Sun-Drenched Island Getaway Offers Bargains From Britain

Bermuda, a few specks of land 500 miles east of North Carolina in the Atlantic Ocean, is a delightful, sun-drenched getaway. Its strong sense of tradition, a blend of local and British customs, is charming.

Much of that tradition is in commerce. Bermuda is a land of shopkeepers who have established a worldwide reputation for good taste and gentility, and the shops contain sophisticated, top-grade luxury goods at reasonable prices.

Bermuda is not duty-free but imposes no sales tax, so famous crystal and china, knitwear, jewelry, leather goods, perfumes and other items imported from Europe or Asia sell for 20% to 40% less than in the United States. Bermuda-made clothing, fragrances and souvenir items are inexpensive.

Shopping Places

The biggest concentration of shops is in the port town of Hamilton, the capital. Front Street (and its extension, Pitts Bay Road), facing the harbor, is the outstanding shopping street.

The string of charming two-story shops along its three blocks is dominated by famous British-bred outlets.

Trimingham’s, founded in 1842 and known as the “Harrods of the West,” has its own label of conservatively styled men’s and women’s clothing. Shirts of fine Egyptian cotton cost $15 and up. Trimingham’s is credited with being the first (in the 1940s) to use colorful Indian madras fabric to make shirts, trousers, shorts and blazers.

The shop is authoritative on the etiquette of Bermuda shorts for day or evening wear. It also carries fine Scottish cashmere, lambswool and Shetland sweaters. There are accessories and scarfs by Hermes (36-inch silk squares for $150) and Liberty of London, as well as French perfumes, accessories and gift items.

Trimingham’s also carries English bone china by Spode, Royal Worcester and Aynsley, and Irish crystal by Waterford and Galway.

Colorful Sweaters

H. A. & E. Smith’s, founded in 1889, has beautiful Ballantine cashmere sweaters, two-ply and up, for $165 to $430, as well as lovely lambswool and Shetland knitwear and Murray Allen’s colorful cotton knit sweaters. Fine woolens and tartans, including Smith’s own Bermuda Blue, are sold by the yard.

Ready-to-wear bears Burberrys and other labels. Men’s cashmere top coats cost $330 and up and wool jackets start at about $170.

Smith’s also stocks Royal Worcester, Royal Crown Derby and Royal Doulton china, with popular-pattern five-piece place settings for about $150 and up. Waterford Lismore goblets about $30.

Archie Brown & Son offers an array of cashmere sweaters with the Pringle and Barrie labels as well as lambswools and Shetlands, the Jaeger sweater line and Barrie’s popular sweater coats.

Less expensive wool sweaters are from $25. There are also cuddly mohair blankets for $80 and up. Handsome Harris tweeds are sold by the yard or tailored into appealing jackets ($190 and up) and hats ($40 and up).

William Bluck, established in 1844, is one of Bermuda’s best sources for china, including Spode, Royal Worcester, Royal Doulton, Minton, Royal Crown Derby, Wedgwood, Royal Copenhagen and Herend from Hungary, as well as Lalique, Baccarat, Daum, Hoya, Stuart, Edinburgh, Royal Brierley and Waterford crystal. Bluck promises that prices are at least 30% less than in the United States.

Variety of China

A. S. Cooper & Sons offers a vast variety of china and crystal, including the island’s largest stock of Wedgwood (the selection, including special pieces made exclusively for Cooper and gift items priced under $25, is larger than that of any U.S. retailer). Cooper’s Irish Shop features hand-knit Aran sweaters for about $130, hand-woven coverlets for $80 and up and woolen bedspreads for $130 and up.

The Irish Linen Shop’s bedding and table coverings are made of finest natural fibers. Reasonably priced Irish linen items include placemat and napkin sets for $30 and up. The shop also has beautiful Belgian lace, Madeira hand embroidery and by-the-yard (about $16 and up) cotton French provincial print fabrics by Souleiado. Nicely tailored men’s shirts of Egyptian cotton cost $20 and up.

The English Sports Shop sells British-made ready-to-wear, and the Scottish Wool Shop has more cashmere, lambswool and Shetland sweaters.

Calypso’s bright yellow facade is as cheerful as owner/designer Polly Hornburg’s vibrantly colored casual clothing. The shop carries cotton, silk and knit dresses and ensembles for $125 and up, plus Bermuda’s biggest selection of swimwear ($40 and up).

Rainbow of Colors

Bananas, which runs three shops, delights chic teens with its selection of inexpensive, comfortable and trendy T-shirts and sweat shirts, shorts, hats, headbands and accessories in a rainbow of tropical colors.

For perfumes, Peniston Brown sells more than 125 fragrances imported from France or Italy, including Guerlain, Carven, Chanel and others. Prepackaged gift samplers ($25 and up) contain petite vials of scents selected to represent the choices of famous women of history (including Cleopatra and Mata Hari).

Astwood Dickinson, jewelers since 1904, has 14-karat and 18-karat gold pins, charms, earrings and tie tacks with typical island designs including shells, sailing ships and schooners, tropical fish, lobsters and leaves.

Crisson sells Rolex, Piaget and Cartier watches for about 20% lower then U.S. prices. Solomon’s Jewelers, owned by Canadian Alan Porter, makes and sells one-of-a-kind pieces in 18-karat gold, and quality gems.

Pegasus Prints and Maps has 18th- and 19th-Century maps of Bermuda and the Americas as well as delightful English hand-colored prints of flowers, country scenes and caricatures. Unframed, they sell for $15 to $500.

Typical Bermuda souvenirs, including packaged cedar chips for scenting closets and tasty Outerbridge’s Sherry Peppers and other condiments in gift-wrapped sets (about $16), are sold in most shops.

Bermuda offers good buys in liquor, but you must buy a minimum of two liters to take advantage of low prices. Orders in most liquor shops must be placed by 9:30 a.m. on the day of departure or by 2:30 p.m. the day before an early morning flight.

Purchases are delivered at no extra charge to the airport or ship, where passengers pick them up just before boarding.

Each person returning to the United States may carry one liter of liquor back without paying duty. The amount of tax on additional liters depends on the strength of the liquor.

Gosling Brothers, one of Bermuda’s biggest liquor stores, sells liter bottles of Courvoisier VSOP for about $10, Charles Heidsick Vintage champagne for about $22 and Gosling’s Black Seal rum for about $6.

Many of the shops on Front Street have branches in various hotels and in Bermuda’s other shopping centers in the town of St. George and in Somerset Village. To make sure you’re getting the best value, check prices at home before you buy in Bermuda.

Prices quoted in this article reflect currency exchange rates at the time of writing .