Bermuda holidays

Bermuda is not Caribbean — it's a British Overseas Territory in the North Atlantic, 600 miles east of North Carolina, with a uniquely refined atmosphere: pink-sand beaches (the coral skeletons from the surrounding reef give the sand its blush colour), pastel-painted limestone-roofed houses (the white-stepped roofs catch rainwater for the island's drinking supply), five championship golf courses on 21 miles of island, and a British civility unusual for a beach destination. Daily fast ferries link Hamilton, Royal Naval Dockyard and St George's — most travellers rent scooters (cars are limited to local residents only) or use the comprehensive bus network.

A 5-7 day Bermuda trip: arrival into L F Wade International Airport → Hamilton-area base or south-shore-beach resort base (4-6 nights). Headline experiences: Horseshoe Bay's pink sand (the most-photographed beach), Crystal Caves and Fantasy Cave (limestone caves with crystal-clear underground lakes), the UNESCO Town of St George's (the oldest continuously-inhabited English-speaking settlement in the New World, founded 1612), the Royal Naval Dockyard (the British North America Squadron base from 1809 to 1953, now restored with shops, the National Museum of Bermuda, the Dolphin Quest, and the Bermuda Maritime Museum), the Bermuda Aquarium and Zoo, the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse for sunset views, and the Fort St Catherine. Golf at Mid Ocean Club, Tucker's Point, Port Royal, Belmont Hills. Bermuda is small — 21 miles long — so a base anywhere on the island reaches everything in under 30 minutes.