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Pink Beach, Bermuda |
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PINK BEACH CLUB Overall Impression: I made my first trip to Bermuda just over 30 years ago, during the Bicentennial week of July 4, 1976, as a teenager with my family. There were eight of us in total, two parents and six kids, ages 14 through 19. The trip had been gifted to us the previous Christmas, in seemingly nondescript envelopes tucked into our holiday stockings. As a result, we had more than half a year to look forward to the pink beaches, crystal blue water, Bermuda shorts and mopeds that we saw in the brochures (this being long before the internet). We stayed in the Southampton Princess (now the Fairmont Southampton), only four years old at the time and then (as now) one of the island’s largest resort hotels. Looking back on that trip – the first of many that I would make to Bermuda over the next three decades – I remember the beauty of the island, the welcoming people, and the expansive grounds, many restaurants and lounges, and massive lobby of the Princess. Fast forward 30 years to the summer of 2006 and my return to Bermuda, this time as a husband, father of two kids (ages 6 and 8), and son-in-law to My Kind of Holiday’s Hal Drucker. Ten of us – ages 6 to 75 – had traveled to Bermuda to celebrate Hal’s 75 th birthday. Through the good offices of the gifted travel professional Virginia Haynes of Montgomery Communications, we chose the elegant Pink Beach Club, a picture-perfect hideaway in Tucker’s Town on Bermuda’s south shore, for our five-day visit. From the moment we were greeted at the hotel’s main entrance, to the time of our reluctant departure, the people and accommodations of Pink Beach pampered us in luxurious Bermuda tradition. Physical Plant.
Set on 13.5 acres of lush gardens and overlooking two magnificent pink coral sand beaches, Pink Beach Club is a collection of 24 traditional Bermuda cottages with distinctive, white-washed terraced roofs, offsetting the soft rose hue of the exterior walls below, painted to perfectly complement the pink beaches. The grounds are beautifully manicured rolling lawns, divided by meandering pathways that run between the cottages and other buildings on the grounds. At the center of the resort is the clubhouse, where reception, two beautiful meeting rooms (the Hibiscus Lounge and the Atlantic Room, each accommodating 12 to 40 attendees) lounges, fitness center, library and the resort’s restaurants are located. Behind the clubhouse, overlooking the grounds, is the heated, oversized swimming pool, bar and patio. Guest Rooms and Housekeeping Pink Beach Club’s 24 cottages are divided into 62 junior suites and 32 suites. Most are on the hilltop with sublime views of the stunning blue/green ocean. Our two-room Ocean View Suite included a bedroom, living room with sofa bed and large private balcony. The rooms were immaculate and spacious, tastefully decorated in light pastels that evoked the Bermuda landscape. The bathroom was huge, complete with oversized dressing room and plentiful closets. While the others in our group did not have suites that overlooked the ocean, their rooms were equally spacious (allowing for grandchildren bunking up with grandparents and sleepovers among cousins), well decorated and inviting.
The Beaches Pink Beach Club’s two magnificent pink coral sand beaches are situated just steps from the clubhouse and guest cottages. The shallow, clear blue water lolls gently up to the Bermuda pink sand. Schools of colorful fish swim by, as if posing for swimmers and snorklers alike. Chaise lounges and umbrellas dot the beaches, inviting guests to relax and take in the views, sounds and smells of the beach and surf. I’ve been on longer beaches in Bermuda, and ones that boast palm trees and more flora and fauna than Pink Beach Club’s beaches. But these two beaches are lovely, manageable for young and old alike.
Dining is one of the highlights of Pink Beach Club, which offers both formal settings and an outdoor location. We began each day with a leisurely breakfast buffet while seated at the Breakers Ocean Terrace, gazing over the pool to the south shore ocean view. For lunch, we regularly opted for t he Breakers Ocean Terrace, whose menu provided a wide array of options for young and old(er) alike. Afternoon tea, one of Bermuda’s many British rituals, is served in the Hibiscus Lounge and c ocktail hour begins in the Cedar Bar or out on the terrace. For dinner, the formal Bermudiana Dining Room presents the perfect setting to enjoy a gastronomic five-course dinner, where the menu changes daily and the wine list includes over 230 choices. For a less formal option, the Ocean Terrace is the ideal al fresco setting. Most nights, a calypso band provides entertainment. The three generations represented by our group danced most of the nights away, until young ones fell asleep on lounge chairs, only to be carried back to the waiting beds.
Recreation In addition to Pink Beach Club’s two pink sand beaches and heated swimming pool, the property includes two tennis courts and ping pong tables. Snorkeling equipment is complimentary as are tennis balls and racquets. Mopeds may be rented on-property.
Our group took advantage of all that Pink Beach Club had to offer. We left the premises rarely, to take in Front Street shopping in Hamilton, Teddy Tucker’s Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute and the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo. THE BERMUDA UNDERWATER EXPLORATION INSTITUTE- The BUEI is the fruition of the dreams of Teddy Tucker, a man whose exploits in diving for more than 100 shipwrecks in the waters and beneath the coral surrounding Bermuda have been glorified by Peter Benchley’s novel and movie, The Deep. Hal Drucker became friends with Teddy and his daughter Wendy some 15 years ago. Wendy warmly greeted Hal, son James and me at The Institute, which includes marvelous interactive displays that provide a vivid perspective of this remarkable archaepeligo and the incredible sea life that exists in the deep. The highlight for us was a simulated submersible that took us to a mysterious world that Jules Verne could only imagine. We “dove” 12,000 feet below the surface in a simulated submersible where we viewed a mysterious world of bioluminous creatures and even “survived” an attack in a shark cage.
There’s a special cottage at BAMZ where children of all ages get in touch with nature. The Discovery Room and Local Tails are the places for hands-on exploration through the Touch Pool, glass-enclosed beehive, tabletop aquarium, plus other exhibits, activities, puzzles, games and fun. The Touch Pool gave James and Lily the opportunity to gently handle sea urchins, sea stars and sea cucumbers, along with conch, sponges, chitons and other marine creatures. Each destination was memorable (particularly for the kids!), but we were glad each time to return to the luxurious tranquility of the Pink Beach Club. Our first visit to this resort will most likely not be our last. In the words of Pink Beach Club Managing Director Michael J. Williams, said, “We have a 60% guest repeat factor. Many people make reservations for their next visit before they depart the resort.”
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