BERMUDA
The Lover’s Guide to Bermuda
No matter your passion, you’ll find it on a cruise to Bermuda.
By Vivian Holley
On a visit to Britain’s oldest colony, the famously peripatetic Mark Twain once penned, “You go to heaven if you want, I’ll stay here in Bermuda.”
It’s not hard to see why these Atlantic-lapped shores blew Mark’s mind. From the capital city of Hamilton to the captivating town of St. George, it’s clearly a heavenly spot for hanging out in high style. Lovers of sand tinted pink as a sunset, crystalline waters layered turquoise to sapphire to indigo, tangled tropical gardens ablaze with blossoms, and a distinctive culture with a romantic vibe have long been lured to this 21-square-mile island paradise for a gamut of good reasons.
History Lovers
Bermuda marked its 400th birthday in 2009, remembering Sea Venture and the survivors who washed ashore in a mighty storm in 1609. Deterred from his scheduled voyage to Virginia’s Jamestown settlement, Admiral Sir George Somers set about laying claim to the uninhabited isles as a new colony for the Crown. Even Shakespeare took note of the drama, historians say, finding inspiration in the storied shipwreck for his 1610 play, The Tempest.
All of which seems like yesterday when you wander the invitingly walkable, stopped-clock colonial capital of St. George, situated at the East End where Sea Venture foundered off the reefs. At King’s Square, you may even discover a hapless citizen or two locked up in the stocks for offending the community in some fashion. Steps away, a flight of steep stone steps leads to the 1612 St. Peter’s Church, the oldest Anglican church continuously in use in the Western Hemisphere. Close by is the Globe Hotel-turned-National Trust Museum, erected in 1700 as a fine home for Bermuda’s fifth governor.
Over on the West End, later times hold the spotlight at the Royal Naval Dockyard, a 75-acre attraction (Bermuda’s most visited) packed with fun activities. A must-see is the Maritime Museum, which encompasses the 1820s-built Commissioner’s House. Within time-worn walls, the museum structures recount the strategic role of Bermuda in Britannia’s rule of the waves and its interests on this side of the pond.