Island lure

Bermuda entices honeymooners with its multitude of charms

Author: By Craig Harris, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, October 12, 1997

Page: M1

Section: Travel

One of the Earth's most romantic locales, Bermuda proved an unforgettable setting for our honeymoon. Although we had discussed Alaska, Montreal, California, or Paris, our experiences in Bermuda convinced us we made the right choice.

Six hundred fifty miles east of Cape Hatteras, N.C., the semitropical island was only a short hour-and-a-half flight from Boston. But its mixture of British customs and island traditions made it as exotic a destination as anyplace across the sea.

From the moment we landed at the Civil Air Terminal in St. George's, the island's easternmost parish, my bride, Gail, and I discovered a warm, friendly paradise. Even the cab driver, who took us from the airport to our hotel, The Reefs in Southampton, made us feel welcome with his commentary and observations about the island.

An archipelago of 138 small islands, separated by narrow channels and linked by bridges, Bermuda is only 20 miles long and less than 2 miles at its widest. As we drove (on the left hand side of the road), we passed pristine, pink-sand beaches and long stretches of oleander hedges, mangrove thickets, and Bermuda cedar, bamboo, and palmetto trees. Houses of pink, white, yellow, and turquoise limestone spread across the route with their white, multitiered roofs designed to capture rainwater.

While this marked my first trip to the island, it was Gail's third visit. In the past, she had stayed at less-expensive guest cottages and had come to the Reefs to watch Bermuda's spectacular sunsets from the hotel's outdoor terrace restaurant.

In contrast to the island's larger, more-corporate hotels, such as the Southampton Princess, the Sonesta Hotel & Spa, and Marriott's Castle Harbour Resort, the Reefs, celebrating its 50th anniversary, offered a more intimate and relaxing atmosphere. Set atop a large cliff overlooking a private beach, the hotel offered a majestic view, and its service-oriented staff made us feel like royalty. From the daily observance of the traditional tea time to the chocolates left on our pillows when our bed was turned down at night, the hotel sparkled with sophistication.

Meals were memorable, with breakfasts and dinners provided under the hotel's modified American plan. While breakfast was served in the main dining room, dinner offered additional seating choices. During the evening, men were required to wear jackets in the main dining room and outdoor terrace. Many wore the traditional Bermuda garb of navy blazer, navy knee-socks, and red, khaki, or pink Bermuda shorts. Menus in the dining room and terrace changed nightly and ranged from grilled Bermuda wahoo to sirloin steak.

The open-air, restaurant, Coconuts, was more casual and offered great food. Although the menu remained fixed, it included such choices as rock lobster, tenderloin of beef with polenta, and spicy Jamaican jerk-rubbed chicken.

Scooters and mopeds are the main modes of transportation on the island. Automobiles are not rentable, and ownership of a car is limited to one per Bermudian household. The island has an efficient bus and taxi system, but the two-laned roads are mostly occupied by cyclists.

Our first morning in Bermuda, I became aware of how dangerous scooters could be. Taking a ride after breakfast, I took a spill that left both of my knees sore. After much thought, we elected to trade in our two scooters for a double-seated model. For the rest of our stay, I sat on the back of the bike videotaping while Gail drove.

I wasn't alone with my wounds. At our hotel, we met a woman from New Jersey who had fallen off her scooter during the test ride and had required stitches.

Bermuda's natural environment dominated our week. With The Reefs' private beach and coral-laden waters a short walk from our room, Gail and I swam nearly every day. Although scuba diving expeditions were available, we preferred to use the hotel's snorkeling equipment and stay closer to shore. We were not disappointed. Snorkeling in water up to our waists, we saw scores of fish.

A highlight of our trip came on the first day when we swam with Atlantic bottlenose dolphins at the Dolphin Quest program at the Southampton Princess Hotel. During the half-hour encounter, we touched, petted, and played with the rubbery-skinned sea mammals and listened underwater to the clicks and beeps of their sonar communication. Souvenir photographs of the encounter were available immediately afterward in the facility's gift shop. Although most of the encounter's slots are reserved for guests at the Southampton Princess Hotel, a lottery is held daily to fill the remaining spaces.

Throughout the week, we continued to explore the island's ecology and history at the Botanical Gardens in Paget, the Crystal Caves in Hamilton, the Maritime Museum in Smith's Parish, and the Aquarium, Natural History Museum, and Zoo in Flatts Village.

The largest natural environment on the island, The Botanical includes more than 1,000 varieties of plant life spread out over 36 acres.

The gardens, which are nearly a century old, have continued to evolve. Founded as a public garden, the property quickly expanded its focus to include agricultural plants and flowers, and plants from around the globe. The grounds include an exotic orchid house, a subtropical fruit grove, a formal garden, and an aviary. The garden's latest acquisition, the huge Camden House, was added in 1976. Built in 1775 and formerly the Tucker estate, the house remains the official residence of the premier.

``We've been working on a master plan,'' Sarah Vallis, curator of the Botanical Gardens, said. ``We want to maintain open space for the public to use. But we also want to continue doing research and education.''

The Botanical Gardens are accessible via one of six entrances and are open daily from sunrise to sunset. Guided tours are offered three times a week.

Bermuda's most popular tourist spot, the Aquarium, Natural History Museum, and Zoo, attracts nearly 25 percent of all tourists to the island. Founded as a marine research facility and aquarium in 1903, the government-funded facility has greatly expanded its function.

``We have an important mission,'' Wolfgang Storrer, the Austrian-born curator, said. ``We want to make sure that our visitors can learn about the environment and natural history of Bermuda. But, we're the only natural resource for our schoolchildren. We want to make sure they find it interesting, as well.''

The aquarium's more than 100 species include parrotfish, barracuda, sand sharks, and a moray eel. A recently-built exhibit spotlights North Rock, an area 7 miles north of Bermuda known for its beautiful coral reefs.

The shortage of indigenous animal life on Bermuda forced the zoo to widen its scope and include everything from parrots and flamingos to Galapagos tortoises. ``If we only showed what we found in Bermuda,'' Storrer said, ``there wouldn't be a lot of animals in the zoo.''

The natural history museum serves two functions. As a scientific research group, it recently embarked on a Bermuda Diversity project to inventory all the species that ever inhabited the island. The more visible branch of the museum, the exhibition hall, is preparing for a massive renovation. ``We're going to have a walk-in cave and a coral reef,'' Storrer said. ``We're going to be a mix between an old-fashioned, specimen-oriented museum and a more interactive facility. We want to build a small movie theater and a planetarium.''

Although the natural history museum initially had a wider scope, it transferred anything of maritime historical importance to the Bermuda Maritime Museum when it was opened in 1982.

Located at Bermuda's westernmost point, the Maritime Museum occupies the parade grounds and buildings of The Keep, a fort built in 1800 to defend the Royal Naval Dockyard and later used by the navies of the United States and West Indies, and offers a thorough view of the island's interaction with the sea. ``We examine and exhibit the maritime history of Bermuda,'' Jacqueline Horsfield, director of development at the Maritime Museum, said. ``We include everything from artifacts that we got from the many shipwrecks surrounding the island to exhibits on Bermuda's tourism.''

Spread across the fort's 6 acres, the museum 's collection is split into several thematic buildings, including the Queen's Exhibition Hall, a treasure house with gold, coins, and other valued items from one of the many shipwrecks surrounding the island and a boathouse with unique sailing vessels.

The fort's grounds are kept trimmed by a flock of female sheep brought from Antigua. ``They're wonderful ladies,'' Horsfield said. ``If we didn't have them, we would need two men cutting the grass all day every day. They save us $50,000 a year and they ensure the peace and quiet of the fort.''

A project to restore the huge Commissioner's House at the fort, neglected since 1951, is in progress. Upon its completion, the three-story building will serve as main headquarters for the museum and a function hall available for all occasions.

The Royal Naval Dockyard also features crafts stores, galleries, a movie theater, restaurants, a marina with deep-water berths, The Enterprise submarine, and a cruise ship terminal.

Bermuda has one of the highest concentrations of limestone caves in the world. While several, including the Amber Caves of Leamington, are open to the public, the Crystal Cave is the deepest and best-known. Discovered in 1907 by two boys who climbed 120 feet into the cave in search of a lost ball, the Crystal Cave is marked by awe-inspiring stalactite and stalagmite formations and an underground lake so clear that the bottom is easily visible. With a guide leading the way, the cave is reached by a wet, sloping, walkway and a wooden bridge.

Punctuated by the cricket-like melodies of the island's frogs, Bermuda comes alive with sound at night. Although there are several music clubs to choose from, including Hubie's Jazz Bar in Hamilton and the Clayhouse Inn in Devonshire, most of the island's musical activity takes place in hotel nightclubs.

At the Sonesta Beach Hotel & Spa, next door to the Reefs, we sipped margaritas and virgin pina coladas and listened to the pop-soul of X-Tacy, a trio featuring vocal harmonies by Oklahoma-born Delietta Gillespie and lead vocals and keyboard playing by Bermuda natives, Tony Dill and Sheila Smith. One of the island's busiest acts, the trio offered a dance-inspiring mixture of songs by Sam Cooke, Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, and Bruce Springsteen.

Outside of a few talented native songwriters, Bermuda's music scene emphasizes Caribbean calypso and reggae and American pop, rock, R &B, and jazz. American and British folk and acoustic music are infrequently heard on the island, although the Bermuda Folk Club in Hamilton has provided a monthly showcase for the genre since 1973. With shows held at the Old Colony Club in Hamilton on the first Saturday of each month, the club could be mistaken for any church coffeehouse were it not for the cigarettes and drinks from an adjacent bar.

Local talent is usually featured, but the club has successfully lured a number of better-known folk musicians, including Fairport Convention, Ralph McTell, and Tom Paxton, to the island. ``We can't afford to bring in big-name artists for a folk club on an island of 60,000 people,'' McCoy said. ``So, it's done on the basis where we'll put them up in someone's house, feed them, and pay their expenses.''

Our final look at the island came when we met Delmonte Davis, the marketing editor of Bermuda's daily newspaper, The Royal Gazette, and his wife, Marty. Following lunch in the tea room of the 153-year-old Gibbs Hill Lighthouse in Southampton, we were taken by car for an insider's tour of the island. Driving through the exclusive Tucker's Town section, we momentarily stopped in front of Ross Perot's house. As we drove into Hamilton, the government center of Bermuda, we saw the island's most urban setting. A tourist's dream with store upon store lining the streets, the town offered everything from T-shirts and cigars to electronics and duty-free alcohol. The metropolitan image was shattered, however, when we watched a wild chicken cross a busy intersection.