Bermuda: Beyond Shorts and Pink Palaces — A Culture-Forward Escape in the Atlantic

Bermuda is shedding its beachy clichés as travelers discover a culture-forward escape defined by new air service, refreshed hotels and a thriving cocktail-and-culinary scene. The island cluster sits in the center of the Atlantic and comprises almost 200 isles linked by causeways, a tight-knit geography that still feels expansive to visitors. It is British soil with a distinctly modern rhythm, where seven top-flight golf courses fit into 21 square miles and the Pink Palace—Hamilton Princess—remains a flagship address for luxury in the urban hub. The archipelago’s appeal now extends beyond postcard views to a more immersive mix of hotels, dining, and local culture that can be experienced in a single long weekend or a more drawn-out island stay.

Bermuda’s accessibility has also improved. A two-year-old startup airline, BermudAir, now shuttles travelers to and from nine East Coast airports, including Westchester County’s HPN, with leather seating and punchy rum-spiked cocktails on board. When visitors land, renting a vehicle helps navigate the surprisingly spread-out distances across this long, thin archipelago. Many travelers opt for the battery-powered Twizy jeep for two, a breezy way to explore without racking up taxi fares during the day. "You really feel like a local," says Jamie Mussolini of Beachfronts Travel, a Bermuda specialist, noting that the flight upgrade makes the trip feel almost spontaneous from New York.

The island’s three main chunks sit in tight proximity, and the coastline alternates between private coves and public sands. The west remains the classic beach belt, with Horseshoe Bay and Warwick Long Bay drawing sun-seekers and water sports enthusiasts alike. The resort footprint has grown with new and upgraded properties, including the 23-acre Cambridge Beaches—the longtime escape that reopened in a refreshed centenary mode with 85 rooms and a brand-new Sunrise cottage offering private pools and dramatic dune-side sunrise views. The experience is as much about scenery as it is about the social scene, which includes a thriving cocktail culture and a growing culinary identity tied to local markets and global influences.

"I’d heard about newlyweds and nearly deads," laughs Brooklyn-based bar owner St. John Frizell, who opened an outpost of his Sunken Harbor Club at the Cambridge Beaches property three years ago. "But I’m either at the bar, or in the water, on the water or under the water." His sentiment hints at Bermuda’s dual pull: high-energy social life and adventurous outdoor activities that combine to create a modern, accessible luxury scene.

Azura Bermuda, a brand-new 37-room boutique that opened last summer on South Shore beach, anchors the island’s contemporary wave of lodging. Rooms start at just under $500 a night, according to Kristin White, a tour guide who also runs the Long Story Short boutique. White notes that the east end offers a slower, more historical pace, with colonial-era architecture still standing in abundance. “It feels like you’ve stepped back in time, because half of them were built before 1900 — it doesn’t look real,” she says.

Beyond the west-central mix of beaches and resort life, Bermuda’s urban core, Hamilton, is a magnet for finance, dining and nightlife. The Pink Palace sits at the heart of the island’s business district, while the eastern hub around St. George—Bermuda’s original colonial capital—offers a different energy with smaller inns and a deep sense of history. White recommends exploring Admiralty House Park, a local favorite for cliff jumping and sunset views, where a sense of time-warp calm pervades the evenings.

In the east, Hillcrest—a locally owned 14-room former B&B with a lively pool scene—offers a contrasting escape just a short drive from the bustle of Hamilton. Dishes like rockfish ribs at Wahoo’s, operated by two Austrian expatriates, and Achilles for sundowners emphasize Bermuda’s evolving culinary scene that sits alongside long-standing Creole, Caribbean and European influences. The island’s Indigenous American ties are visible in cultural rituals and events that persist into the present day; enslaved people brought from New England helped shape the island’s cultural fabric, and the annual powwow each June draws people from across the archipelago to celebrate this shared heritage.

St. David’s Island hosts Cooper’s Island Nature Reserve, a pristine coastal area that underscores Bermuda’s commitment to protecting its natural resources while inviting visitors to connect with its landscapes. The island’s beaches are pristine, with thick, white sand and clear waters that invite both exploration and quiet reflection.

The broader cultural appeal is complemented by a sense of discovery: the shipwreck known as the Vixen sits in shallow waters where the hull and bow become a quiet stage for marine life, inviting snorkelers and divers to experience a submerged piece of Bermuda’s maritime history. The archipelago’s warm climate—summer temperatures in the 80s—encourages outdoor exploration, from cliff jumps to reef snorkel trips to days spent reading on remote stretches of sand.

As Bermuda continues to evolve, its travelers are welcomed by a hospitality scene that is increasingly comfortable with both luxury and local charm. Frizell’s comment about the bar and the water mirrors a broader truth about Bermuda today: the island can be both a refined luxury destination and a place where casual, local experiences carry equal weight to high-end amenities.

For those seeking a compact, culture-forward getaway, Bermuda offers a confident blend of new infrastructure, restored historic hotels, and a culinary-and-cocktail scene that invites longer stays and deeper exploration. The recent upgrades to Hamilton Princess’s Bermudiana wing, the reimagining of Cambridge Beaches, and the steady introduction of boutique properties like Azura Bermuda signal a destination that respects its past while leaning into a vibrant, data-informed future. And with BermudAir expanding service across the East Coast and locals welcoming curious visitors to cliff jumps and quiet coves, Bermuda’s future looks as bright as its pink sands.