Aside from the azure waters, the pink sand and the uncommonly attentive service that is the rule rather than the exception, the great and lasting charm of Bermuda is its location: An easy flight of hardly more than 90 minutes from most any metro area on the Eastern Seaboard.

Location, location, location is also the allure of the prime piece of Bermudian real estate that is Elbow Beach. First, you're on a tranquil, very civilized semi-tropical strand of islands in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Second, you're only a 10-minute taxi ride from the airport; five minutes from downtown Hamilton, the island's capital and business hub. Last, and certainly not least, you settle into a cozy private cottage or suite set amid 50 acres of lushly landscaped gardens perched above a stretch of private pink beach.

Part of Mandarin Oriental's portfolio of luxury establishments, Elbow Beach is large enough (235 rooms, suites and cottages) to offer such amenities as your choice of seven restaurants, from the award-winning Seahorse Grill (best fine-dining restaurant, best Bermuda Chowder) overlooking the beach, to Mickey's Beach Bistro & Bar, right down on the sand. Yet it's cozy enough to serve as a honeymoon hideaway for generations of newlyweds.

Want to unwind sooner, rather than later? Bermuda's the place, then, and Elbow Beach makes booking both your flight and room a one-click convenience (at a discount, too).

That's the easy way to get to Bermuda. If you'd prefer to take a slightly more arduous approach, there's always the Newport Bermuda Race, commencing on June 20. Called the "thrash to the onion patch," a nod to Bermuda's agricultural past and the rough waters that sometimes surround it, the Bermuda Race is the oldest ocean race for amateur sailors in normal boats, founded in 1906. The 2008 fleet for the Newport Bermuda Race stands at 214 registered yachts. Check your Rolodex or the official website -- who knows? You might have an old school chum who could use an extra hand...

Get your bearings by taking this interactive, "zoomable" tour of Bermuda. For more information on some of Elbow Beach's inclusive, convenient package deals, click on the links below.

Bermuda: Active Escapes
Bermuda: R&R Escapes
Travel Destinations

4/14/08