If you’ve ever stayed at a Fairmont hotel, you know the rooms. Of course, the décor 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.
Staff
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.
