Luxury Hotels: When you first arrive on the island of Bermuda and enter the downtown location of Hamilton, there is one remarkable building that will soon catch your eye - the Pink Palace better known as the Fairmont Hamilton Princess. The hotel is located directly on Hamilton Harbor just a short walk from all of the tiny shops in downtown Hamilton and a 20-minute bus or cab ride to the beaches.

This year, Bermuda is celebrating its 400th birthday and in honor of it, The Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Fairmont Southampton Princess are offering "sizzling summer packages" with a $400 resort credit if you stay four nights. It just doesn't get any better than this! An added bonus is you are allowed access to both properties via a complimentary ferry service between the two resorts. We stayed at the Hamilton Princess, which was once a favorite hideaway for Mark Twain and other dignitaries. With over a century of experience, The Fairmont Hamilton Princess is sister to properties such as The Plaza in New York, The Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston, The Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta, and The Fairmont San Francisco. She has famous and illustrious siblings, yet remains the Grande Dame and oldest member of the Fairmont Hotels & Resorts family.

The exclusive Fairmont Gold Lounge just may be the best deal on the island. From the moment you arrive, we were greeted on the second floor and enjoyed a drink in the complimentary lounge before heading up to our room. The lounge offers special amenities, including complimentary snacks and drinks along with an honor bar, continental breakfast, access to various newspapers and magazines, and computer access.

The guest rooms of Fairmont Gold are extremely spacious and are located in the historic main wing of the hotel. While we wish we had a balcony to enjoy the view, our room did offer a lovely garden view.

If you are looking for a beachfront resort, be sure to stay at the Fairmont Southampton as the Fairmont Hamilton Princess does not offer beach access. We were happy to just relax by the pool for a quick weekend escape from Boston (it's less than a two-hour flight into Hamilton on Jet Blue). There are two pools here, including one saltwater. The main pool area gets quite busy during the afternoons so be sure to get here early to avoid the crowds. The staff here is extremely professional with upscale British flair and tends to every whim.



The Fairmont Hamilton has a wonderful restaurant, Harley's, which serves up everything from steaks and chops to fresh seafood. At dinnertime, you can even enjoy an al fresco dinner while watching the colorful sailboats and luxury yachts pass by.

We took the Fairmont ferry to Southampton property one afternoon and enjoyed a visit to the beach. As soon as you get off the ferry, the hotel has a complimentary shuttle up a steep hill right to the front door. The beach here is breathtakingly gorgeous and should not be missed. We look forward to returning, both to Bermuda and the Princess.

For JustLuxe Kellie K. Speed