Our Christmas trip this year was to
Bermuda. We wanted some place exotic since it was our 10th anniversary in December but did not have any vacation. So it had to be a short trip.
Bermuda is a tiny Atlantic Island with pink sand beaches. The mild climate (we had to escape the cold winter of the Midwest – if only for a few days) and the close proximity to the mainland attracted us. It had also been listed as one of the top 10 romantic retreats. So what better place for a short visit for our 10th anniversary.
We left Columbus for Bermuda on the 22nd and had a stopover in Atlanta. It was 2:30 by the time we landed there. As the plane descended to land - I was excited and overjoyed to see the blue waters - a blue that I had never seen before.
After customs/immigration we went looking for the bus which was to drop us at the hotel. We had pre-booked our airport transfers. But the moment we came out of the airport we were drawn towards the turquoise waters of the ocean.
We were not disheartened since we had to wait for some time before the van arrived and spent that time enjoying the beauty of the waters.
On our way to the hotel - we noticed that
Bermuda had single lane winding roads across the island and all throughout we got a view of the blue waters. Another thing that caught our attention was the pastel colored houses in
Bermuda. They came in 'all different colors - pink, peach, blue, green, violet and with different colors right next to each other or perched on top of a hill - the view was very interesting.
We were booked at the Elbow Resort which had very good reviews on the Net. After we reached our hotel and once in our room we opened the balcony door and there was the vast blue ocean right in front of our eyes. It was time for some rest and Rishim's nap.
It was very blustery outside and inside the room you could hear the wind and the water pounding outside.
Saptorshi went out to explore in the meantime. Later on we went for our dinner to Cafe Coco at a nearby resort - Coco Beach .
Next morning we woke up to a wonderful sunrise and all ready to explore. We took a cab to
Hamilton and walked the streets of
Hamilton to see the buildings, the town hall, and the church. We even spotted a Deloitte office there.
There were quaint shops and cafes all over Front Street. Hamilton is the capital of Bermuda.
We stopped for breakfast at one of the local cafes and then we were at the ferry terminal to board the ferry to the Royal Naval Dockyard
At the Dockyard our first stop was the Maritime Museum. The Dolphin Encounter particularly interested Rishim and we spent time there watching people play with the dolphins, feed them and swim with them.
Next we visited the Bermuda Art Gallery, the Clock tower Mall, the Bermuda Rum Cake factory and the Dockyard glassworks.
We watched the artisans create fantasies from molten glass at the Glassworks. I shopped for some mementos - some earrings and necklaces made out of glass.
We sampled different varieties of rum cake at the rum cake factory.
Rum cakes here are made exclusively with Bermuda's Gosling's Black Seal rum. There were all different kinds of flavors like include traditional black rum, rum and ginger, rum swizzle, banana rum, coffee, coconut rum and rich, dark chocolate rum. They were so tempting that we bought some cake to take with us back home.
Everybody has heard of the planes and ships that ventured into the Bermuda Triangle and disappeared forever. The "official tip" of the infamous triangle is at Clock tower Mall in Bermuda's Royal Naval Dockyard
The Cooperage was originally used for making barrel sand is now home to the Frog and Onion Pub and that was our stop for lunch. . There are no fast food restaurants in Bermuda. So this trip was also about trying different kinds of food.
On our way back we took a leisurely, scenic bus ride back to our hotel.
Once we were back at the hotel it was time for Rishim's nap. Saptorshi again went out on his daily exploration and shopping.
Later in the evening we enjoyed some Bermuda Rum Swizzle - the signature drink of Bermuda. After that we were ready for dinner. After browsing thru' the books we decide that it would be Italian. We called the Portofino's for reservations and then once we were ready we hired a cab to take us there. Bermuda does not allow rental cars for visitors. So everywhere we went it was the bus, the ferry or the cab which took us to our destination. It was a short ride to Hamilton. After dinner we were ready to retire for the night. We were all very tired.
Sunday was our day to visit St. George's Parish. We took a bus to Hamilton and then boarded another bus which took us to St. George's. This is landing point of the first settlers and home to the oldest permanent English town in the New World.
It was named a UNESCO World Heritage sight in 2000. We walked the streets of St. George's and could sense the old world charm in its quaint streets and old buildings - so different from the streets of Hamilton that we visited the day before.
We visited the St. Peter's Church which is believed to be the oldest Anglican place of worship in the
Western Hemisphere.
We visited George's Square, saw the Town Hall and various other old buildings. We then looked for Petticoat Lane (or Silk Alley) and Barber Alley - we had read about these before our visit there.
We stopped at the Bermuda Perfumery which is housed in a 300 year old building and stocked up on perfumes. We stopped for lunch at Carriage House
We took the bus back to our hotel. Next we were off to the Elbow beach and Rishim loved playing with the sand and the water.
The feeling of the pink sands slipping in between our toes was just heavenly.
After rest in our room we got ready for our Christmas Eve dinner. We also tried some of the other Bermuda signature cocktails like the Bermuda Triangle and Dinner at Seahorse grill at our resort.
Christmas Day was our final day and we were flying out in the late afternoon. So we spent the morning lazing and spending time at the resort. We went to the swimming pool where Rishim had a blast even tho' none of us knew swimming we restricted ourself to the 2ft depth. We also enjoyed the hot tub. We spent time at the beach and then completed some last minute shopping.
Then it was time to pack up and then we attended the Christmas celebrations in the lobby. Rishim was so excited to see Santa arrive in a horse drawn carriage and he even went in front to welcome Santa and shake hands with him. His name was the first to be called by Santa since he had been eagerly waiting for a long time.
Then we had Christmas lunch at one of the resort restaurants and waited for our airport shuttle.
It was time to say goodbye to
Bermuda. It was a sweet and short trip and we thought we would be back again.
