Since the hotel is within walking distance of the city's dining and
shopping, I knew my wife would be content while I gave my golf
clubs a workout.
The crown jewel in
Bermuda's
golf portfolio is the Mid-Ocean Club,
crafted in 1922 by Charles Blair MacDonald, designer of the
National Golf Links of
America, Piping Rock, and the
Yale Golf
Course. Easily accessible from
Hamilton, the Mid-Ocean Club is not
only Bermuda's best course, but one of the best anywhere. With
surprising elevation changes, the course climbs, drops, and winds
along the ocean, through dense inland vegetation and around ponds
for a complete, classical golf experience. Though it is a private
club, Mid-Ocean, like the courses of
Scotland and
Ireland, is
receptive to visitors, and the better hotels can easily arrange tee
times.
Farther east, beyond the airport, lies St. Georges, a Robert Trent
Jones Sr.-designed course with an unusual par of 62. With no par-5s
and many par-3s, it is a perfect compromise for families, something
between a championship course and an executive layout. Routed in
linear fashion along the coastline, it affords gorgeous views at
every turn.
Do put down your clubs long enough to enjoy Hamilton's dining and
nightlife, and to visit its Bermuda Underwater Exploration
Institute, especially if you can't go diving yourself. Exhibits
capture the spirit of undersea exploration, with diving equipment
and submersibles, a 10-minute simulated dive narrated by Jaws
author Peter Benchley, and displays of Bermuda's treasures,
shipwrecks, and bioluminescent undersea life.
NORTHWEST PASSAGE
Just steps from Waterloo House is the main ferry terminal - the
very best way to visit Bermuda's northwestern tip. A short,
pleasant ride across the Great Sound takes you to must-see
attractions - and, thankfully, more golf.