The Perpetual Tourist

When you fly into the Bermuda airport, assuming it’s not too windy to land, you’ll be greeted by steel drums, friendly customs agents, and a giant pair of pink Bermuda shorts on the entrance to the building — a sight you’ll find all over Bermuda tourism literature and signage. Though the shorts are practically the tiny island nation’s mascot, don’t be fooled into thinking this will be a completely casual vacation. This place is fancy.

You’ll want the shorts for your daytime excursions — the climate is almost always comfortable enough for bare legs — but staying at any of the country’s major resorts, you’ll find there’s a dress code for the dining rooms, and shorts aren’t allowed. The cost tends to match the dress code; this is not a cheap getaway, but I’ve found it’s worth the expense and the risks of traveling through the legendary and notorious Bermuda Triangle.

The 22-square-mile nation is located about 700 miles due east of the Carolinas in the Atlantic Ocean, though the weather here is more like Florida’s year-round warmth. Though still technically a colony of the UK, Bermuda has its own currency which is interchangeable with the US Dollar. Both currencies are accepted anywhere on the island, so there’s no need to do a money exchange when you arrive.

As in Britain, cars drive on the left side of the road, though you’ll find that roads and vehicles are not much more than an afterthought here. There are strict laws in Bermuda that keep the roads from getting crowded. There is a national speed limit of 35kph (22mph), and tourists are not legally permitted to rent cars or drive here. But you don’t need a license for a moped, which is one of the preferred methods of travel for most locals. The Pompano Beach Club, where I’ve been staying, rents these scooters out to guests to get around the islands. Alternatives are taxis (I still haven’t figured out how the taxi fees work — they have meters, but I think it’s a flat fee per person, and it’s not cheap), busses, and ferries. Nothing goes very fast, but then again, nothing is very far away.

Bermuda has all the standard coastal, warm-weather attractions like fishing, swimming, diving, and golf, but one thing that sets this destination apart from others is what’s in the water. The islands are surrounded by a reef that has been the demise of many a ship over the past few centuries. One of the most popular attractions here are the dozens of shipwrecks around the island, which are preserved and protected by national law. You can see some of these wrecks as you walk along the coastline, or to get a closer look, you can go diving to sunken ships around the reef. With dozens of these long lost vessels surrounding the islands, it’s no wonder the Bermuda Triangle has such a reputation.

After a long day of sightseeing, you can come back to your hotel bar and relax with one of Bermuda’s other main attractions: the rum. Available in Duty Free stores in airports, this makes a great souvenir for your friends back home — much better than keychains and t-shirts.

If you have trouble walking, Bermuda may not be an ideal vacation spot. It’s a very hilly place, and I’ve found that most of the resorts are not easy to get around in a wheelchair, though the staff here at Pompano will go out of their way to help you out in any way you need. One of our waiters volunteered to carry an elderly woman up and down the stairs to the main restaurant each night. You just don’t find service like that in the US (but you do find elevators there).

The people are friendly, the beauty is endless, and the weather is heavenly. As long as a trip to Bermuda won’t break the bank, you should put it high on your to-do list. Even when it rains, it’s still a gorgeous place to be.