February 25, 2004 -- Bermuda is good enough for New York City's Mayor Bloomberg to use as his regular vacation hideaway spot, dodging reporters and refusing to tell anybody in advance that he is going there. You should take the hint from him and explore it as your own personal getaway. Be warned, spring is the high and expensive season, and March/April see an influx of student travelers celebrating their spring breaks -- nearly 10,000 last year. Post-Easter is a better bet for a less crowded experience. Especially if you travel for reasons of romance, you can just barricade yourselves in your resort and forget about such matters.
You can travel almost as well as the mayor by staying at the Pink Beach Club & Cottages in Tucker's Town. They have a "Romantic Getaway Package" for four nights that features suite accommodations, two in-room Swedish massages, full English breakfast and afternoon tea daily, a five-course "gourmet" dinner daily, and use of the fitness center and tennis courts. From March 15 through April 14, 2004, this costs $1,840 per couple, and from April 15 through November 1, 2004, it goes up to $2,220 per couple. Taxes and tips are not included. For more information or to book, contact their US office weekdays starting from 9 to 5 EST at 800/355-6161, e-mail reservations@pinkbeach.com. The website is www.pinkbeach.com. (They're closed for the winter, re-opening on March 15, 2004.)
Through such hotel discount sites as Lodging.com, you can check out Bermuda's resorts and perhaps take advantage of a rate such as that listed at time of writing for a deluxe patio room at The Reefs, in Southampton on South Shore Road, overlooking the beach and the ocean, for $326 per night. This is a small place (67 rooms), but it has a private beach, three restaurants, and most of the amenities you'll need for a fun time. Contact this discounter at www.lodging.com.
If you can book by Sunday, February 29, you can take advantage of a promotional offer from the Bermuda Tourism Board (www.bermudatourism.com) that let's companions fly free on a minimum three-night air/hotel package. Travel is good through April 15. For more information, call 800/237-6832 or contact any of these participating tour operators: Delta Vacations (www.deltavacations.com); Classic Custom Vacations (www.classiccustomvacations.com); GoGo Worldwide (www.gogowwv.com); and TNT Vacations (www.tntvacations.com).
Bermuda is not quite the paradise it used to be (a phrase that could be applied to almost any place on earth, of course). The latest Consular Information Sheet from the US State Department (which tends toward the paranoid in its warnings) states that "Incidents of serious violent crime that were unheard of in the past -- particularly those involving weapons -- occur with increasing frequency, though most appear related to drug or gang activity." You can read the full details here: https://travel.state.gov/bermuda.html.
Have you been to Bermuda lately? Is it still the pristine paradise it's purported to be or have things taken a turn for the worse? We'd love to read your opinions about this topic on our Bermuda Message Boards.