The footsteps on the cobblestone path were the first indication that breakfast was arriving. Then a figure in white, topped by a tall chef's hat and carrying two wicker baskets, emerged from around the cottage's side. With a broad smile, giving way to a cheerful British accent, he said "Good day," and, in typical Bermuda fashion, "all the best."
One basket was brimming with fresh, just-out-of-the-oven muffins, buns, sweet rolls and still-steaming croissants. The other held a bounty of island fruits and the morning's edition of Bermuda's delightfully informative Royal Gazette.
A quick foray to our suite's small refrigerator disclosed that the maid, when turning down the bed the evening before, had stocked it with a pitcher of cream, another of milk, and orange juice.
What a wondrous way to start the day!
But then again, it was Bermuda, considered to be the most civilized of the world's islands, and the suite was in one of the quintet of luxury duplex cottages opened in 1988 at Fourways Inn. They form a delightful addition to the complex that includes the popular restaurant of the same name and landmark Peg Leg's Tavern, both of which are local favorites.
Indeed, the level of service, and the many guest amenities at Fourways, located in the village of West Paget, are indicative of the changes taking place throughout Bermuda's 21-mile length, making the Royal Colony even more inviting.
It should be noted that Bermuda is not a single island, but an Atlantic archipelago comprising about 360 islands, of which 140 are large enough to build a house on. Hence, the use of "island" refers to the seven largest, which are connected to each other by bridges or causeways. While it has never been proved, many contend that Bermuda is the residue of an ancient volcano which rose from the Atlantic, and Harrington Sound was its crater. It is also the world's northernmost coral reef.
Bermuda's population of 56,000 are proud, friendly and well-educated. Almost all the permanent residents are in some way involved in tourism, which is the main industry. To understand how strong this involvement is, one need only know that Bermuda actually has overemployment, or an employment rate of about 108 percent. The island is without poverty, and according to the World Bank Bermudans rival the Swiss for having the highest standard of living.
Nowhere are the changes more apparent than at the island's two Princess Hotels. The Hamilton Princess, for 106 years the grand dame of Bermuda's hotels and the center of the island's tourism and social scenes, was refurnished wing by wing in 1989. Each year, this "pink palace on the water" is the rendezvous for the Newport-to-Bermuda Boat Race, her ballroom the site of most post-race festivities. Dinner reservations at the Princess' Tiara Room are coveted by locals and visitors alike.
Her sister hotel and the island's largest, the Southampton Princess, is Bermuda's meeting and convention headquarters. Unlike the in-town Princess, which is noted for her restored and refined Elizabethan elegance and grandeur, the Southampton is an up-to-the-minute, modern, self-contained resort. Its seemingly endless facilities include a private beach club, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, 11 tennis courts and a challenging 18-hole, par-3 executive golf course.
Bermuda has two other large and grand hotels. One is the Elbow Beach Club in Paget, with one of the island's finest beaches. Many longtime Bermuda devotees remember it as one of the highlights of the island's college weeks, which attracted generations of Canadian and U.S. students to revel in the sand and sun, stopping only for the always complimentary on-the-beach lunches. Elbow Beach also has been refurbished, with televisions added to all rooms, and an intimate "library bar" now graces the main guest sitting lobby, offering panoramic views of the Atlantic.
Castle Harbour, renamed Marriott's Castle Harbour Resort, was modernized to the tune of $60 million in the mid-1980s, including new wings and a ballroom and conference center. Fortunately, the rooms in the old portion still have their high ceilings and oversized closets. This past winter, all its rooms were redecorated and refurbished again.
One of the highlights of the all-new Castle Harbour is its surprisingly out-of-place Mikado's Restaurant, featuring Tepanyaki-style cooking. It is Bermuda's only Japanese eatery and extremely popular, since after-dinner live music is offered in the lounge next door.
The castlelike hotel sits high atop 250 rolling seaside acres in posh Tuckerstown, overlooking Castle Harbour and Harrington Sound. Its 6,435-yard championship golf course, designed by Robert Trent Jones, is one of the world's best-known and most photographed, with its signature first and 18th holes jokingly called the most expensive in golf because of the vistas of multimillion-dollar homes. In addition, there are six tennis courts, three heated swimming pools and two private beaches.
One of the reasons cited for the flurry of renovation and refurbishing at the large hotels is the planned opening of a Ritz-Carlton hotel and cottage colony on the island in 1993.
Traditionally, Bermuda has enjoyed what is almost a "progression" among U.S. visitors, many of whom were introduced to the island during their college years when they came for the legendary college weeks. Often, they'd return several years later for their honeymoons, lured back to the famous Bermuda moongates, which for centuries have been synonymous with the island as romantic landmarks. According to local folklore, newlyweds who pass through these uniquely Bermudan circular gateways together will enjoy lasting happiness and long lives.
First-time visitors generally select one of the largest hotels. Once introduced to the island, many return regularly, and indeed, Bermuda enjoys a 40 percent repeat rate among its visitors, with an astonishing 50 percent of all summer or high-season tourists being under the age of 40. During the winter months, that average increases by 10 years.
As visitors become more familiar with the island, they often opt for one of the profusion of smaller, more intimate accommodations, typically the Bermuda cottage colonies, upscale guest houses and cozy hotels. The oldest of these is Cambridge Beaches, set on a 25-acre peninsula jutting into picturesque Mangrove Bay in Somerset.
Another option, and the most economical, especially when traveling with children, is the housekeeping cottage and apartment colonies which, while not providing food and beverage service, do have well-appointed in-suite kitchens. Typical of these are the Marley Beach Cottages, high on a cliff overlooking the ocean at Paget. They were the cottages seen in the filming of Peter Benchley's movie "The Deep," and were the locale for the movie "Act Two." Marley Beach offers a hilltop pool with spectacular views, and an expansive private beach far below.
As mentioned earlier, Bermuda has two seasons. Its summer or high season begins on April 1 and lasts until mid-November, with temperatures ranging from 60 to 85 degrees. Warm sunshine usually lingers through Christmas and New Year's, and thereafter Bermuda's springlike climate is ideal for golfers, runners, cyclists and other sportsmen. Even in January, ocean swimming is possible on the frequent warm, sunny days, and of course, in the island's heated pools.
Visitors should remember that Bermuda is not a tropical island, but is instead warmed by the Gulf Stream. There is no rainy season, with precipitation evenly distributed throughout the year, though February and March can be soggy.
Some visitors prefer the island during Rendezvous Season, which starts Nov. 16 and ends March 31. During this period, Bermuda is less crowded, and hotel rates are considerably reduced.
At the top of almost any visitor's list is sun-lazing, or just lying on one of the all-but-deserted white or pink coral sand beaches, or around a pool, and doing nothing. One can explore the underwater rocks and coral reefs with scuba or snorkeling gear, or from a glass-bottom boat; water ski; or fish for a variety of native fish, including wahoo, amberjack, tuna and bonefish.
There are no rental cars available in Bermuda. Instead, most choose rented mopeds and scooters for touring the island's narrow, blossom-lined streets and lanes. Others use the spotless taxis. Still others use the frequent "pink buses" which traverse the island. And for a romantic hour, nothing beats a "Bermuda buggy ride" through the tranquil streets of Hamilton. Of course, plying back and forth on the Great Sound and Hamilton Harbour area, there are round-the-clock ferries, one of Bermuda's best values.
Much of the former right-of-way of the early Bermuda railroad has been converted into a series of hiking and bike paths, stretching from St. George's to the Dockyards.
Indeed, Bermuda is packed with attractions, from the Botanical Gardens to the world's smallest drawbridge at Somerset. Many tourists simply ride their mopeds and bikes along the roads, marveling at the distinctively Bermudian architecture, with the ever-present, immaculately clean, pastel-colored houses, their whitewashed roofs gleaming in the sunlight. Some opt for a box lunch at a secluded cove beach.
For those who were "born to shop," Front Street in Hamilton, the island's capital, has been dubbed "the Harrods of the West" because of its many fine shops and low prices. The island is a shopper's heaven because of the extremely low duties and absence of sales tax imposed by the government on the many luxury items imported from Europe, especially the British Isles. Considerably savings can be had on liquor, Scottish sweaters and woolens, Irish crystal and linens, English bone china, Italian leather goods, French perfumes and Swiss and Japanese watches.