RoamingRajuWe decided to spend the 2007 Christmas break in Bermuda. I have to admit, I had not done as much research on the island as I normally would have done. Our flight was from Denver to Atlanta and then to Bermuda. Bermuda is a beautiful island. We could feel the warm ocean breeze as soon as we landed. It was beautiful.
No Rental Cars Here!
So Bermuda has a ban on rental cars. The entire island is 25 km long and a couple of km wide if that. They have narrow roads and to avoid overcrowding, at least that is the official line, they do not allow rental cars on the island. Each household is restricted to one car. So we took the taxi from the airport to our hotel—Fairmont Southhampton. On our way, I chatted with the taxi driver. It seems one could make a decent living driving a taxi in Bermuda. In those days, an average taxi driver made US$90,000 per year in Bermuda.
Our taxi driver was really friendly. As soon as we left the airport, he started showing us these mega-mansions and pointed out Michael Bloomberg’s house, Oprah Winfrey’s house, and so on. I told my wife, we picked the wrong island to vacation. This is a billionaire’s playground.
Anyway, a short thirty minutes later, we arrived at our hotel. It was a gorgeous property. As soon as we entered, we saw this huge 100 foot Christmas tree in the grand foyer. It was surrounded by gifts. Both our kids were fairly young at the time (9 and 6) and immediately started to drool for the gifts. To their disappointment, I told them the gifts were just empty boxes under the tree! After a quick check-in we settled down in our room which had a beautiful view of the ocean. I could just sit on the balcony all day long quite frankly.
The beach at the property is down a steep hill so they have a shuttle (even though it takes 2 minutes or less to get to the beach). I guess coming back from the beach on a steep hill is quite an exercise. The pink sand on the beach is nothing short of amazing. I think this was the first time we experienced fine pink sand beach, so everyone was really excited.
Flashing Money!
So this actually happened. One day we were all enjoying our time at the beach. I decided to sit down on the beach chair. Right next to me was a gentleman from Dallas. We started to chat. Out of nowhere, he started to say, “look, I am a really rich guy.” I told him I was sure he was and tried to change the subject. He just would not let it go. He said he was paying for the vacation for his kids (in my mind, I was thinking who else was supposed to pay for them)! He went on and on about how he was staying at this fancy hotel. I think that was the last straw for me. I gently reminded him that we all were staying at the same hotel. I think he got the point and just walked away. That was quite an interesting experience and one that stays with you.
We decided to tour the historical city of Hamilton one day. I really enjoyed the Bermuda Historical Society Museum. It has maps from back in the day and stories that go along with it. We learned about how Bermuda Triangle became infamous and what causes the ships to disappear in the Bermuda Triangle. We also visited Fort Bermuda. Because we were in Hamilton and we had to find one Indian restaurant per trip, we decided to check out House of India. At the time, I believe it was the only Indian restaurant on the island. It was certainly a delight to visit and the food was excellent.
Here Comes Santa Clause!
On the day of Christmas, we were in for a surprise. The hotel had a Santa Clause appearance in the morning. We took the kids for a photo with Santa (funny, this was after they received their Christmas gifts in the morning). The hotel had age and gender-appropriate gifts for both kids. They were so happy, it was fantastic!
Being from Colorado, we enjoy horseback riding as a family. So we grabbed the opportunity to go horseback riding when we learned that they offer horseback riding on the beach. One morning, we woke up bright and early, and the horseback riding staff picked us up to go to their ranch. Once we were all saddled up, off we went on a narrow steep path to the ocean. The horses were really well maintained, and my wife was really impressed. As soon as we were on the beach, we saw turquoise water as far as the eye could see. We spent the remaining days on the beach just being bums. It was relaxing!
Before we knew it, it was time to return home. We were flying back from Atlanta. The flight from Atlanta to Denver was oversold. Delta Airlines was looking for four passengers to go the next day. They were offering $800 per person. Unfortunately, I had some important meetings the following day and could not delay my return! It’s funny, when I did not have flexibility, they used to offer money to travel later, and now that I have all the time in the world, no one offers me anything!
Travel Voucher Tip
If your schedule is flexible, on an overbooked flight, it could be lucrative to volunteer yourself for a later flight if offered. Sometimes, you can score $1,000 in travel vouchers for a $100 ticket! Some airlines are better than others. Delta Airlines will offer you actual American Express gift cards. I know some people who used to buy tickets on oversold flights just to get the travel vouchers! You need a lot of time on your hand though😊
Well, that was the end of our wonderful trip to Bermuda. I know this is a little shorter post, but we were mostly being beach bums. Not much to write about, I guess! What was your favorite beach vacation? Do share below in the comments section. Until next time…
