Rock Shic: Bermuda

Bermuda

02/23/2013

#299 Elegant Expecting – Week 14 (Bermuda)

Happy Saturday!!! I have some exciting news to share… I am preggers! It has been a long time coming and the journey getting here has been difficult (which I hope to share with all of your someday). At the end of the day, I suppose all things worth having are also worth fighting for.

So, with that said, RockShic will be launching a new series called “Elegant Expecting,” where I’ll feature weekly fashion of myself dressing the bump, and other thoughts on pregnancy & maternity style. In brainstorming, I played around with a couple of titles (i.e., Pregnancy Style, Maternity Style… none of them leapt out). Of course, hubby proposed the name “Fetal Fashion,” which I rejected right away.

These photos were taken last week while I was in Bermuda. Between you and me, I’ve actually been hoping to “show” a lot more by now. Unlike some women, I’m actually quite keen to be rocking my baby bump. Alas, I haven’t really been showing all that much, especially when I am wearing separates (see my recent travel features here and here, both at 14 weeks). I think long dresses (and possibly dresses in general) tend to accentuate the bump more, due to the effects of fabric draping – unless, of course, you are wearing something with serious construction. Although they say you're only really meant to gain 5-6 pounds during your first trimester, if that, so I suppose there's still time!

Also – when you do your “pregnancy” pose, which I’ve seen lots of my women do (i.e., one hand cradling the top of your belly, the other near the bottom, around your pelvic area), then the bump becomes all the more accentuated, which is exactly what I’m going for here!

Here’s to lots more pregnant-chic fashion! I think this venture will be tons of fun.

In front of the beautifully manicured croquet field of Rosewood Tucker's Point. See here for a full feature.

Posted on 02/23/2013 at 03:47 PM in Bermuda, Elegant Expecting, Four Months, Second Trimester | Permalink | Comments (3)

02/19/2013

#297 A Day at the Aquarium

I love that sense of child-like wonder which hits you when you visit a place like the aquarium or the zoo (in our case, it was a combination of both!). It’s not something that I get to do everyday, but on our last day in Bermuda, we did exactly that. For the ten dollars admission to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum, and Zoo, I was pleasantly surprised at the bang for your buck! Really, I never expected to see lemurs, pink flamingos, and tree kangaroos in Bermuda!!!

It was also the first time I got to see enormous Galapagos tortoises up close, which was just as impressive as on NatGeo. I suppose this is the place to go to unleash your inner Peter Pan. Plus, an afternoon spent feeding baby seals is hardly the worst thing in the world!

At the Bermuda National Museum (Royal Naval Dockyard), earlier in the day

Chilling with some red ibis to my right

Posted on 02/19/2013 at 01:41 PM in Bermuda, My Wardrobe Aesthetic, Travel Inspirations | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/18/2013

#296 Making Waves

Even though February is not quite beach weather, we managed to get in some sun and waves anyhow while in Bermuda. The beaches are absolutely gorgeous (though windy!), and the sands have a slight pinkish huge (derived from calcium carbonate and crushed bits of coral), which makes it both delightfully pretty and power soft. Bermuda is known for its pink-sand beaches and now I can see why!

We had a traditional Bermudian brunch at the Fairmont Southampton, which consisted of salt cod fish and potatoes, along with bananas, avocado, and hardboiled eggs (hearty!). Note to self: most restaurants are shut on Sundays on the Island, particularly for brunch, so it was really a toss-up between that and the Fourways Inn), after which we took a quick stroll to the hotels’ private beach, which was stunningly picturesque, lapped by crystal-clear, aquamarine water.

Even though I donned my swimsuit underneath, I knew that the weather was going to be a bit iffy, which was just as well. Regardless, I brought along my favorite beach tote (procured from my last trip to Montauk), along with my go-to sun hat and wedges (a Beach must!!! As long as you’re not wearing *just* a bikini… in which case wedges might be a bit much).

Of course, to echo my earlier sentiment, layering is a must!

Posted on 02/18/2013 at 08:43 AM in Beach Style, Bermuda, My Wardrobe Aesthetic, RockShic Summer, Travel Inspirations | Permalink | Comments (0)

02/16/2013

#295 English Gentility at Tucker’s Point, Bermuda

Panoramic views from our bedroom terrace

While we’re here – I wanted to share some photos of our abode at the lovely Tucker’s Point in Bermuda. When I first began to brainstorm about hubby’s birthday, I had considered several options (an eating trip to Chicago? Too cold. A historical tour of Charleston? Maybe next time). By pure happenstance, I stumbled upon the idea of Bermuda, and was immediately drawn. Geographically speaking, it’s a perfect hop, skip, and a jump for us (the flight is a mere 1.5 hours!), and it’s also an ex-British colony (w/plenty of history), which would certainly appeal to hubby’s English sensibilities.

Having said that, I couldn’t have picked a better spot than the Rosewood Tucker’s Point, situated in Hamilton Parish (just a mere 15 minutes from the airport), and quite conveniently located near any destination on the island! (Admittedly the island itself is not very big).

The décor of this place reminds me of an elegant English manor, replete with perfectly manicured lawns (croquet anyone?), fine linens, bone china, cabanas by the pool, and even a library with a crackling fire – where you can take in afternoon tea and scones!!! How very Downton Abbey!

Of course, there is still plenty of island flair and charm to be had… and the views are bar none. We are very fortunate to be staying at one of the lovely corner suites (room #417) in the main house, with a beautiful terrace that boasts panoramic views of both Castle Harbor and the entire east end of the island (and a chaise lounge perfect for reading & napping!). I must give a shout-out to the lovely folks at the hotel (Paul and Kerrie, in particular, who really went out of their way to make us feel welcomed)! Of course, hubby and Kerrie (Tucker's guest relations manager), bonded right away over their mutual ties to Australia.

It has been less than two days, and already I feel revived and at ease, dreading the moment when I have to eventually bid adieu to this stunning setting! Ah well, for now – we enjoy our paradise.

The whimsical little croquet field, which sadly we did not get to use

A gorgeous sunset from our hotel balcony!

A cozy reading room

Posted on 02/16/2013 at 07:23 PM in Bermuda, Luxe Lodgings | Permalink | Comments (0)

#294 Bermudian Adventures

A full day in the old British colony… and so much fun already!! In spite of the off-and-on weather (it is their wet season, after all), it still feels good to be getting about in shorts after being rugged up all winter long. Of course – I kept it smart with layers because, well, you just never know!

On our way to dinner in Hamilton at Bolero, more to come later!!