Bermuda

Bermuda’s Pink Sand Comes From a Red Organism and the Dress Code Is More Serious Than Most Guides Admit

The blush hue of Horseshoe Bay Beach comes from crushed coral and shells mixed with Foraminifera, a red single-celled organism that lives on the underside of coral reefs. When the reef material breaks down and washes ashore, the pink tint deepens when wet. It is one of the few genuinely distinctive beach colours in the Atlantic and is not a marketing invention.

The dress code is less discussed but worth knowing: Bermuda has a famously specific culture around it. Bermuda shorts worn with long socks and a blazer are genuine business attire in Hamilton. Many restaurants require collared shirts in the evening. Beachwear is for beaches and pools only. This is not an antiquated local quirk – it is enforced and visitors who ignore it can be turned away from restaurants.

Bermuda sits about 1,000 miles off the coast of North Carolina in the North Atlantic – closer to Nova Scotia than the Caribbean, despite its tropical reputation. It is a British Overseas Territory of roughly 180 small islands and islets with a total land area of 21 square miles. And it is expensive: a mid-range dinner for two regularly runs USD 80 to 120 without drinks. Hotel rooms at major resorts frequently exceed USD 500 per night in peak season.

Where to Go

Horseshoe Bay on the south shore faces the ocean directly and can develop surf, making it one of the few places on the island where bodyboarding is viable. The surrounding coves at low tide offer calmer snorkelling.

The Royal Naval Dockyard, built between 1809 and 1863 using enslaved and convict labour, served as Britain’s western Atlantic naval base. The National Museum of Bermuda in the Keep Yard covers the island’s history from privateering and the slave trade through America’s Cup racing. The Commissioner’s House, from the 1820s, is considered the oldest cast-iron building in the western hemisphere.

Crystal and Fantasy Caves in Hamilton Parish were discovered in 1907 by two boys chasing a lost ball. Crystal Cave has an underground lake 55 feet below ground level with stalactites descending close to the pontoon walkway. Both are open for guided tours.

St. George’s, founded in 1612, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited English-speaking settlements in the New World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. St. Peter’s Church on Duke of York Street has been in continuous use since 1612, though the current building dates mostly from the early 18th century.

What to Eat

Bermuda fish chowder is darker and spicier than New England versions, seasoned at the table with sherry peppers and dark rum. The Swizzle Inn in Bailey’s Bay has been operating since 1932 and is where the rum swizzle – dark and gold rum, citrus juice, grenadine, Angostura bitters – was essentially invented. Sunday codfish breakfast (salt cod with boiled potatoes, banana, avocado, and hard-boiled egg) is a Bermudian institution served at old-school cafes.

Practical Notes

Bermuda has no car rentals for visitors. Transportation options are the public bus and ferry network, electric-assist bicycles, taxis, and mopeds. Scooter accidents are common among visitors unfamiliar with driving on the left on narrow roads; take that seriously. The Bermudian dollar is pegged 1:1 to the US dollar; both circulate freely. Direct flights from US East Coast cities take about two hours.