Comfort Zones
If You Love… Nantucket
Go To Bermuda For… Sunning on sandy beaches, a preppy vibe, and cocktails with the yacht crowd
By Donna Garlough
Thanks to its high-end hotels and world-class golf courses, Bermuda exudes a distinctly upper-crust aura. But while it’s just a two-hour flight from Boston-about the same travel time as the ferry from Hyannis to Nantucket-the English island has a tropical side. Green palms and hibiscus fill the landscape, and Caribbean Sea currents keep the water and temperatures mild year-round. (It only dips to about 60 degrees in winter.)
Bermuda is highly developed, so honeymooners have their pick of accommodations. A few resorts are slated to pop up in the next few years, but the 36-year-old, 593-room Fairmont Southampton is, for now, the island’s youngest resort and has the most amenities: its own pink-sand beach, a pool, and 10 restaurants (866-540-4497, fairmont.com/southampton). (Hint: For upgraded service and unbeatable views, request a Fairmont Gold room on the top floor.) Like most Bermuda hotels, it swells with families in the summer, but honeymooners can take refuge in its 31,000-square-foot Willow Stream Spa, which has a couples’ lounge and an adults-only sun deck. For more privacy, book a suite at the kid-free Cambridge Beaches hotel or a cottage resort at 9 Beaches, where cloth-sided cabanas sit on stilts above the water (800-468-7300, cambridgebeaches.com; 866-841-9009, 9beaches.com).
The isle’s cuisine isn’t exactly four-star, but the best options offer ambiance as well as tasty eats. Head to the Elbow Beach Hotel for tapas on the terrace at Sea Breeze (441-236-3535, mandarinoriental.com/bermuda). Pub dining is another reliable route; Bermuda is British, after all. And the happy hour and afternoon tea at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess are great places to rub elbows with the island’s scenesters (866-540-4447, fairmont.com/hamilton).
But Bermuda’s greatest pleasures are undoubtedly by the sea. For beach time, Horseshoe Bay is exquisite, so long as there are no cruise ship passengers crowding the sand on the day you visit. Bermudians love Warrick Long Bay, which is less accessible and more pristine. Pass the days snorkeling in Church Bay, exploring the coves and inlets by sailboat, or just bobbing in the Tiffany-blue water. In your preppiest beachwear, of course.