Weekend Update

“What’s the best part about living in Bermuda?” It’s probably the most common question I'm asked. So many things I can say with all honesty, but perhaps the best of the bunch is the island’s proximity to the east coast and the opportunity to share my island home with vacationing friends and family. I already told you about when my niece’s came to visit (along with their respective parents and grandparents, of course)—how we visited the aquarium, made sandcastles at Horseshoe Bay, ate fish sandwiches at the Swizzle Inn. Fortunately my wife and I got to do it all over again when old friends from New York, Boston, and Atlanta paid us a visit last weekend. In town to celebrate an 80^th birthday, the multigenerational family of sixteen stayed at Willowbank Resort, a non-denominational Christian hotel on Bermuda’s west end (after all, the birthday girl’s husband was the priest who married us!). With rooms starting at $149 a night, it’s probably one of the sweetest deals in town. Best of all, it was in the perfect location to begin a full-island bus tour, an excursion booked through the Public Transportation Board of all places. Who knew public busses could be chartered? And driven by such pleasant and knowledgeable tour guides? I for one didn’t, until I started calling around on behalf of my guests. What resulted was a four-hour tour on a bubble-gum-colored public bus—by far the most informational endeavor I’ve embarked upon since moving to Bermuda. Our driver was a jokester named Swain, a delightful guide who regaled us in tales historical and otherwise (like when he pulled over to pick a branch of the spruce tree, what his mother used to call The Rod of Correction. Ouch!). We took in the breeze at lovely John Smith’s Bay (see above) and even explored the town of St. George and historic St. Peter’s, the oldest continually used church in the Western Hemisphere. In the end it was yet another wonderful weekend with friends. I’m just glad it could happen here in Bermuda.

Party Like Teddy

Heard the news about Ted Kennedy? Of course you have, although you probably haven’t heard how the now deceased U.S. senator spent his younger days on Bermuda’s pink shores. When he wasn’t fighting for human rights, championing health care, or captaining his beloved 50-foot sailboat the Maya, he was here enjoying the very things that make Bermuda such a wonderful place to visit. There was the 1990 stay when he popped up at a Ziggy Marley concert at the Bermuda Athletic Association (go Teddy!) and according to Frommer’s Boston, he was a frequent patron of the Swizzle Inn in Bailey’s Bay, no doubt sipping one of its potent house drinks. Like the Clintons he would relax at Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, a swanky hotel tucked away on Bermuda’s west end and it’s been reported that he and his first wife Joan liked to stroll the beach at Horseshoe Bay. Sounds like a lovely tour to me. In fact when my family paid me a visit just a few weeks ago, that was pretty much our itinerary to a tee (minus the reggae concert, of course). Wanna party like Teddy? Check out this deal from Cambridge Beaches: The resort is offering 25 percent off four-night stays through December 31, but you have to book by September 18. That means luxurious rooms that normally sell for $605 per night are on sale for around $345—still pricey but a hefty discount nonetheless. You’ll have a king sized bed, marble bathroom with whirlpool tub, and your very own private patio with endless ocean views—probably just the way Teddy liked it. 

Cash For Clunkers

According to this article in today’s New York Times, Asian automakers were the big winners in last month’s Cash for Clunkers program—officially known as the Car Allowance Rebate System, the U.S. program offered a $3,500 to $4,500 rebate to people who traded in an old car for a new one with higher fuel economy. Considering automakers like Toyota, Honda, and Nissan specialize in fuel-efficient compact and sub compact models, it’s no wonder more than 41 percent of cars sold in the U.S. last month were made in Asia. Who knew Bermuda was so ahead of the curve? Spend any amount of time on the island and you’re bound to notice a distinct difference between cars on the road here as opposed to those on any U.S. highway. In Bermuda folks drive tiny cars. If ever a sub-sub-compact class went on the market, they’d get scooped up faster than Usain Bolt at the Olympics. And the vast majority of cars in Bermuda are Asian made. Just last week my wife and I bought our own Asian made vehicle—a five-door Daihatsu Charade (see above). It’s probably the best car I’ve ever owned (Full disclosure: The others were pretty sad, actually. There was a 1988 Hyundai Excel, my very first car bought in high school; a 1980s model rusted-out Subaru I bought in St. Croix, U.S.V.I, for $400 cash; and a Mazda B2200 baby-blue pickup truck that needed a firm smack from a hammer just to get started). At any rate the Daihatsu rides like a dream and best of all, it’s totally fuel-efficient. Considering gas costs a whopping $7 a gallon here in Bermuda, that may be the best news of the day.

Damage Report!

Hysterical, right? This picture’s been making the rounds all morning and it couldn’t be more to the point. Reports are rolling in and aside from salty cars and a few downed power lines, Bermuda is still very much intact after Hurricane Bill came within 150 nautical miles of the island on Saturday morning. The worst of the impact was felt by Bermuda’s hotels: Elbow Beach, a swanky Mandarin Oriental property on the south shore, lost about 40 bookings due to the storm; about 50 guests backed out of their vacations at the Pompano Beach Club; and Newstead Belmont Hills Resort & Spa—a chic all-suites hotel on Hamilton harbor—lost about a dozen guests. Occupancy was also affected at the Fairmont Hamilton Princess and the Fairmont Southampton, but no doubt vacationers will be returning soon since Fairmont recently announced its stellar $99 a night deal that unfortunately expired over the weekend. Thankfully, no real harm done. In the meantime however, the rest of us will be tending to our door mats.

Hurricane Bill...Clinton

All of this hurricane business has clearly diverted my attention from spilling the beans on the arrival of yet another Bill to Bermuda’s pink shores: Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Admittedly it’s old news by now. The two arrived last Tuesday with plans to vacation through the weekend. But the storm changed all that, forcing the Clintons to leave on Thursday night instead. It’s a shame they couldn’t stay longer, however it’s clear the power couple enjoyed their short time at Cambridge Beaches, a secluded hotel on the island’s west end with 94 cottages and panoramic views of Long Bay (although I’m guessing they skipped the hotel’s new clothing-optional pool deck). According to the Royal Gazette, the two ate breakfast at Tamarisk Terrace—Cambridge Beaches’ waterfront restaurant—and enjoyed lunch at Shutters, its casual poolside café. President Clinton even played a round of golf at Port Royal, the newly renovated public course that will host the PGA Grand Slam of Golf this October (I wonder how he fared on the punishing sixteenth hole?). Early reports said the couple was visiting Bermuda to celebrate the 30^th anniversary of conceiving their daughter, Chelsea, which by all accounts is way too much information, but I suppose Bermuda can have that affect on people. Feel the love, indeed.