HAMILTON, Bermuda _ This small island _ only 21 square miles in size and 650 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, N.C. _ gave the world shorts (still used as part of the island uniform), onions (still used in island cuisine), and grass (still used on the island's ubiquitous golf courses).
Bermuda has earned literary cred as well. An early chronicler of its infamous Triangle, William Shakespeare used it as the shipwreck setting for his play "The Tempest," making it the only New World location the Bard ever cited by name.
While Prospero, Miranda, Caliban and Ariel had their share of difficulties, today, Bermuda's gentle beauty and easygoing lifestyle lure those who wouldn't mind being shipwrecked on its shores.
It's no wonder. Luminous turquoise waters lap shell-pink sand beaches; frangipani perfumes the air, and pastel colored houses snuggle behind winding hedgerow-bordered roads with names such as Happy Talk Lane and Pie Crust Place.
It boasts the world's smallest suspension bridge _ opening a mere 32 inches, and a signature drink _ the Dark and Stormy, a heady concoction of ginger beer and rum. It has no rental cars (mopeds being the preferred method of transportation), no skyscrapers and no sense that life should be lived at other than a leisurely and enjoyable pace.
How could you fail to love a place like this?
The answer is _ you can't, as demonstrated by the fact that of all the world's resort islands, Bermuda allegedly enjoys the highest rate of return visitors.
