By: Marcia Abramson
There is a "Just Us Kids" program for children of ages 5-12 and "Just Us Teens" for ages 13-17. All on-property programs are free and are scheduled during holiday periods including Thanksgiving weekend, Christmas through New Year's, spring break, Easter and June 1 to Labor Day. The younger kids have arts and crafts, treasure hunts, swimming, storytelling, Olympic Games, awards ceremonies, fish feeding, sand castle building and judging, cake baking and frosting, art on chefs' hats, fishing off the rocks, marshmallow roasts and movies during the day light hours. The evening programs include pajama parties, dressy coketail parties, Olympic games, barbecues, Playstation Madness, and movies. Bradley chose to join the teens and looked forward to ping-pong tournaments, fishing, tennis Lessons, kayaking, snorkeling, horseback riding, mountain biking, bowling, mini-golf and badminton. He had very little time to get bored when he wasn't exploring the city of Hamilton, with me. One of the most photographed objects on Front Street in Hamilton is the police man in a "Bird Cage." Unfortunately, the policeman was not in his cage and only seems to direct traffic from the cage sporadically, and it was not his day when we got there. Hamilton has some great shopping of British imports and Bradley did get to buy a tie for his dad. Burberry products are just about in every shop. The government buildings are also in Hamilton. City Hall, Supreme Court are open to the public. We also took the ferry to the Royal Naval Dockyard. The Dockyard is surrounded by thick stone walls and was one of the most strategic military installations in the world when "the sun never set on the British Empire." Bradley learned that the Dockyard was built in 1809 by slaves and convicts after the American War of Independence to provide the British with a base of operation along the east coast of the United States. It is located just 600 miles from the coast of North Carolina. It was during the War of 1812 that the British ships sailed from the Royal Naval Dockyard to attack Washington, D.C. The British actually set fire to the White House. Documents relating to the sacking of the American capital are in the Museum at the Dockyard. During World War I the Bermuda dockyard was the launching site for battleships and submarines and served as a supply station for the Atlantic convoys that dodged German U-boats en route to Europe. The British had no further use for the dockyard after 1951, but it is one of the stellar tourist attractions today. Water sports are ideal in Bermuda. Diving near the famous Bermuda Triangle is an attraction to divers from all over the world. Certified divers told me that the ocean floor is covered, with hundreds of wrecks from the 15th to the 20th century. No wonder that Bermuda is known as the Wreck Capital of the Atlantic. Bradley did not get to dive on this trip. He had to settle for a dive from a sailboat to snorkel. He saw colorful coral reefs teeming with colorful fish, sea turtles and other marine life.Bradley and I found the three restaurants at the Sonesta Beach Resort thoroughly enjoyable. Luncheon at the Longtail Cafe was delightful. The children's menu had every child's favorites, pizzas, chicken tenders, and burgers served with delicious French fries. A favorite is Lillian's, a fine Northern Italian restaurant with delicious Prince Edward Island mussels which Bradley shared with me( to my surprise, a far cry from pizza). He also enjoyed rack of lamb which was prepared the way we like it, medium rare.The executive chef, Stephan Juliusburger, is quite an innovator of "evolving" cuisine, combining Japanese and Italian ingredients and techniques. Imagine an Italian restaurant with a Sushi Bar. The Italian chefs have influenced the Sushi Bar with "Crude," first-quality sashimi with Italian flavors and spices. He also oversees the Greenhouse Restaurant featuring a Grand Breakfast Buffet and the Seagrape Terrace, an outdoor restaurant specializing in open-flame grilled dishes such as yellow fin tuna, wahoo, and NY sirloin steaks.The Sonesta Spa, with director Michael Ternent, is a must and while Bradley was having a very good tennis lesson with pro, Cal F., I had an invigorating Swedish massage administered by a wonderful therapist and a make-over coiffeur by a very talented British hairdresser Kelly. I left the Sonesta a very happy grandmother with a grandson who is looking forward to his next trip with grandma.
© Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
