Bermuda has been on our destination list for some time now. It less than a three hour direct flight from our home airports of Philadelphia (PHL) or Newark (EWR). St. Regis Bermuda Resort has a great looking beach, has butlers to take care of your every need, and has great reviews, so that is where we decided to stay.
Our flight was smooth, only leaving about 10 minutes late. We landed and breezed through the airport thanks to the assistance of a VIP greeter. The greeter explained it was currently off season, and there were very few flights coming through. As we looked over the empty lines at immigration, she said in about two months it will be packed with long lines. Overall, I think we were off the plane and into the taxi in under ten minutes, which is by far the fastest airport arrival we have ever had.
It was about a 15 minute taxi ride to the St. Regis Bermuda Resort. The St. Regis Bermuda Resort hotel is an oceanfront luxury resort and community in the historic town of St. George, just steps from St. Catherine’s Beach.
We were welcomed with smiles, and more importantly Champagne. Our room wasn’t quite ready when we arrived, probably due to the speedy airport immigration. We decided to get lunch at Lina’s Restaurant which overlooks the beach. The fish tacos were amazing! We also had our first Bermudan drink, the Dark and Stormy. It is a mix of rum, lime juice, and ginger beer.
Shortly after lunch, we were told our room was available and that we were upgraded to a 3rd floor Suite with large balcony, and huge interior. The room had two bathrooms and a laundry room with washer and dryer. The kitchen was equipped with some of the best appliances such as a Sub-Zero refrigerator and a Wolf oven. The pots, pans, and utensils still had the price stickers on them!
The hotel offers complimentary tours for hotel guests at nearby Fort St. Catherine. Before sunset, we headed over to take a self guided tour of the fort.
Situated on the northeastern tip of St. George’s, Fort St. Catherine sits between St. Catherine’s Beach and Achilles Bay, towering above pink-sand beaches and offering sweeping ocean views nearly everywhere you look. The fort was constructed in 1614 and underwent numerous upgrades in the 19th century; inside, comprehensive exhibits and artifacts showcase 17th-century island life.
Prior to arriving to Bermuda, we made dinner reservations for BLT Steak for our anniversary dinner. It is a restaurant located on property. It actually uses the same space as Lina uses for breakfast and lunch. Speaking of our anniversary, the St. Regis staff was extremely good at congratulating us and giving us treats throughout the day, such as a cake. We only mentioned it once at check-in and the staff at Lina’s were aware of it for our lunch at arrival.
We ordered a crab cake for an appetizer, which I found a bit too spicy for my taste. My wife and I both had the 7oz Filet for our main choice. We also got a side of mashed potatoes and asparagus. And once again, the server surprised us with an anniversary dessert.
After we finished up with dinner, we headed back to the room where we found another cake for our anniversary!
The next morning, we headed to breakfast which was included in our stay. It consisted of a buffet and you had the option to order an omelet. I tend to never like the buffet eggs as they are always runny and under cooked for my taste. I ordered fresh scrambled eggs well done as well as some crispy bacon.
Once we were finished with breakfast, we took a taxi to Crystal Cave, which is over 140 feet underground, where there is a crystal clear lake of water with giant rock formations underwater as well as above your head.
The cave’s water rises and falls with tide. We were visiting during hide tide, so we had to duck under certain rock formations. The guide explained the walkway hits the ceiling under certain weather conditions such as a hurricane. The caves are closed for hurricanes due to this flooding.
After we finished our tour of the Cave, we exited out the back of the property which leads you right to the Swizzle Inn. The Swizzle Inn is Bermuda’s oldest pub and is home to Bermuda’s national drink, the Rum Swizzle, which was created in the early 1900’s. The drink is a blend of Gosling’s Black Seal and Amber rums with orange, pineapple and lemon juices, fruit liqueurs, falernum and a few other ingredients.
The ceiling was decorated with dollar bills and graffiti from the visitors over the years. We ordered a half pitcher of the Swizzle, conch fritters, and wahoo fish bites.
After we finished lunch, we took a taxi to the small town of St. George and walked around for a bit. One thing we noticed was that the roads were very narrow without sidewalks. It is not very good for walking around. It is a bit dangerous with blind corners and the narrow streets.
Then, from St. George, we walked back to the St. Regis. Along the way we passed by the Unfinished Church. This church was meant to replace St. Peter’s Church but never got completed.
Just before arriving to the St. Regis was Tobacco Bay Beach. It was easy to access, so I jumped down for some pics.
We decided to do a private dinner on our balcony after our day out. We kept it simple with a bacon cheeseburger and a pizza.
On our last full day In Bermuda, we had breakfast and then headed straight to empty beach. The weather was cool with a fairly constant breeze making it feel about 62 degrees. I used the beach towel as a blanket and relaxed for the day.
As the tide changed, it washed a Portuguese man o' war onto the beach.
While the man o' war's sting is rarely deadly to people, it packs a painful punch and causes welts on exposed skin. Beachcombers be warned: The stalwart man o' war may still sting you even weeks after having washed ashore.
We took a break to eat lunch at Lina again. I had fish tacos again and my wife had the Quesadilla. For drinks we had a Pina Colada and a Rum Swizzle. We were also provided some delicious basil bread they made. The views to the beach and ocean from the restaurant were amazing.
Every night at 6pm, every St. Regis on earth sabers a bottle of champagne for their guests. We had gone each night of our stay, and this would be our last one.
Dating back to the battles of Napoleon Bonaparte, who famously opened champagne with his saber in both victory and defeat, the art of sabrage is the signature ceremony of the St. Regis Evening Rituals series.
After the sabering, my wife and I had dinner at BLT once more. We had the same 7oz filet again, but changed up one of the sides to green beans. After dinner, we headed up to the room to relax a bit before we had to start packing to go home.
Our flight leaving was in the early afternoon, so we had our checkout time extended a bit and had lunch in our room before leaving. We were able to see one last sunrise just after breakfast.
After lunch, we hopped in a taxi and headed to the airport. The airport was not crowded and was easy to get through security. One huge benefit we found out is that US Global Entry can be done in Bermuda, and when you land you will not need to clear customs in the US. It really makes for a quick exit when you land.
Our flight was delayed about 30 minutes due to storms on the east coast of the US. When we took off, I saw an active karting track on the end of the island. It reminded me of racing them when we were in Aruba. I know what I am doing if we ever return to Bermuda.
As we descended into Newark for our landing, I noticed the headwind was VERY strong, more than I have ever seen before on a flight. There was a very large storm across the east coast causing a lot of issues at the surrounding airports. Just before we touched down, the nose of the plane was pointed toward the sky and the engines roared to life. We were planted back in our seats as the plane gained altitude. We had just aborted our landing due to the strong winds. It would be another 30 minutes of circling until we attempted to land again. This time we made the landing and everybody started to clap as relief set in.