Planning Your Trip
The government of Bermuda is working to overcome its stuffy reputation. Tourism Minister Ewart Brown said, "We're in transition from boring to pop and sizzle." There were just too many complaints about $250 rooms that tend to be outdated, frumpy, and in need of TLC. Guests cited the lack of flat screens, DVD players, or pillow-top mattresses. Many hotels are now working to remedy this situation.
To help make it easier for visitors to book a vacation, the Department of Tourism has launched a newly designed website: www.bermudatourism.com. The site features comprehensive information broken down into user-friendly categories for vacationers, weddings, travel agents, and media. An interactive map of the island lets visitors see exactly where they'll be going on their Bermuda vacation as well as convenient weather information, entry requirements, and little-known Bermuda facts, including the latest travel packages and a state-of-the-art booking device.
Surveys have shown that a younger and more adventuresome type of visitor is flying into Bermuda, persons interested more in hiking and water sports than lying around the pool. Bermuda has always been deficient in nightlife. The French Quarter of Hamilton is being looked at as a possible venue for development of a youth-oriented nightlife scene.
Police are cracking down on vacationers who use cell phones while riding motorcycles cross island. They are being pulled over by the police and given a fine. Bike riders are also affected. Police found that many cyclists use cell phones tucked into their helmet or hand held while they are riding.
Bermuda has always been considered a safe destination, especially when compared to countries of the Caribbean such as Jamaica. However, there is some crime here, and the U.S. State Department has issued an advisory. Criminal activity continues to take place at St. George's, a popular cruise ship destination. Incidents of verbal and physical assault against tourists have been reported. Petty drug use is frequent, and gang activity has been reported in the area as well. In recent years, the area of Pitts Bay Road from the Hamilton Princess Hotel into the town of Hamilton has been a common setting for muggings. However, the police have installed surveillance cameras to reduce these incidents. The back streets of Hamilton are often the setting for nighttime assaults, particularly after the bars close.
British Airways (tel. 0870/850-9850) has increased its service from London to Bermuda from five to seven days per week, making the island more accessible for European visitors.
Where to Stay
When completed in 2008, the new government-rated Tucker's Point Hotel & Cottages (www.tuckerspoint.com), a $100 million development, will be Bermuda's first luxury hotel in more than 35 years. It is being built at Harrington Sound. The new hotel is being constructed around the original frame of Castle Harbour Hotel, which opened in 1931 and closed in 1999. The resort plans to have a "soft opening" with guest rooms available in October 2008, but it will not officially open until April 2009. Preparations are also underway for the opening of Tucker's Point Spa, expected to be among the most luxurious on the island, with 10 interior treatment rooms and one private garden cabana suite.
For years the old Club Med in St. George has been an eyesore, but a developer has been found. The hotel that stood here for years has been demolished, and it's going to be developed into a modern resort. It will no doubt be operated by a major chain, perhaps Four Seasons. A well-known golf pro will design a new 18-hole course.
Other projects are on the development board, including a Regent Hotel. There will be a new Belmont Newstead, a hotel plus a fractional ownership resort. The goal is to have 7,500 hotel rooms in Bermuda by 2008, and then a year or two after that a maximum of 10,000.
A lot of that final goal can be achieved with the development of Morgan's Point, which was the former U.S. Navy base. Morgan's Point is the largest piece of unutilized land still left in Bermuda. The former naval base remains a desolate, out-of-bounds peninsula for more than a decade after the U.S. military left.
One of Bermuda's most famous hotels, the Wyndham Bermuda Resort & Spa, in Southampton Parish, closed in October 2006 and will remain closed for redevelopment until October 2009 (subject to change, of course). In business for about four decadesÂ?and once known as the SonestaÂ?the resort is being turned into a new, government-rated five-star resort. Stay tuned for future developments.
Where to Dine
A long-time favorite restaurant, Tuscany, has been reborn as Bolero Brasserie, 95 Front St. (tel. 441/292-4507). The restaurant has a sophisticated European brasserie theme, and is open daily with a tapas or amuses bouche menu in the afternoon between lunch and dinner. The menu is a complete departure from Tuscany's former Italian cuisine, with a broader international selection. Specialties include such classics as coq au vin along with a good selection of fish and seafood. Naturally, you get such brasserie staples as frog's legs and snails with the chef's own special twists to these dishes. The staff is dressed in long waistcoats (hence, the name bolero) along with long white aprons and red ties.
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