Bermuda sits 600 miles off North Carolina's coast, a fact that rewires most travelers' mental geography the moment they realize it. A flight from New York City takes roughly two hours, meaning you reach turquoise waters and pink sand beaches faster than a typical summer Friday crawl to the Hamptons. Yet this subtropical island, with its 35 km/h speed limit and rum swizzles served in hotel lobbies, remains a secret to many Northeast coast dwellers who assume Miami is the obvious choice for sun.
The island transforms for two days each May when the Rolex SailGP Grand Prix arrives, bringing the kind of intensity that belies Bermuda's relaxed reputation. SailGP, often compared to Formula 1 on water, features elite teams piloting identical F50 catamarans that reach speeds of 65 mph while appearing to lift clear of the ocean. U.S. SailGP owner Mike Buckley frames the experience plainly: imagine being strapped to the top of a Formula 1 car traveling that speed on open ocean. Sailors brace against wind speeds requiring harnesses and ear protection, perpetually soaked in salt water, steering two-ton boats through extraordinarily tight courses on water rather than asphalt.
A superyacht named Arabella, anchored near Morgan's Point in Southampton Parish, offered a front-row vantage for watching the F50 catamarans tear across water and whip around each other at startling speeds. From the boat's deck, the vessels occasionally appeared to levitate as wind speeds picked up, the spectacle unfolding against Bermuda's jagged coastline.
The Loren at Pink Beach served as home base, a modern boutique hotel perched dramatically along Bermuda's south shore. Walking into the lobby meant encountering sprawling oceanfront views and a tray of rum swizzles, the tropical juice-and-rum cocktail that qualifies as Bermuda's unofficial national drink. The villa accommodations included a bathtub large enough to function as a jacuzzi and a sun-soaked private terrace lush with tropical greenery and flowers in full bloom. Mornings meant stretching out on terrace couches with coffee, breathing in the salty, floral scent of island air.
Dinner on Saturday night took us north to St. George, where Achilles offered sushi rolls, fresh calamari, tuna tartare, and cocktails inspired by island flavors. The second evening brought us to The Loren's Pink Beach Club, a Michelin Key restaurant where plates arrived just steps from the water. The menu emphasized fresh local catches and filet mignon, but the vegetable dishes merit their own attention: grilled baby gem lettuce and cauliflower appetizers paired with tableside tiramisu.
Beyond beaches and luxury hotels, Bermuda's 400-year colonial history demands genuine attention. One of the oldest remaining British Overseas Territories, the island's Black majority population traces ancestry to people enslaved from West Africa and the Caribbean under British colonial rule. The African Diaspora Heritage Trail stretches across the island, shedding light on that history through monuments, churches, and cultural sites that share stories of enslaved and segregated Bermudans. Cup Match, a two-day public holiday held in July featuring a high-stakes cricket match and island-wide celebrations, marks Bermuda's 1834 abolition of slavery. The Bermuda Tourism Authority offers a guide to Bermuda's Black Culture and Beyond, encouraging visitors to support Black-owned businesses throughout their stay.
Author Jessica Williams: "Bermuda's proximity to New York makes it inexcusable to keep overlooking, especially when the island offers genuine depth beyond Instagram-ready beaches."
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