Next week will see the Queen paying her first state visit to Bermuda in 14 years, to celebrate its 400th anniversary as a British outpost. The island is still popular among holidaymakers looking for an idyllic and traditional experience overseas.
The Mail Online reports that the Caribbean island evokes a sense of nostalgia for the British culture of the Fifties among many – despite the year-round sunshine, warm Atlantic waters and tropical beaches that serve to make Bermuda a popular escape from the British climate each winter.
While the island’s popularity among elite and wealthy visitors such as New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and Hollywood couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones means that there are many private beaches, holidaymakers can still find an abundance of equally luxurious beaches dotted around the island, which never fall victim to overcrowding. However, as the Mail’s John McEntee observes, holidays in Bermuda don’t have to be all about relaxing on the beach.
Historical sites in the town of St George’s allow visitors to trace the island’s history back to the 17th century, with attractions such as the Bermuda Heritage Museum, the State House and the Unfinished Church proving popular with cultural tourists. The historic town even continues to celebrate archaic traditions for the benefit of visitors, such as the use of the ducking stool for “nagging wenches.”
Another popular tourist destination is the dockyard on the western tip of Bermuda, which is incidentally celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, and offers an abundance of craft stalls, restaurants and souvenir shops to visitors.
