In The News

With its powdery pink sand beaches and there-before-you-know-it access from the U.S.—less than two hours from most east coast gateways, thank you very much—Bermuda has long been a favorite among folks looking for a quick romantic getaway. And apparently CNN agrees since its latest story, Five Hot Honeymoon Destinations, includes Bermuda among exotic locales including French Polynesia, Fiji, Italy and Bali. Reports CNN: "A small island, Bermuda gives off a close-knit community feel while providing an exotic flavor. Pastel-colored buildings and crystal blue waters give the scenic impression that you're far from home without the long journey. For couples taking a "mini-moon" and compensating with a longer honeymoon when time allows, Bermuda provides a special weekend getaway where you can still make it back to work on Monday." Here, here! Of course, if you can stick around awhile longer the island has tons to offer. For tips, suggestions and useful Bermuda itineraries—since, quite frankly, CNN did a less than stellar job of telling readers what to do once they're here—check out 36 Hours in Bermuda from the New York Times or Jetsetter's The Many Faces of Bermuda, both written by yours truly.

In The News

You may have noticed a decline in posts recently. Apologies, but it's really out of my control. You see, Bermuda Shorts got its newest little correspondent last week—a beautiful baby boy, born on Friday, March 4th who is currently taking up the majority of my time. But have no fear! You'll continue to get your tropical news and island updates on a regular basis, but probably not until sometime next week (or when my head gets down from cloud nine). In the meantime Bermuda Shorts would like to apologize in advance to all of its regular readers—that means you in West Islip, N.Y., you in Mountain View, Calif., my Brazilian fan club, the goods folks in New Delhi, India, my peeps in Edinburgh, Scotland and especially all of you right here in Bermuda. Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more of your regularly scheduled Bermuda Shorts programming. Now if you don't mind, I'm gonna go get some sleep.

In The News

Bermuda may be known for its pink sand beaches and world-class golf courses, but did you know that the island is also home to one of the most advanced marine research labs in the world? Founded in 1903 as the Bermuda Biological Station, the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS) leads its field in underwater research—clearly, since NBC news recently featured the Bermuda-based lab and its director, Dr. Tony Knap, in an episode of the science-minded series Changing Planet. If you’ve got six minutes, watch the above video to learn why the world’s ocean temperatures are rising. It’s an interesting report, especially since it uncovers how BIOS scientists have been measuring the temperature of the ocean since 1954, making Bermuda the epicenter of one of the world’s longest ongoing studies of ocean data. “We like to think of the Sargasso Sea in the North Atlantic as the canary in the coal mine," says Dr. Knap about Bermuda's scientifically significant location. "It’s the smallest ocean, it’s between North America and Europe and we think if we are going to see changes, we will see them first here in the ocean off Bermuda." Science teachers, time to revise those lessons plans.

In The News

The year is quickly coming to a close, which means year-end “best of” lists will be popping up everywhere long before you’re clinking champagne flutes at midnight. Tis the season, I suppose. The most interesting one I’ve seen thus far has been The 10 Most Powerful Tweets of 2010 (one of my favorites is from @BPGlobalPR, a satire-laden feed created in response to the Gulf Coast oil spill: “Catastrophe is a strong word, let’s all agree to call it a whoopsie daisy”). But of course we’re here to talk about Bermuda so let’s delve into the latest list from Travel+Leisure, its annual World’s Best Hotels list, which was released this week and features the world’s 500 greatest hotels. With a total score of 89.08 out of a possible 100, The Reefs Hotel & Club was selected for the eighth time, this being the fourth year in a row for the beloved Southampton resort (that's the hotel's "Travel+Leisure Terrace," where you can dine next to the ocean). Also on the list, Tucker’s Point Hotel & Spa, which is making its T+L World’s Best debut with a score of 90.59. Considering the magazine also chose luxurious Caribbean stalwarts like Antigua’s Curtain Bluff Resort and Cap Juluca in Anguilla, Bermuda is indeed in very good company.

In The News

This just in from AirTran Airways, a low-cost carrier known for its rock-bottom fares: Starting next spring the airline will begin seasonal service to Bermuda from Baltimore and Atlanta. That means travelers in the Baltimore/Washington area can easily fly to the island from April 7 through October 24 and sun-seekers in Atlanta can eschew Delta’s high-priced fares from May 26 through September 6. The move adds a sixth destination to AirTran’s international lineup including Aruba, Cancun, Montego Bay, Nassau and Punta Cana. All good news indeed, especially since there has been much speculation about what airline may follow suit, namely Southwest since the low-fare king plans to buy AirTran for $1.4 billion. So, will Southwest be the next airline to fly to Bermuda? Consider this: The new AirTran routes depart from Baltimore—a major Southwest hub—meaning the airline could connect flights from other cities including New York and Boston to its new Bermuda service. Considering the move would vastly undercut fares from JetBlue, Continental and American, all of which currently serve the island from the northeast, this latest announcement may indeed be checkmate for the legacy carriers to the island.

In the News

Just as Bermuda was featured in the New York Times last week, the island has received accolades from yet another venerable publication—this time from National Geographic Traveler, which rated 99 Coastal Destinations in its November/December issue. To the magazine’s credit each watery destination was thoroughly reviewed. A panel of 340 experts in “sustainable tourism and destination stewardship” rated this “geographically and culturally representative sample of the world’s waterside locales,” writes Jonathan B. Tourtellot, Traveler’s geotourism editor who devised the destination stewardship survey in 2003. That means experts in a variety of fields including historic preservation, ecology, indigenous cultures and more weighed in on six criteria: Environmental and ecological quality; aesthetic appeal; social and cultural integrity; condition of historic buildings and archaeological sites; quality of tourism management; and outlook for the future.

So how did Bermuda stand up to the pack? With an overall score of 72 out of a possible 84, the island is officially “Doing Well” and panelists generally had a positive impression. Here’s what some of them had to say:

"One of the best managed small islands. Good public transport and strong zoning keep tourism under control."

"Bermuda is an endless pink suburb. Pastel building with white roofs that catch rainwater. All is manicured; most open spaces are golf courses or parks. Tourism is tightly controlled, though there are perhaps too many cruise-ship visits."

"History and nature both have their place on this long-settled island."

"Has an excellent bus-and-boat public transportation system. A number of visitors use it, and the tourist board would be wise to promote this to visitors even more. Government has limited most households to one car; no rental cars are available. So traffic in and out of Hamilton isn't as bad as it could be. The downside is the high number of mopeds. While fun, they are also noisy and polluting."

Fair and balanced comments across the board, especially that bit about our public transportation system, which I believe is among the best in the world. On an island known for its ritzy glam and pricey hotel rooms it’s nice to know you can get pretty much anywhere for around three bucks. Plus I’ll gladly wait at a bus stop that has unending views of the Atlantic.

Doing well? I think Bermuda is doing just fine indeed.