Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa

I'd always heard a trip to Bermuda was a cut above your average vacation getaway; rolling hills, carefully landscaped gardens, signature architecture, breathtaking beaches and British influence combine for a delightful island experience. I was soon to understand why the resort has been ranked by Travel & Leisure in the Top Ten of the World's Best Hotels for service. Throughout my stay I was impressed by the thoughtfulness of the resort staff and the special efforts they all made to make me comfortable. Speaking to other guests, many of them repeat visitors, I learned that this had been their experience as well.

Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa has a total of 94 guest rooms and suites, including classic Bermuda style cottages with white roofs and private terraces. Ocean-view suites offer private plunge pools. I appreciated the large walk-in closet and bathroom in my spacious room, as well as the spectacular view of Mangrove Bay and the charming town of Somerset.

High tea is served daily at Cambridge Beaches, and the resort sponsors weekly enrichment activities including highly educational wine tastings with the resident sommelier and culinary demonstrations by the resort's master chef. Tamarisk Restaurant at Cambridge Beaches has been rated as one of the island's best restaurants by Food & Wine Magazine, and I savored every meal I had there. The night I opted for the food-and-wine-pairing menu was particularly enjoyable.

Guests can swim in the resort's bay-front infinity pool with cascading waterfall and secluded tiered decks, play tennis on its three courts, run on its four beaches, rent a boat or hike its nature preserve.

The resort's spa is a standout for many reasons. Instead of just steam rooms and sauna, the spa offers "experience rooms" that use aroma, light and crystals to engage the senses. I spent a long time going from room to room after my massage and experienced a trance of deep relation. The spa's indoor pool and whirlpool are inviting, bringing the outside in with wide windows and a large skylight.

During the cooler season the resort offers a series of wellness retreats. Its themed weekends focus on various topics such as nutritious cooking, women's wellness and healthy romantic relationships. National experts, including relationship guru Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D., who has been featured on Oprah, The Today Show and CNN, are brought to Cambridge Beaches to conduct the retreat learning and enrichment sessions. During my visit I worked with life strategies coach Lana Staheli, the author of Bounce Be Transformed (compare prices). In the relaxing, safe and inspiring atmosphere I was able to assess my life and develop a plan for what I wanted to do with the rest of it. That plan, while always being updated, continues to pay dividends. The workshops are coordinated with spa treatments, pilates, yoga, walks through the resort's nature sanctuary and labyrinth, and other health-enhancing activities. Relationship-themed weekends offer romantic sunset sailing cruises and the like.

Eco-tourism experiences abound on Bermuda, including snorkeling or diving, fishing and sailing. A great on-land excursion is a visit to the Crystal Caves, featuring subterranean crystal clear lakes, stalactites and stalagmites. The island is also host to lighthouses, forts, gardens and parks, and the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo definitely are worth visiting. Golfers will want to take advantage of several area courses, including Mid Ocean, Tuckers Point, Belmont Hills, Fairmont Southampton, Riddles Bay and the Robert Trent Jones-designed Port Royal. Shoppers will find plenty of fashionable boutiques on Front Street in the capital city of Hamilton, on the east side of the island, and craft shops at the Dockyard, on the west. The Dockyard is also home to Bermuda Maritime Museum and Dolphin Quest. The island's excellent bus transit system runs between the two areas with many stops along the way. I took a bus to the Dockyard and was impressed with how clean and comfortable the ride was. A taxi can be hired or mopeds rented, and there's also a train.

Those who prefer a quiet vacation will appreciate that Cambridge Beaches is an adult resort where visitors must be 16 years and older. The exception is holiday periods from Nov. 1 through Jan. 15 and one week before and after Easter. (Reviewed 12/11/2009:00)

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Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa is located: A 45-minute taxi drive from the airport; on a 30-acre peninsula at Bermuda's western edge
30 Kings Point Road, Sandys, MA02 Bermuda
Phone: (441) 234-0331; Reservations: (800) 468-7300
Email: res2@cambeach.bm
Web site: Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa