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FALLING IN LOVE WITH BERMUDA
A visit to Bermuda soon demonstrates why the rich and famous, and lucky holidaymakers, are bewitched by it:
Bermuda has a big advantage over the Caribbean in its proximity to the UK. You get a Caribbean vibe and sub-tropical temperatures, and the chance to sip heady rum cocktails on paradise beaches, all within a six-and-a-half hour flight from London or a two-hour return trip from New York, if you tack on a shopping spree in the Big Apple to cash in on the cheap dollar.
Spanish sea captain Juan de Bermudez discovered the uninhabited island 600 miles off the Carolina coast back in 1503. Treacherous reefs earned it the nickname Isle of Devils and it was 1609 before the arrival of the visitors who put it on the map.
British ship the Sea Venture was shipwrecked on the island in a storm - immortalised in Shakespeares The Tempest - en route to colonise Virginias Jamestown settlement. Admiral Somers and his fellow castaways spent a year building two ships, Deliverance and Patience, to complete their Virginia voyage - and left behind a handful of men to establish an English claim to the island.
England eventually saw a potential for colonisation and shipped out a few dozen settlers to seal the deal. Today, this elegant tax haven is home to 65,000 people, including Hollywood A list couple, Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Its easy to see why the rich and famous, and lucky holidaymakers, are bewitched by Bermuda.
Pretty houses sugar-coated in shades of mint green, powder blue and lemon yellow nestle among lush green palms, their white lime-washed rooftops - to purify rain for drinking water - glinting in the sunshine.
The slightly cooler months from November to March make up the Golf & Spa season.
Golfing here is pretty much perfect. The island has eight stunning courses, such as the Mid Ocean Golf Club, ranked among the top 50 links in the world. Teeing off is nothing short of euphoric as you slide a driver from your bag and sweep your eyes down the fairway to the green, against a backdrop of turquoise ocean.
To revive yourself after a game (or while your other half goes hell for leather on the course), try a spot of pampering in the spa.
The Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Southampton Hotel is the perfect oasis in which to dust off the bunker. Mud wraps and mineral baths jostle for your attention with detoxifying reflexology and aromatherapy hot stone massages.
Golf fanatics can even try an acupressure treatment to improve their swing, which has the stamp of approval from golf wizard David Leadbetter.
Bermudas hotter season - Beach & Sizzle - runs from April to October and is the best time to experience the islands famed pink sand beaches, tinged that dusky rose colour from flecks of purplish coral. Popular Horseshoe Bay is vaunted as one of the top 10 beaches in the world.
Sea-lovers are offered a plethora of water sports from wind-surfing to jet-skiing, glass bottomed boat tours and swimming with dolphins - but where the local coastline really excels, is diving.
Nicknamed Shipwreck Alley, Bermuda is ringed by 200 miles of coral reefs dotted with more than 300 shipwrecks to explore - from World War Two vessels to 16th century Spanish galleons. Sunken ship The Constellation, the inspiration for Jaws author Peter Benchleys 1970s novel The Deep, also lies beneath Bermudan waters.
Novice divers can still be wowed by the reefs four-eyed butterfly fish and brain corals by trying helmet diving - a form of undersea exploration where you wade along the ocean floor with the aid of a breathing helmet.
When it comes to planning a beach outfit, remember that Bermuda shorts are not the brightly patterned surfer-dude swimming trunks I envisaged, but rather an everyday work outfit worn in the boardroom in place of stifling suits - complete with shirt, tie, blazer and knee-high socks.
Sartorially enlightened, it was time for me to explore.
Bermuda is a chain of seven main islands which form a fish-hook shape with the two main towns located at either end.
The World Heritage site of St George, with its twisting cobbled streets and forts, is Britains second oldest settlement in the New World and contrasts with the more modern capital Hamilton - which is Bermudas commercial centre.
Hamilton has a clutch of boutiques, restaurants and bars to choose from, such as the impressive steak-famed Waterlot Inn, where my surf n turf of a tender 8oz filet steak and South African lobster tail made a mockery of its English pub equivalent.
A vivid snapshot of the islands colourful past is available in Bermudas Maritime Museum and Royal Naval Dockyards, which were built by English convict rock boys. They became the hub of British forces shipbuilding during the 1800s and a pivotal military base from the American War Of 1812.
Going even further back in time are the Crystal Caves, with 1.2 million-year-old stalactites sparkling around an underground lake - reputedly discovered after two schoolboys lost their cricket ball down a six-inch hole.
Another highlight of any trip is Bermudas signature dish of rum-spiced fish chowder. In fact the islands famous Goslings rum is in pretty much everything here and the Dark n Stormy rum cocktail is the perfect way to wash down your Bermudan experience.
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