By Becca Hensley

My love affair with Bermuda began in my childhood. On cold Colorado afternoons, I would clip travel ads that showed laughing couples astride motor bikes, traversing winding roads that overlooked azure seas and pink, sandy beaches. I filed these under “honeymoon,” planning to explore it someday when I was older. Later, in college, my enthrallment for this island nation grew when I discovered Shakespeare’s Tempest had been set here and that Francis Hodgson Burnett, the author of The Secret Garden, moved to Bermuda in order to plant her own exquisite plot of roses.

When I finally arrived last summer, I was charmed. Though I had romanticized about the place for years, I found it exceeded expectations in every way. And, what an interesting place! Bermuda was Britain’s oldest colony. Its language, traced to Elizabethan times, lilts in a lovely English. And, its architecture, designed to capture rainwater in a paradise without lakes or rivers, consists of storybook steeped roofs and narrow eaves.

Bermuda’s Parliament passed the world’s first environmental laws in the 1600s to protect sea turtles and to preserve the cedar groves. This began a historical commitment to ecology and preservation that has defined Bermuda ever since. As one local scientist says, “Bermuda is a living lab for an ecologically sustainable lifestyle.”

His words make sense the moment I arrive. Right away I notice there is no litter. Gardens of Eden-like foliage adorn serpentine roads that overlook turquoise waters. Pastel-colored stone structures seem more like blossoms than houses as they dot the roadside and the hills. Rather than driving, one meanders here – British-style, on the left side of the road. No neon signs or outdoor advertising. Motorbikes are ubiquitous. Though I know them to be a Bermudan trademark I don’t know why until my taxi driver explains that it’s all about mass transportation. Rental cars are verboten, he says, and local families are allowed just one car. People here walk, ride bikes, take ferries, and travel by cab.

Though the sea calls to me, the first thing I want to do is hike. Since the coastline extends for almost twenty-two miles, I could make it a marathon, but prefer to amble, coursing from beach to beach, climbing gentle cliffs and stopping awe-struck to peer across the coral reef that mottles the water. Moved by the sight of gorgeous birds with long scissor-like tails flying in flirty circles above the sea, I stop to gawk. A local woman approaches me and tells me that I’m lucky, that I’ve seen the rare, once thought extinct, Cahow bird. Bonded by their brilliance, we watch them dance in flight above us. We begin a slow conversation about the world of Bermuda. She tells me about the nature preserves on Bermuda’s main island where more than a dozen bird species can be seen. Fishing is highly regulated to preserve marine life, and the coral reef, a model of health, the northernmost in the world, reflects the respect the population has for the environment. Clear water and accessible shipwrecks make this a top diving destination, with visibility up to 200 feet. From where we stand, I swear I see a Spanish Galleon. My new friend laughs, shrugs, and takes a sip from her water bottle. She tells me the water comes from her cistern, that it’s water collected from her roof, unfiltered. She claims to collect all she and her family need for household purposes. Everyone does, she says. “Don’t you ever run out?” I ask, impressed. “Only when we shower alone” she says smiling, leaving me to ponder, wishing my house had the same capabilities.

Since Bermuda was uninhabited when it was discovered some 500 years ago, it had no indigenous culture. So, English settlers, Irish explorers, African slaves, and Portuguese immigrants melded the threads of their world to form its highly textured fabric. The result is a magical land with a unique diversity. Casual elegance and mutual respect abound. I love the male Bermudan’s requisite long shorts, knee high stockings, and colorful tie. Authentic, in a Joseph Campbell sort of way, unaffected and tirelessly friendly, the Bermudan people embody inclusion. I notice how genuine they are, both to visitors and to one another. Such a place attracts dynamic people – especially healers. This, I think, explains the spa culture, which favors tranquility and the spirit of this island – a mixture of charming British decorum, European grace, and the serenity of the sea.

The Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Southampton Princess celebrates the energy and elegance of Bermuda. The largest spa on the island, located within the grand pink hotel on the hill, is the place to spend a day in seclusion. Transfixed by gorgeous ocean views, I wait in a robe, sipping tea in anticipation of my Sea Splendor Body Oasis treatment. Lasting nearly two hours, this blissful journey begins with a Eucalyptus foot soak, meant to awaken the inner energy source. Next, volcanic sand scented with geranium and ylang-ylang is used to exfoliate my entire body before I float in an aromatherapy bath that evokes every aspect of the sea. Eyes closed, breathing deeply, I imagine myself to be lost at sea in my own private ocean. The spicy citrus aroma lingers in my nostrils for the rest of the day. My skin is finished with an aloe-based massage, and then I am wrapped and coddled with an unforgettable scalp massage. Later, supine by the pool, munching on an unusual salad with watermelon croutons, I plan tomorrow’s treatment – will it be a hibiscus body sorbet or a gentle body polish?

Charming Cambridge Beaches typifies the cottage colony escape unique to Bermuda. Here, sequestered from the world on a twenty-five-acre peninsula, with a choice of five private beaches, and cottage style accommodations, visitors discover they have a Bermuda within Bermuda. Their Aquarian Baths and Ocean Spa treats travelers and locals alike with a European influenced menu. Wellness oriented, guests can choose from signature treatments as varied as Ocean Mud Reflex Therapy, the Bersalon Deluxe hydrating facial, which took years off my jet-lagged skin, and a Bermuda Shorts Cellulite Treatment, guaranteed to ignite the circulation des pied.

Bermuda’s newest spa, also part of a well-known cottage colony is La Serena at The Reefs. Award winning and intimate, The Reefs has an old Bermuda feel that appeals to visitors of all ages. Perched on a cliff that overlooks its own pink sand beach, the hotel resonates romance. I’m convinced its Coconuts Beach Bar is the most alluring hangout on the island. La Serena offers every sort of treatment, and may be Bermuda’s best location for a wedding party preparing themselves for the ceremony. Their best asset, though, is Soprano, a Thai massage therapist, born in Thailand who studied at the sacred Wat Pho Temple in Bangkok. Two hours of Thai Body Work will put the world in perspective.

Pebble lined showers, bamboo flooring, and granite soaking tubs bring the outside into every one of the Spa at Elbow Beach’s brand new spa suites. A bit of Asian tranquility mixed with island Bermudan elegance defines this trendy beauty and revivification oasis. Spa moments can be reserved as [time rituals], blocks of days devoted to the spagoers personalized journey. Bermudan honey stars in some signature treatments here, like the Sugar and Honey Body Scrub with calendula and lemon or the Soothing Aloe and Honey Envelopment for sun weary skin.

One could argue that spas aren’t necessary on this verdant, sustainable treat of an island. Rubbing my partially clothed body in the coral colored sand exfoliates me and the blue wash of waves cleanses me as thoroughly as any Vichy shower. At night, the frogs serenade me in tones not unlike New Age mood music. And, I could always rub some local honey all over my face or get my companion to massage me. But I see it this way: it wouldn’t be prudent to sit in the sun all day, so I might as well seek solace in a treatment room. Seems like the civilized the thing to do!

address book

Bermuda Board of Tourism, www.bermudatourism.com

Fairmont Princess Southampton and Willowstream Spa, (800) 441-1414, www.fairmont.com. Room rates start at $429 a night, double occupancy. Sea Splendor Body Oasis Treatment, $269

Cambridge Beaches and Aquarian Baths and Ocean Spa, (414) 234-0331, www.cambridgebeaches.com. Room rates start at $475 a night, double occupancy, includes breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner. Bersalon Deluxe Hydrating Facial, $125, Ocean Mud Reflex Therapy, $115

The Reefs and the La Serena Spa, (441) 238-0222, www.thereefs.com. Room rates start at $454 a night, double occupancy, includes breakfast, afternoon tea, and dinner. Two hours Thai Body Work, $150

November/December 2004

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