On a scale of 1 to 10, Bermuda is an 11. As romantic as a single rose, charming as blue and white chintz, it is as sophisticated as caviar and champagne, and often uncrowded as a wind-swept beach at dawn.
Located 508 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., it is a remarkably accessible destination for a long-standing or even spur of the moment getaway for two. But, besides being easy to reach, there are many reasons the island chain magnetizes more than 20,000 hand-holding romantics every year.
We discovered Bermuda for the first time when our now teen-age daughter was 7 months old. Our two little boys were preschoolers and life was clocked in on the wrong speed: Overdrive.
It all began on a brisk September morning, when I discovered a mysterious note tied to the steering wheel of my car. It read: "Pack a bathing suit and meet me at the airport on Saturday. Grandparents are taking the kids for a week. Everything else is a surprise."
Titillation of the delicious invitation continued well after we were aloft and the outline of the series of 140 coral, lava and limestone bits of land strung over 16 square miles began to appear in the distance. From the air, Bermuda resembles a lazing family of seals, or even a nubby necklace, surrealistically floating in the azure Atlantic.
Upon scrutiny, Bermuda's personality emerges as a distinct composite that could be nowhere else. Glistening white rooftops, stepped, to collect precious rainfall, punctuate the horizon above sherbet-colored cottages and great estate houses. Delicate pink sand beaches languish below limestone cliffs, tracing the folded coastline along emerald green golf courses. A winding perimeter road connects nine parishes with straight-from-England names: St. George's, Warwick, Paget, Southampton, Hamilton, Devonshire, Pembroke, Smith's and Sandys.
Airport service, impressive enough to remember, was synonymous with efficiency and politeness. Officials routinely deal with passports, luggage and such, within an orchestrated system that couches irksome details in overtones of unabashed welcome and concern.
We quickly learned that Bermuda is more than a sticky, sandy resort. Although kissed by the Gulf Stream, which causes warmest August days to hover in the high 80s and cool February weather not to dip below 60, it personifies dignity and old-fashioned reserve. From neat colonial architecture often hung with lacy ironwork to an endearing tidiness, it is easy to identify contrasts between the roots of its Spanish discovery in 1503 by Juan de Bermudez and its subsequent mantle of Britishness, in place since the early 17th century.
That dual legacy is immediately apparent in your first encounter with the smartly turned-out bobbies who direct traffic (and do not tolerate jaywalking), as well as in the cheery accent of taxi drivers -- who politely ask everyone if this is their first trip to Bermuda, and if they are honeymooners.
During that first visit, we stayed in a small guest house near the sea and explored every nook and cranny, zipping from the
bustling harbor capital of Hamilton to sleepy St. George's on a moped-for-two. We picnicked on deserted beaches framed by swatches of gauzy sea grass strewn with wild oleander, tucking into the protection of gentle dunes carpeted in orange nasturtium. We scooted past white picket fences hung with purple morning glories and sampled pub fare in local haunts.
We played golf, shopped for bargains and even hired a horse-drawn surrey. We were photographed under one of Bermuda's moon gates, the round arches of coral that symbolize peace, unity and happiness. According to ancient legends, lovers who walk through the gates are assured everlasting luck. Our combined wish was that we would return someday.
Years and subsequent trips later, Bermuda continues to be alluring. But within its enchantment, it presents a recurring problem -- where to stay? Its famed cottage colonies that front on the sand or cling to seaside cliffs enjoy armies of devotees.
But, for those who like activity, Hamilton's guest houses offer charming options, within strolling distance of everything. Large hotels like the Southampton Princess or grandly restored Elbow Beach Hotel are self-contained giants, with services galore, but my personal favorite is Horizons, a small antiques-filled inn set on a rise of land amid 25 acres of lawns, pool, nine-hole mashie golf course, putting green and tennis courts. It features verrry British, chintzy public rooms, fine dining, exquisite service, airy (some with fireplace) bedrooms in 39 "cottages" with private terraces. Although not directly on the sea, it shares guest dining and beach privileges at Coral Beach and Tennis Club across the road.
Bermuda's cuisine is cosmopolitan and straightforward. Gourmet and down-home. It is local lobster, conch fritters and heavily spiced seafood, as well as sophisticated Continental fare. We always reserve a few nights for Horizons' terrace and the drama of the Waterlot Inn; but Little Venice, Hamilton's oldest restaurant is the choice for casual dining ,and La Trattoria features red-checked tablecloths and inexpensive Italian food.
If lodging offers many choices, intra-island travel does not. Locals love to recount how farsighted visionaries legislated automobile ownership to permanent residents, long before cars replaced carriages as a transport of choice. Thus, rental cars were automatically banned, old ways effectively sheltered, and Bermuda's byways protected from the assault of modern-day congestion. Rigid automobile laws spawned the island's most famous Bermuda-ism, touring by moped.
With a little practice, most visitors comfortably navigate motor bikes, remembering the British custom of keeping to the left, wearing a helmet and not exceeding 35 miles an hour. However, if power biking is not for you, there are plenty of taxis as well as a reliable public network of lumbering pink buses and tooting ferries that connect all land and water points.
Other Bermuda-isms abound. The beaches are legendary. Great expanses of pristine sand invite sunning and long romantic walks. You'll love horseback riding among flower-coated dunes and languishing on rafts in the crystalline sea. For the more energetic, there's water-skiing, windsurfing, snorkeling and parasailing. Scuba diving around hundreds of documented shipwrecks in the deepest waters attracts experienced divers.
Less adventurous visitors enjoy "bottom-peeking" and fish-feeding from glass-bottom boats that ply Hamilton harbor and the Great Sound to protected sea gardens near Somerset. We never cease to marvel at the living panorama: schools of brilliant fish and dramatic coral formations.
Golf is synonymous with Bermuda. Guests are welcome at all eight courses, but rules at public and private links vary with each club. Those like Castle Harbour, Port Royal and the Southampton Princess Golf Club simply require booking tee-off times in advance. Breathtaking surf-side holes at Mid-Ocean Club in Tucker's Town are world-class. Non-members are permitted to play at the private club on certain days by prior arrangement.
Allow at least a half day for shopping in Hamilton. A potpourri of shops and respected department stores line harborside streets and alleys, offering quality goods and bargains of 30 percent to 40 percent on fine crystal, watches, perfume, cosmetics, jewelry, linens, wool and cashmere. But because Bermuda's low import duties and tax-free status contribute to its popularity as one of the world's favorite anchorages, we always check the arrivals' schedule in the local newspaper and plan our shopping on the quietest days.
Visitors tempted to compare prices in branch stores should be cautioned not to waste time. An island policy decrees that all prices correspond to the main store.
Once you're sated with Hamilton, head for charming St. George's, Bermuda's oldest settlement. Dating from the 17th century, its tinted periwinkle, cinnamon and flamingo houses dot the hillside above the snug harbor. Narrow walkways encircle centuries-old buildings. You'll feel a rush of history during the energetic climb up stairs from Duke of York Street to St. Peter's, the oldest church in the Western Hemisphere.
Life in St. George's occurs around King's Square. Its stage-set feel makes it fun to pose in the old stocks and pillory, explore the replica of 300-year-old sailing ship Deliverance and tarry over a .. casual lunch in one of the town's waterside pubs.
The rest of Bermuda just happens, unfolding like an exotic flower. Hop aboard a ferry and sail to Somerset. It is rural and as old-fashioned as a rambling rose -- a perfect place for picnics and unplanned meandering. Visit the massive Royal Naval Dockyard, where the Bermuda Arts Centre displays and sells works of local artists. When you want to be alone, explore the three tiny islands off Cambridge Beaches, crossing Somerset Bridge, the world's smallest drawbridge, where boats obey red and green lights.
After tea, take a romantic, dusky stroll around the famed Bermuda Botanical Gardens in Paget. It's a perfect time to hear chattering, yellow Kiss-Ka Dees rustling about and noisy tree frogs trying to put little ones to bed.
Then, for the best of starlight, snuggle in a fringed horse and buggy and gently clip-clop through town. Save another evening for a midnight cruise, where dramatic sails peer at sunken vessels and mysterious coral reefs. When it's time to leave, consider your visit the beginning of an adventure. And a newly acquired habit -- called Bermuda.
If you go . . .
* Currency: The Bermuda dollar is equal to one U.S. dollar, and both are legal tender on the island. Virtually all hotels, restaurants and shops honor major credit cards and take traveler's checks.
* Safety: Remember to stay left when driving a moped and to look the correct way for traffic approaching on the left when crossing streets.
* Documents: Although Bermuda does not require passports for entry, you'll need proof of citizenship. A passport is easy to carry, but officials will accept a certified copy of your birth certificate, a U.S. re-entry permit or a U.S. alien registration card. Driver's license, credit cards or uncertified copies of birth certificates are not acceptable proof of citizenship.
* For information: Bermuda Department of Tourism, Global House, 43 Church St., Hamilton, Bermuda; (809) 292-0023; or Bermuda Department of Tourism, Suite 201, 310 Madison Ave., New York, N.Y. 10017; (212) 818-9800.