BERMUDA - PINK BUSES TO BEACHES, GOLF COURSES & HAMILTON

With its rainbow-colored houses, bountiful flowers cascading over stone walls, pink sand beaches and aquamarine seas, Bermuda is one of the prettiest places in the world. Measuring just 34 kilometers long and 2.8 kilometers, at its widest point, it is a delight to explore. Less than a three-hour flight from Toronto, it's easy to get to this British Overseas Territory.

Pretty pink buses (with blue stripes) traverse Bermuda from one end to the other. They are clean, inexpensive, safe and efficient. Their only drawbacks are a reduced frequency of service on Sundays and holidays and an absence of late-night service.

Bus routes and fares

For public transit purposes, Bermuda has 11 bus routes that operate in 14 zones, each 3.2 kilometers in length. Drivers don't give change, so you have to pay by token, ticket or exact cash (coins only, no paper currency).

Because we used the buses frequently, the Island Transportation Pass was the most convenient and least expensive way to pay our fares. It allowed us to take an unlimited number of trips for one, three or seven days.

Island Transportation Pass

In Hamilton, we bought our passes at the Central Bus Terminal on Washington Street, just off Church Street and a few steps east of the City Hall & Arts Centre. (Bermuda dollars are interchangeable with U.S. dollars, which are accepted everywhere. ATMs dispense Bermuda dollars.)

Armed with a map and bus schedule (available from the Visitors' Service Bureau, hotels and the Central Terminal), we had no difficulty exploring the eight major interconnecting islands that make up Bermuda. In Hamilton, we boarded buses at the Central Terminal.

Bus stops

Elsewhere, we looked for bus shelters and stops identified, not by a sign, but by roadside poles. A blue pole indicates that the route operates away from Hamilton, while a pink pole means that it goes toward Hamilton.

Whenever a question arose, we asked one of the friendly drivers who love to chat with visitors. So do other passengers. In fact, meeting a few of Bermuda's 65,000 residents — be they a family dressed in their Sunday-best for church or children garbed in their neat uniforms for school — was one of the fringe benefits of traveling by public bus.

South shore beaches

The Route 7 bus travels along the south-shore beaches, which stretch for 13 kilometers like a strand of pink pearls below dramatic coral cliffs. There is a beach for everyone here, from Warwick Long Bay with its rolling surf to Church Bay where snorkelers can find an underwater cannon and a myriad of fish.

Gentle waves puppy-licked our ankles as we strolled barefoot along the guests-only beach at the Fairmont Southampton, where we stayed. Beautiful Horseshoe Bay Beach, next door to the east, is open to the public. At Astwood Park, we hiked along trails, relaxed with a picnic and climbed down the cliffs to secluded sandy coves.

Gibbs Hill Lighthouse

Just west of the Fairmont Southampton is Gibbs Hill Lighthouse, the oldest cast iron lighthouse in the Western Hemisphere. It is located at 132 meters above sea level on the highest point in Bermuda.

Our climb up the 185 steps to the top rewarded us with a 360-degree panorama that was breathtaking (in more ways than one).

What to see and do

Bermuda has an amazing number of attractions packed into its tiny area. We spent three days exploring them all by bus.

A Route 11 bus brought us to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo. The Aquarium houses more than 200 species of marine life, including barracudas, sharks and Moray eels. The Jacques Cousteau-environment inspired us to sign up for Hartley's Undersea Walk with old-fashioned lead helmets.

Botanical Gardens

Several natural attractions are accessible by pink buses. Route 3 brought us to the Crystal Caves, which contain crystalline stalactites, stalagmites and draperies, as well as vast, clear, underwater lakes. Two nature preserves are on Route 1 — Spittal Pond, Bermuda's finest waterfowl sanctuary, and the Botanical Gardens.

Amid this oasis of flowers, herbs and spice trees, we discovered an aviary, an orchid house, hibiscus blossoms, a scented garden for the visually challenged and Camden House, the official residence of the premier. Verdmont Historic Manor House, an antique-filled National Trust property, is a few bus stops down the road.

Railway Trail

No matter which bus route we selected, it always seemed to intersect with the Railway Trail. The 25-kilometer path follows the rail bed of the now defunct Bermuda Railroad, which operated from 1931 to 1948.

We got off the bus to follow the path, skirting craggy shorelines, cutting through tunnels, backyards, woodlands and dunes. When we were tired, we caught the bus again farther along its route.

Golf courses

Bermuda's climate is ideal for walking. Its location, 1,046 kilometers east of North Carolina, gives it a year-round subtropical climate. Temperatures range from the low 20s C. to the low 30s, from mid-April to November and average 18.3 degrees C. for the remainder of the year.

The weather is also perfect for golfing. Although we aren't golfers, we admired the country's picturesque fairways. With seven golf courses in 54 square kilometers, Bermuda has the highest concentration of golf courses per square kilometer in the world.

City of Hamilton

Located in the center of Bermuda, Hamilton is one of the smallest yet busiest port cities in the world. From Fort Hamilton, we had spectacular views of the city and harbour. Over the years, sailing teams and spectators have flocked to Bermuda for competitions, regattas and other world-class events.

Incorporated in 1793, the City of Hamilton retains many traditions. We visited the Supreme Court, where both judges and attorneys still wear gowns and wigs. (So does the Speaker in the Parliament — the second oldest Parliamentary Democracy in the world, after England.)

Hamilton's modern amenities stand out in striking contrast. (You can buy WiFi passes at the City Hall and Visitor Information Centres.)

Where to eat

It's easy to explore Hamilton's 10-square-block area on foot. When you stop to eat, look for local specialties such as Bermudian fish chowder, seasoned with black rum and sherry peppers, Hoppin' John (rice & peas), fresh wahoo fish nuggets and Bermudian lobster, available only from September through March.

The traditional Bermuda breakfast consists of codfish, potato, avocado and tomato sauce, garnished with bananas. You will find Bermudian cuisine at quick-food restaurants such as Mr. Chicken, in the heart of the City of Hamilton, as well as in family-owned restaurants and local diners all over Bermuda.

Bermuda shorts

Shops sell imported merchandise (British tweeds, Irish linen, Scottish cashmere, English china, French fragrances) and local specialties (Outerbridge's Original Sherry Pepper Sauce, Royall Lyme cologne, Horton's Bermuda Black Rum Cake and Bermuda Gold, a loquat fruit liqueur), as well as Bermuda shorts.

The pink bus drivers wear shorts as part of their uniform. We also noticed businessmen wearing shorts with jackets, ties and knee socks.

Bermuda shorts originated in the late 1800s. British officers, overwhelmed by the heat, cut their pants off at the knees and inadvertently started a trend that became a tradition.

When the army went to Bermuda, local businessmen adopted the style. By the 1940s, dressier shorts replaced the baggy, khaki-colored versions.

"We carry shorts in bright yellows, blues, reds, greens and pastels, including pink," said a sales clerk at The English Sports Shop on Front Street. (This is Bermuda, after all.) The clerk, who had visited Toronto for a convention one February, offered us a bit of advice: "Don't wear them during a Canadian winter."

Hamilton Harbour

Another Bermuda tradition is its ferry service. There has been a ferry service in Bermuda, in one form or another, for over 200 years. Today's ferries dock at the foot of Front Street and travel across Hamilton Harbour to Warwick and Paget, and across the Great Sound to Somerset, the Dockyard and Sandys Parish. Bermuda's ferries accept tickets, tokens and Island Transportation Passes, but not cash.

Bermuda offers other ways to sightsee — guided mini-bus excursions, walking tours, boat cruises, yacht charters, scenic plane fights and even Segway tours. Each has its pros and cons.

No rental cars

An alternative not available to us was car rental. Bermuda's pristine environment wasn't invaded by automobiles until 1946, thanks partly to visitors such as Mark Twain and Woodrow Wilson, who signed a petition in 1908 to forbid the introduction of horseless carriages.

Cars were finally permitted after the Second World War, when American navy personnel arrived. To this day, there is a limit of one car per family. Rental cars are banned to maintain air quality and control traffic congestion.

Renting scooters

We considered renting scooters, because they are very popular with tourists and Bermudians. The idea of driving along roads bordered with pink hibiscus appealed to our wanderlust. A couple rather shaky test drives later, question marks began haunting our picture-postcard dreams.

Would we feel comfortable driving along narrow, curved roads on the left-hand side? While there wasn't a cloud in the sky, what would we do if a sudden downpour caught us mid-trip? And because we planned to sample local foods and drinks along the way, we realized that driving didn't mix with Dark 'n' Stormy cocktails (Bermuda's famous drink made from Gosling's Black Seal Rum mixed with ginger beer).

Other alternatives? Definitely the most romantic way to sightsee is by horse-drawn carriage. Once the only means of transportation on the island, surreys can be hired for short tours of the Town of St. George and the Royal Naval Dockyard.

To explore the entire country, we investigated hiring taxis by the hour, day or mile. All use meters and charge legally controlled rates. The drivers are invariably friendly and knowledgeable sources of information on local attractions, history and customs. Although taxi tours are comfortable and convenient, they can be expensive, especially if you're planning a week of sightseeing.

Ultimately, we think we made the best decision to tour Bermuda using public transport. The pink buses and ferries allowed us to leave the transportation to someone else, so we could devote our full attention to Bermuda's picturesque scenery.

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