The Pink-Sand Soul of Bermuda
There’s a moment, just as the plane descends over Bermuda, when the island reveals itself like a watercolor painting—turquoise waves lapping against crescent beaches, rooftops painted in pastel hues, and the unmistakable blush of those famous pink sands. This isn’t just another Caribbean escape; Bermuda is a world unto itself, a British Overseas Territory floating like a jewel 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina, where proper afternoon tea meets laid-back island time.
What makes Bermuda so beloved? Perhaps it’s the way the island defies expectations. There’s no mass tourism here, no sprawling resorts. Instead, you’ll find neat white-roofed cottages (designed to collect rainwater, a precious resource), winding lanes lined with oleander and hibiscus, and a rhythm of life that feels both refined and irresistibly relaxed. The locals, a warm blend of African, British, and Portuguese influences, greet you with a lilt that carries the cadence of the sea.
Stroll through Hamilton, the capital, and you’ll sense the island’s dual personality: men in Bermuda shorts and knee-high socks sip dark ’n’ stormies (the national cocktail) beside businessmen in blazers, while colorful murals whisper of the island’s history—from its shipwrecks (the Sea Venture’s 1609 grounding inspired Shakespeare’s The Tempest) to its role in the transatlantic slave trade. The Royal Naval Dockyard, once a strategic British outpost, now hums with artisan markets and snorkelers exploring coral reefs.
But Bermuda’s true magic lies in its hidden corners. Take a ferry to Somerset Village, where fishermen mend nets as casually as if it were 1923, or hike the Railway Trail, an 18-mile path tracing the island’s defunct train line, with ocean vistas at every turn. And those pink sands? They’re crushed coral and shells, a reminder that this island is, quite literally, built by the sea.
Today, Bermuda is quietly reinventing itself. Young chefs are reimagining fish chowder with rum-spiked sherry peppers, while sustainable hotels like the Cambridge Beaches blend old-world charm with solar power. Yet some things remain unchanged: the scent of salt and oleander on the breeze, the way the light turns the water too blue to be real, and the feeling that you’ve stumbled upon a secret the world hasn’t quite discovered.
Come for the beaches. Stay for the soul.
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