The Pink Princess

Bermuda boasts pink sand and pink hotels, and the Hamilton Princess enjoys a prime location in the country’s capital

- Alexandra Groom

The famously well-travelled and erudite Mark Twain t once said: “You go to heaven if you want to, I’d rather stay right here in Bermuda,” and it’s hard to disagree with him. The small Atlantic island with its sub-tropical climate, pink sand beaches and stunning coral reefs has been a discreet paradise for generations, but the recent America’s Cup thrust it out onto the world stage in a way it has never experienced before.

Bermuda is a British Overseas Territory, but its geography places it culturally within the Americas. Located in the country’s capital city of Hamilton is the Hamilton Princess, a hotel which for generations has hosted locals and tourists, and for a few months this summer was the official hotel of the America’s Cup.

“The Hamilton Princess is a grand, imposing, pink palace, set in lush tropical grounds, a true urban luxury resort. Right from its construction in 1885 it has been known as the Pink Palace, and the hotel has been at the centre of both business and social life in Bermuda ever since,” says Diarmaid O’Sullivan, director of marketing at the Hamilton Princess. It’s not hard to see why: in its imposing position at the water’s edge, it is the first large building you see when arriving by boat. And it is bright pink. “The America’s Cup opportunity was a great branding exercise for the hotel and for Bermuda. As a luxury urban resort it made sense for us to become the official hotel of America’s Cup,” explains O’Sullivan.