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ROOMS
If you’ve ever stayed at a Fairmont hotel, you know the rooms. Of
course, the dÈcor differs according to locale, but you can expect
oversized chairs and large beds with big headboards. A suite at the
Fairmont Hamilton Princess gets you a lovely sitting room complete
with couch, coffee table, dining table, armchairs and balcony, with
an adjoining bedroom and bath—and all amply proportioned. Color
schemes are pastel; art runs toward the pineapple and conch shell
variety. These are rooms and suites designed to salve the
businessman’s soul—as well as placate families on vacation. Nothing
too taxing about the design scheme—and, for that matter, nothing to
complain too much about, save for a vague kind of corporate
blandness.
PUBLIC SPACES
Once upon a time, the Hamilton Princess was the ne plus ultra of
grand hotels. Inspired by a visit to Bermuda from Princess Louise,
daughter of Queen Victoria, the Hamilton Princess, fondly referred
to as the “Pink Palace,” opened on January 1, 1885—and quickly
became the winter home for affluent travelers. Mark Twain was a
regular visitor—and a bronze statue of the author remains in the
lobby. Ian Fleming wrote the Gazebo Bar’s fish tank-lined bar into
his novel Doctor No. Everyone vacationed there—before commercial
aviation.
Renovations and more renovations have altered the look of the
Princess—and there’s now a circa 1960s Pool Wing and Bay Wing, to
complement the two pools (one freshwater, the other salt water), as
well as an ersatz British arcade filled with shops selling jewelry,
souvenirs, and golfing togs.
The grounds are one of the nicer parts of the Princess,
incorporating a yacht landing as well as a moon gate and koi pond on
pathways lined with flora. There’s also a miniature golf course—in
the event you find yourself inclined to leave your chaise.
BREAKFAST
Given that this is Bermuda, breakfast at Harley’s is rather a formal
affair, and a bit dear—that is, if you’re not on a business expense
account. Think of it as cruise dining—a buffet meant to cover all
bases, all appetites, and to insure that you remain sedentary and
poolside until lunch.
PERSONNEL
Pleasant—although one sometimes has the impression that they have
dealt with too many demanding businesspeople and are therefore just
slightly defensive, and particularly towards those who might feel
that Bermuda is anything less than paradise.
LOCATION
The Princess is an urban resort—provided you consider a town the
size of Hamilton (population approximately 900 to 1,500, depending
upon whom you ask) to be urban, and everything that Hamilton offers
is within walking distance. Staying at the Princess offers the best
of a resort setting—with easy access to civilization beyond the
compound.
OVERVIEW
With its illustrious history and good bones, the Princess evokes the
“grand hotel” experience of yesteryear, and while it may no longer
be the most favored hotel off the Continent, there’s still plenty to
appreciate—not unlike a person of a certain age who has kept current
with the times and retained more than a handful of charm. |
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