active sports. Your concierge can arrange tee times at a public course. Most hotels and resorts have tennis courts. Some, such as Elbow Beach, have extensive tennis programs, including lessons, tournaments and a pro shop. Many hotels also permit play by nonguests.
The railroad that once went from one end of the country to the other is now a spectacular route for nature walks and ocean views. It has a number of entry points, so hikers can walk all of it or take it in segments. A feast of beaches await travellers: Horseshoe Bay beach is handicap accessible and has restrooms; Snorkel Park Beach has restrooms. Both are near the West End. On the St. George’s end of the island, Clearwater Beach and John Smith’s Bay are handicap accessible; Clearwater has restrooms and changing facilities.
Dive operators offer an exciting menu of reef and wreck dives. Hartley’s Helmet Diving is a unique experience. After a brief orientation, participants don a helmet and walk on the sea bottom – no scuba training required! In fact, one’s hairdo stays completely dry.
Visit forts and Bermuda’s stunning, year-round gardens, ride over living reefs in a glass-bottom boat, charter a sailboat, go deepsea fishing, climb a lighthouse from days gone by, and best of all, enjoy an insider’s Bermuda in low season when cruise ship crowds are gone.
Dining
Bermuda’s glittering Gourmet Getaway attracts an international who’s who of foodies and celebrity chefs each October, but dining is a year-round pleasure on this sophisticated island. Don’t miss the traditional British afternoon tea at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. It features 14 teas plus cakes, scones, Devonshire clotted cream and specialty finger sandwiches, such as rum-cured salmon on ginger bread, or sesame seaweed bread with
lobster salad.
For dinner the Fairmont Southampton Princess is home to the elegant 300-year-old Waterlot Inn. Reservations are a must. Make an evening of it at the five-star Mandarin Oriental Elbow Beach, home of a choice of fine dining venues plus a chichi nightclub that rocks well into the wee hours.
For local flavour at everyday prices, one must go pub hopping. Favourite pub fare begins with the national drink, Dark ‘n Stormy (ginger beer and rum), or the equally revered Rum Swizzle, a specialty of the 300-year-old Swizzle Inn at Bailey’s Bay. Then have conch chowder, a curry dish, bangers and mash, or a thick and juicy fish sandwich. Traditional fish chowder is served with two cruets – in-the-know diners dash sherry peppers and rum into their chowder.
Bermuda began as a safe haven for shipwreck survivors, and the tradition continues. On holidays here you’re sure to find safe haven from a
job-jangled world.
Bermuda
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