Evening star., 1950-07-16


ness and accent on recreational
facilities overlapping at times.
Through diligence or luck or
both, it is safe to say that accom-
modations and surroundings can
be found that exactly suit each
individual. Travel agencies. long
acquainted with Bermuda as
popular vacation objective, are in
a good position to advise.
But perhaps these personal
observations, gained in a recent
trip. will give a clue. Two hotels
and one guest house are used as
illustrations. The hotels are the
Castle Harbour, largest and new
est in major renovation and the
Princess, within easy walking dis
tance of Hamilton's life and shops;
the guest house, Deepdene Manor,
a stately mansion of another day,
facing Harrington Sound.
X %*
Rich and RemOte-Known be-
fore World War II as q resort
where smart and wealthy Ameri-
cans paused in their travels, the
richly renovated Castle Harbour
already is on the road to regain
ing that reputation. In June and
July, honeymoon months, it drew
a large portion of young newly
wed visitors.
Relatively remote in the
fuckers Town section of Ber-
muda, the hotel arranges a pro-
gram of activity independent of
Hamilton's facilities and doings.
There is dancing nightly, with
formal balls two or three times
week. Hamilton firms have es-
tablished shops off one of the
hotels grassy terraces, for pur-
chasers of imported china, silver
ware and other articles of prime
shopping appeal.
Below this terrace is a salt
water swimming pool; beach bath
ing, with transportation in hotel
car, Is available few minutes
away at the Mid-Ocean Club. The
club also has golf course. Tennis
courts are laid out just above the
hotels beautiful tropical gardens,
its foliage-covered chasm remind
ing one of Shaw Park, on the
north coast of Jamaica.
Handsomely decorated, the
hotel has an atmosphere which
seems to say to travellers on mod
est budgets that they are a bit
over their heads. Yet American
plan prices range from only SIS
to $21 day. and this covers most
activities. But the Government
girl, counting with care her SIS
bills, is likely to be distressed that
the hotels electric circuit is too
strong for the travel iron that her
economical ways prompted her
to take along. And each time
she goes into Hamilton, it's $1.24
taxi fare each way, plus tips.
y
The Lively Princess-Given two
words to describe the Castle Har-
bour, these might be chosen: Mag
nlflcent and detached. With the
same limitation, the Princess Hotel
could perhaps best be classed as
lively and convenient. Both, of
course, are more than comfortable.
Dancing there is on an outdoor
terrace, on which one may stand
on sailing days to see the pennant-
bedecked Queen of Bermuda sail
majestically by. few hundred
yards from the hotels dock. The
Hamilton Harbor side of the hotel
is the most interesting, and for
an ever diverting show in itself,
ask for room on the harbor side.
A little steamer, with its plain
tive, sore-throat whistle, stops
there to pick up passengers to 90
beyond the harbor entrance to the
glass-bottom boats that cruise
over the vivid sea gardens. A
launch from the navy dockyard
pulls up. touches the pier briefly
for a British naval officer to step
smartly ashore, and roars on to
Hamilton with the ratings. A sail
boat cruises just beyond the swim
ming pool, inviting prospective
passengers to explore the harbor.
But the outstanding feature of
the Princess is the alertness and
speed of the dining room service.
Few Americans, in all their travels.
could ever have seen the equal.
The teamwork of the girl captains
of the sections, the waitress and
the busboys is precise, yet OBJ
viously improvised to meet the
needs Of the moment. It is like
watching clever motorist extri-
cate himself from a swirling jam
Of traffic on the highway.
BY kitchen coordination, meals
arrive in virtually the time it takes
a waitress to hand in an order and
return. Tipping rarely is such a
nlpa SIRE MnSt of tho uo itroccac