WHERE TO STAY - Bermuda 2012 - page 72

above), has better dining, grander and more comprehensive facilities, and the advan-
tage of being on a beach, but it's somewhat remote; the more “urban” Fairmont
Hamilton earns devotees because it is more conveniently positioned for shopping and
sightseeing. The hotel, whose pink walls and gingerbread trim evoke a wedding cake,
is a short walk from downtown Hamilton, on the edge of Hamilton Harbour. Elbow
Beach (the closest beach) is a 20-minute taxi ride or 45-minute bicycle ride from the
hotel. The easily accessible ferry delivers guests to the Fairmont Southampton, and
sun lovers can get their fill at the sandy stretch there. This is the hotel of choice for
movie stars and the yachting set.
Opened in 1884 and named for Princess Louise (Queen Victoria's daughter), this
princess is far more staid than the Fairmont Southampton, and with a higher percent-
age of business clients. It doesn't even attempt to offer the roster of activities available
at Elbow Beach, so the young and the restless might want to book elsewhere. This is
the oldest and one of the most deeply entrenched members of the Fairmont hotel
chain, and it's certainly the one with the most history: British intelligence officers
stationed here during World War II worked to crack secret Nazi codes.
Modern wings, pierced with row upon row of balconied loggias, surround the
hotel's colonial core. The property was designed around a concrete pier that extends
into the harbor, near a Japanese-style floating garden. Many of the spacious rooms
have private balconies, and the hotel has a wide array of bars and restaurants, includ-
ing Harley's (p. 108).
76 Pitts Bay Rd., Pembroke Parish HM CX, Bermuda. www.fairmont.com/hamilton. & 866/540-4447
in the U.S., or 441/295-3000. Fax [phone] units. Winter $379-$439 double, $499-$739 suite;
summer $459-$519 double, $579-$819 suite. Children 17 and under stay free in a room with 1 or 2 adults.
AE, DC, MC, V. Frequent ferry service to and from the Fairmont Southampton, weather permitting.
Amenities: 4 restaurants; 2 bars; babysitting; concierge; health club w/saunas; mopeds; 2 pools (out-
door); room service; watersports equipment/rentals. In room: A/C, TV/DVD, hair dryer, Internet ($14 per
day), minibar.
HAMILTON PARISH
Tucker's Point Hotel & Spa This resort's inauguration in 2009 signaled
the debut of the most opulent and expensive construction in the history of Bermuda
(at the time of its opening, construction costs were estimated in excess of $800,000
per guest room). Beginning in 1958, its forerunner, the Castle Harbour Club, wel-
comed the wintering wealthy of the American and British Empires. In the 1970s,
Marriott attempted a renaissance of the place but failed to make a go of it. Recogniz-
ing the value of the terrain (81 hectares/200 acres of what some people say is the
most beautiful seafront in Bermuda), the need for upscale homes, and the legendary
cachet of the old Castle Harbour, the present owners tore most of the infrastructure
to the ground. Rising triumphantly from the wreckage is a spectacularly comprehen-
sive resort that proudly asserts its room rates as the most expensive on Bermuda, and
its physical plant as the island's most comprehensive, imaginative, and theatrical.
Creative styling fairly oozes out of this place. Its centerpiece is a balconied, big-
windowed manor house loaded with contemporary art and a combination of antiques
and reproductions that evoke a home where items were “collected” over several gen-
erations of discerning owners. A uniformed staff guides virtually every aspect of your
arrival and well-being. Because the hotel has a huge physical plant but only 88 units,
it feels like an intensely personalized boutique resort with big-city amenities. There's
a higher percentage of upscale shops within the hotel than within any other com-
petitor on the island, a beach that's the envy of lesser hotels, and the most compre-
hensive spa in Bermuda.

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