Bermuda might just be the prettiest port on the planet!  King's Wharf also known as the Royal Naval Dockyard is far from being ugly and utilitarian as so many ports are.  With not a container in sight, this is a cute wharf complex which has as its focal point, the old fortifications, and Bermuda stone buildings which date back to the 1700s. When you add rows of perfect palms, and manicured lawns, a lovely marina, and many shops, galleries, restaurants, and bars (most of them cleverly concealed inside the old buildings), you can assemble a picture I think. But all that is right beside the ship - the real delights of Bermuda are elsewhere, and reached by a wonderful transport network of ferries and buses.

The capital of Hamilton is a 20 minute ferry ride away - across picture perfect turquoise water of course!  All terribly British in a "colonial outpost" kind of way.  Red phone boxes on every corner, red pillar boxes for mail, and streets named King, Queen, Victoria, Church etc.  There are glorious parks and gardens filled with superbly lush tropical plantings, and many big, old trees. Public buildings are beautiful - most of them very old as well. The "suburbs" or parishes as they are called, are a string of smaller towns and islands, linked by causeways and bridges, with names like Little Sound, Southampton, Pembroke, Flatt's Village.  The cutest of them all is St. George which is where Bermuda began in 1609. Tiny streets run into the town square which is dominated by a pretty Town Hall, with the waterfront just a few steps away. St. George has a UNESCO World Heritage Listing. Because of the endless spits and outcrops, Bermuda has an abundance of beaches - some of them with the famous local pink sand. Absolutely everywhere there are pristine white sandy stretches with warm, shallow and crystal clear water.  Then, to cap it off, overlooking all of this is the stunning real estate - ranging from simple brightly painted cottages to enormous estates - all of them capped with Bermuda's unique white channelled roofing.  You definitely need your sunnies on a bright day here!  Cost of living was not high at all, and we thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to take a couple of local meals, and sample the local drink - known as Dark & Stormy, and a delectable mix of dark rum and ginger beer.