Dear Havona (part 3: IRL pics of Bermuda)

So, in case you were wondering, I did come back from Bermuda (sigh), I'm just late with the posting and catching up on everyone else's blogs as this is a crazy week for me (yes, even stay at home moms can have crazy weeks, although I agree that it's a different crazyness from the crazy weeks at work) bacause tomorrow is my daughter's second birthday and I have to plan everything for her b-day party on Sunday, which I'm clearly behind in doing because you know how it is when you're back from a vacation, even short: tons of laundry, the mess that you left before leaving to clean out, etc. My Internet connection is not collaborating either because it has been VERY slow and I had to start over twice. All this to say that this post is going to be shorter than I would like, but better short than nothing at all.

Back to our trip, we had a FANTASTIC time and the island was beyond expectations. If you live in the Northest, it's perfect destination for a short vacation. First of all, it's only a 1.45 hours hop from NY; second, the high season goes from end of May to September, which makes Bermuda a much better vacation spot than the Caribbean where it's too hot in the (our) summer; third, it's truly BEAUTIFUL and the beaches are among the most amazing that I have ever seen. The only problem is that you cannot rent a car, so be sure to stay in a hotel with a lot of amenities and possibly a shuttle service to the main beaches/major attractions if you don't want to be stuck or wait hours for the public bus (which apparently is not very reliable in the summer months).

But enough with your travel agency reccomendations, even if is the only kind of advise that I can give you. I surely can't provide any packing tips because my suitcase was full (and I mean FULL) of clothes that I didn't wear, except for the Havona and the two outfits that I had carefully put together around it.
The thing is, I didn't expect to spend so much time on the beach. I don't know what I was thinking when I packed but I looked at the forecasts and they weren't very encouraging (showers and T-storms for four straight days) so I took many long-sleeved cardi and shirts because I wanted to be sure not to be cold. On the other hand, I didn't pack ANY cover-up or sundress in the eventuality that the forecasts would be wrong (can you believe it?) and I took only two t-shirts with me! Plus, I brought too many evening outfits, but this wasn't my fault because I thought that we would dine out every night, while we only went to the restaurant at the hotel the first night and then we dined at our friend's house on Friday and Saturday night (we had three kids and it was easier).

Anyway, I survived my suitcase catastrophe and spent 4 wonderful days. I'm going to share some pics but I have to warn you that they are family vacation pics, so they are what they are.

The first two days, before moving to our friends', we stayed at the Elbow Beach hotel, which is part of the Mandarin Oriental group. My husband's company paid for it, so I have no idea of how much the room could have costed but it was surely on the expensive side.
The hotel has a main room building on the top of the hill with the pool, two restaurants and a bar (with an exceptional view), plus many smaller "cottages" spreaded through the beautiful grounds that go down to the beach.



Our room was located in one of the cottages closest to the beach:



As I said before, the first night we left our daughter with a babysitter and had a romantic dinner at the hotel's beach restaurant, which, by the way, is the only restaurant where you can have dinner on the beach in the entire island!
I wore the Havona for the occasion, with white long pants and a Jackie-style cardi that I bought at Ann Taylor Loft (where I normally never shop) a few days before leaving. I had read about this cardi on the Three Sparrows and Some Sparkle blog but I forgot about it until I happened to walk by a ATL store in my neigborhood and saw that they were in promo (1 full price, 1 free) and that it came in a turquoise that looked exactly like the turquoise in the Havona. So I decided to give it a try and it turned out to be the PERFECT cardigan for the Havona for $19.50 (MMM, if you're reading, this is for you)! So, thank you Sparrow!
I was dying for my husband to take a picture of the entire outfit but I didn't want to ask because he would have immediately guessed that it was for the blog and I wasn't supposed to think about the blog. I didn't want to ruin it, so I shut up and this is the only picture that I have to show you (you can't see the bottom but you get to see my face for a change):



It was almost dark when the picture was taken but I can tell you that the Bermudian turquoise sea was the perfect backdrop for the Havona.

We spent the day after playing and relaxing on the beach (it was very sunny and warm and I got a nice tan), then we checked out and went to our friends'. We dined at home with the kids, so no outfit to show.
On Saturday we went back to the beach (the kids were very excited) where we spent most of the day. Our friends are member of a tennis club with private beach and a restaurant with a view to die for:





As I said I didn't pack any sundress or cover up but luckely I had my goldfish tee and the seaside chambray shorts (one of the best buy ever) so I managed not to look like a complete moron (please excuse my daughter in the picture but is the only one that I have where you can see the tee):



We spent a cozy Saturday evening at home talking and drinking wine after the kids went to bed but for Mother's Day our friends had a planned a magnificent brunch in the garden of their villa (they hired a catering service and everything was just perfect) and I wore the Havona again, this time with JCrew shorts and Tory Burch thongs. I had tons of compliments on the outfit and even my husband, who normally rolls his eyes when he sees that I'm wearing something new, was impressed:



My daughter was adorable in a Gap chambrey dress, but she falled just few minutes after this pic hitting her forehead very hard and that was the end of it for her (she passed out exhausted after much crying):



In any case we were leaving soon (our flight was in the early afternoon) so we reluctantly went back to our room to pack the last few things and get ready for the ride to the airport.

We really had a fantastic time and I can't wait to go back. I've also felt definitively in love with the Havona and I think that I will wear it in many different occasions for years to come.

Have you ever been to Bermuda? Would you consider it for a vacation now?