I Didn’t Realize Bermuda Was Closer To NYC Than Miami — So I Went
There’s something delightfully disorienting about realizing that Bermuda — with its turquoise waters and pink sand beaches — is actually a quicker flight from New York City than Miami. Sitting just 600 miles off the coast of North Carolina, the island is roughly a two-hour flight from NYC, meaning you could be beachside in Bermuda in less time than it takes to make it to the Hamptons on a summer Friday. Thanks to its subtropical climate, Bermuda draws travelers year-round in search of a slower pace — with beachfront hotels, rum cocktails, and a 35km/h speed limit setting the general vibe of the island. But for two days in May each year, things kick up a notch as Bermuda hosts one of the most intense events in international sports: The Rolex SailGP Grand Prix. Why we came: Supporting the US Sail GP Team ROCKWOOL Racing SailGP Team driven by Nicolai Sehested are squeezed from the start line as the SailGP F50 catamaran fleet cross the start-line on Race Day 1 of the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix in Bermuda. Saturday 9 May 2026. Rolex SailGP Championship Event 5 2026 Season. Photo: Bob Martin for SailGP. Handout image supplied by SailGP If you didn’t grow up in a coastal town — or around the kind of people who know what a catamaran is — the world of professional sailing probably hasn’t been on your radar. SailGP is often described as Formula 1 on water, though the comparison only gets you so far. The global league, which hosts monthly races in sailing destinations across the world, features elite teams racing identical F50 catamarans — high-tech sailboats capable of reaching speeds of up to 65 mph while appearing to lift clear out of the water. “Sixty-two miles per hour might not sound that fast compared to Formula 1,” U.S. Sail GP owner Mike Buckley explained. “But imagine being strapped to the top of a Formula 1 car, going that speed, on the open ocean. It’s intense.” In practice, it means that sailors are bracing against wind speeds intense enough to require harnesses and ear protection, perpetually soaked in salt water, and steering two-ton, nearly 60-foot-tall boats through extraordinarily tight courses. Thanks to the U.S. SailGP team, I watched race weekend from aboard Arabella, a superyacht anchored near Morgan’s Point in Southampton Parish that offered a front-row seat to the action. From the boat’s deck, we watched the F50 catamarans tear across the water and whip around each other at startling speeds, occasionally appearing to levitate above the water as they picked up wind speed. Where we stayed: The Loren at Pink Beach We landed on Saturday morning and were met by our driver — and unofficial island guide — Larry, who brought us to The Loren at Pink Beach, a modern, boutique hotel perched dramatically along Bermuda’s south shore. Immediately upon walking into the lobby, we were met with sprawling oceanfront views and a tray of rum swizzles – a tropical juice-and-rum cocktail, widely considered Bermuda’s unofficial national drink. To set the scene: The Loren at Pink Beach is a hotel fit for a season of The White Lotus, offering a panoramic view of the island’s jagged cliffs and ocean, a Sisley spa, and direct access to one of Bermuda’s famously blush-toned, pink sand beaches. In the villas where I stayed, I found my own personal heaven in a hotel room: a sprawling space boasting a bathtub big enough to qualify as a jacuzzi, and a sun-soaked private terrace lush with tropical greenery and flowers in full bloom. It was the kind of room that promptly makes you reconsider every life choice that doesn’t involve permanently relocating to an island — and I took full advantage of the island-time vibes, stretching out on the terrace couches for coffee each morning with mug in hand, basking in sunlight and breathing in the salty, floral scent of island air. Where we ate: Achilles and the Pink Beach Club at The Loren When you’re on a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic, it’s best to do as the locals do: insist on — and indulge in — fresh seafood of all varieties. On Saturday night, we headed to the northernmost point of the island, St. George, for dinner at Achilles, which offered an expansive menu of sushi rolls, appetizers like fresh calamari and tuna tartare, inventive cocktails inspired by the island, and a staff that was deeply kind to us even when we accidentally stayed far past the posted closing time. For our second night, we stayed close to home for dinner at The Loren’s Pink Beach Club, a MICHELIN Key restaurant where our meal was served just steps from the water. While the menu leaned into fresh local catches and filet mignon, the vegetable dishes, too, deserve their own moment in the sun. Genuinely, don’t skip the grilled baby gem lettuce or cauliflower appetizers if they’re available — and let yourself indulge in a tiramisu made tableside at the end of your meal. In Bermuda, there’s more than meets the eye. While B
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There’s something delightfully disorienting about realizing that Bermuda — with its turquoise waters and pink sand beaches — is actually a quicker flight from New York City than Miami. Sitting just 600 miles off the coast of North Carolina, the island is roughly a two-hour flight from NYC, meaning you could be beachside in Bermuda in less time than it takes to make it to the Hamptons on a summer Friday.
Thanks to its subtropical climate, Bermuda draws travelers year-round in search of a slower pace — with beachfront hotels, rum cocktails, and a 35km/h speed limit setting the general vibe of the island. But for two days in May each year, things kick up a notch as Bermuda hosts one of the most intense events in international sports: The Rolex SailGP Grand Prix.
Why we came: Supporting the US Sail GP Team
If you didn’t grow up in a coastal town — or around the kind of people who know what a catamaran is — the world of professional sailing probably hasn’t been on your radar. SailGP is often described as Formula 1 on water, though the comparison only gets you so far. The global league, which hosts monthly races in sailing destinations across the world, features elite teams racing identical F50 catamarans — high-tech sailboats capable of reaching speeds of up to 65 mph while appearing to lift clear out of the water.
“Sixty-two miles per hour might not sound that fast compared to Formula 1,” U.S. Sail GP owner Mike Buckley explained. “But imagine being strapped to the top of a Formula 1 car, going that speed, on the open ocean. It’s intense.” In practice, it means that sailors are bracing against wind speeds intense enough to require harnesses and ear protection, perpetually soaked in salt water, and steering two-ton, nearly 60-foot-tall boats through extraordinarily tight courses.
Thanks to the U.S. SailGP team, I watched race weekend from aboard Arabella, a superyacht anchored near Morgan’s Point in Southampton Parish that offered a front-row seat to the action. From the boat’s deck, we watched the F50 catamarans tear across the water and whip around each other at startling speeds, occasionally appearing to levitate above the water as they picked up wind speed.
Where we stayed: The Loren at Pink Beach
We landed on Saturday morning and were met by our driver — and unofficial island guide — Larry, who brought us to The Loren at Pink Beach, a modern, boutique hotel perched dramatically along Bermuda’s south shore. Immediately upon walking into the lobby, we were met with sprawling oceanfront views and a tray of rum swizzles – a tropical juice-and-rum cocktail, widely considered Bermuda’s unofficial national drink.
To set the scene: The Loren at Pink Beach is a hotel fit for a season of The White Lotus, offering a panoramic view of the island’s jagged cliffs and ocean, a Sisley spa, and direct access to one of Bermuda’s famously blush-toned, pink sand beaches. In the villas where I stayed, I found my own personal heaven in a hotel room: a sprawling space boasting a bathtub big enough to qualify as a jacuzzi, and a sun-soaked private terrace lush with tropical greenery and flowers in full bloom.
It was the kind of room that promptly makes you reconsider every life choice that doesn’t involve permanently relocating to an island — and I took full advantage of the island-time vibes, stretching out on the terrace couches for coffee each morning with mug in hand, basking in sunlight and breathing in the salty, floral scent of island air.
Where we ate: Achilles and the Pink Beach Club at The Loren
When you’re on a tiny island in the middle of the Atlantic, it’s best to do as the locals do: insist on — and indulge in — fresh seafood of all varieties. On Saturday night, we headed to the northernmost point of the island, St. George, for dinner at Achilles, which offered an expansive menu of sushi rolls, appetizers like fresh calamari and tuna tartare, inventive cocktails inspired by the island, and a staff that was deeply kind to us even when we accidentally stayed far past the posted closing time.
For our second night, we stayed close to home for dinner at The Loren’s Pink Beach Club, a MICHELIN Key restaurant where our meal was served just steps from the water. While the menu leaned into fresh local catches and filet mignon, the vegetable dishes, too, deserve their own moment in the sun. Genuinely, don’t skip the grilled baby gem lettuce or cauliflower appetizers if they’re available — and let yourself indulge in a tiramisu made tableside at the end of your meal.
In Bermuda, there’s more than meets the eye.
While Bermuda’s pristine beaches, luxury hotels, and the spectacle of race weekend make it easy to romanticize, the island’s 400-year colonial history deserves as much attention as its natural beauty and uber-luxurious experiences. Bermuda is one of the oldest remaining British Overseas Territories, and many of the island’s Black residents, who make up a majority of the population, can trace their ancestry to people enslaved from West Africa and the Caribbean under British colonial rule.
Spanning the length of the island, Bermuda’s African Diaspora Heritage Trail sheds light on that history through a string of monuments, churches, and cultural sites that share and honor the stories of enslaved people and segregated Bermudans. If you’re visiting in July, consider planning your trip around Cup Match, a two-day public holiday featuring a high-stakes cricket match and island-wide celebrations marking Bermuda’s 1834 abolition of slavery. No matter when you’re visiting, it’s worth checking out the Bermuda Tourism Authority’s guide to Bermuda’s Black Culture & Beyond, and making a conscious effort to support Black-owned businesses throughout your stay.
My first trip to Bermuda was a whirlwind of beautiful experiences, food, and people — but I know that there’s so much more of the island to be seen and experienced. While a weekend trip simply didn’t feel long enough, I’m comforted to remind myself that my return is inevitable — seeing as I can get there in less time than some cross-borough New York journeys.
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