Greetings from Room 120 at Hamilton Lodge at Grotto Bay Beach Resort, Bailey’s Bay, Bermuda!

We arrived yesterday afternoon after a hellish, 4+ hour red-eye from Phoenix filled with coughing and sneezing passengers – I half expected Homeland Security to quarantine the plane at Philadelphia – something I promise I will never do again, I’m just getting too old for that. The 2-hour flight from Philadelphia was blissfully uneventful, and we arrived in the midst of a full-fledged “banana wind” following a squally front that had soaked the island the night before. Maybe it was the feel of wind and humid air on the skin, or perhaps it was the two Planters Punches with fish-and-chips in Grotto Bay’s beautiful Palm Court Restaurant…

…or both, at any rate the memories of the previous night soon melted away, allowing for a luxurious afternoon cat-nap. Waking sufficiently refreshed for walk in the slightly cool night while Tracey slept, I took a shower, put on my best smart dress (white pants and a Hawaiian shirt), and took the ten-minute walk to the Swizzle Inn for some Bermuda fish chowder and a local ale on a windswept balcony, the wind in the palm trees providing just the right auditory accompaniment and a perfect nightcap to one frantic day.

While this is our third time at Grotto Bay – an Omama-esque “shout out”, BTW, to my Auntie Marge for finding us this lovely destination for our honeymoon 23 years ago – it’s our sixth overall visit to Bermuda. Tracey and I have been privileged to visit many tropical locales, and while nothing I doubt will ever match the magical beauty of the Kahala Resort on Oahu or the colorful fun of Cozumel as our favorite vacation destinations, no matter what might be troubling situation or soul at any time, the laid-back lifestyle of this island always seems to offer a much-need break and tonic.