What's New

Where to Stay

The most opulent hotel in the history of Bermuda, Tucker's Point Hotel & Spa, 60 Tucker's Point Club Dr. (tel. 866/604-3764 or 441/298-9800), made its debut in the spring of 2009. It was reconstructed on the site of the Castle Harbour Club, once the most famous hotel in Bermuda. Set on 200 landscaped acres, the hotel is the epitome of resort luxury. Creative styling fairly oozes out of the place, and its centerpiece is a balconied, big-windowed manor house filled with contemporary art.

Across the harbor from the capital of Hamilton, Bay City Guest House, 53 Pitts Rd. (tel. 441/295-1275), has no pool nor beach, but it's a bright, airy, well-run place to stay. In a former mansion, its bedrooms open onto scenic views of the harbor. Accommodations are traditionally furnished and quite spacious.

An old Bermuda home, Erith Guest House, 15 Pomander Rd. (tel. 441/232-1827), has been transformed into the latest B&B to open on the island. Guest rooms are exceedingly bright and well maintained, with comfortable furnishings, even a kitchenette. A swimming pool and hot tub are found in the courtyard.

On the South Shore, Clairfont Apartments, 6 Warwickshire Rd. (tel. 441/238-3577), is one of the most affordable accommodations on the island, renting eight well-maintained units with a separate living and dining area. It caters to self-sufficient types, and lies only a 5-minute walk from a beach of pink sands.

Where to Dine

In the Reef Hotel, a formal restaurant, Royston's, has opened at 56 South Rd. (tel. 441/238-0222), serving a refined, full-flavored, and inventive continental cuisine. It's one of the best choices for dining in a hotel on the island. The chef uses locally made products when available, even marinating poultry dishes in Bermudian black rum.

One of Bermuda's former best restaurants, La Coquille, has been transformed into the even better Broadway Bistro at Coquille, East Broadway in Hamilton (tel. 441/292-6122), serving one of Bermuda's best French cuisines. The chef prefers old-time bistro favorites familiar to all those who've been to Paris. Dishes range from steak frites to frog legs provençale.

At the deluxe Tucker's Point Hotel & Spa, 60 Tucker's Point Club Dr. (tel. 441/298-9800), the swanky Point Restaurant has opened to acclaim with its first-rate Mediterranean cuisine. A seasoned chef treats local produce with care in classic, technically precise dishes. The decor celebrates the maritime heritage of Bermuda, centering on an extraordinary and large mural. Favored guests eat in the kitchen at the chef's table.

Active Pursuits

At long last the Port Royal Golf Course, 5 Middle Rd. in Southampton (tel. 441/234-0974), has been restored at the cost of several million dollars. Originally designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr., in 1970, it has been made better than ever, reopening in the summer of 2009. Its 15th and 16th holes are just as beautiful but also as "dangerous" as ever. They are played on windy cliff tops overlooking Whale Bay.

In another development, the chartered yacht, M.Y. Bermuda IV, No. 3 Stowe Hill in Paget Parish (tel. 441/232-7000), is now accepting live-aboard guests, especially scuba divers and underwater photographers. Guests on this luxury vessel occupy one of three en-suite staterooms and dine on a cuisine prepared by a highly skilled chef. It's also possible for other vacationers to call and try to arrange a sumptuous dinner aboard the yacht.