Friday, December 28, 2007
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Where did the summer go?
It has been a while since we last wrote anything, due partly to just being outside so much all summer enjoying the great outdoors as well as to the fact that we were robbed while we were sleeping one night and were without a laptop or Internet connection (the thieves stole that too!)
Other than that awful experience which I never thought would ever happen (lived in a big city my whole life and never got robbed til we moved here) things are pretty much the same as usual.
We went off island in September for a couple weeks to England and Wales which was a great holiday, although a bit stressful for us as hubby drove and I did the navigating which as we all know is not one of my skills! England makes me crazy as you will see a sign for your intended destination and then you have to count where on the roundabout you are supposed to get off or my personal pet peeve is the sign says straight but you can never go straight as first you have to go around............ We put over a thousand miles on the car and saw a lot of the country.
Right now Bermuda is all excited over the PGA Grand Slam event that is taking place this week- thousands of spectators including us are headed to Mid Ocean Club to watch the winners of the majors although to every ones disappointment, Tiger Woods declined to participate this year and so Jim Furyk is here in his place. It will be a nice day of golf and also get to spend some time in our corporate hospitality tent which is always fun- free food and drinks and corporate gifts!.
Keeping this post short but will get back into posting on a regular basis including new photos etc. Might even post some video as the new computer has a lot of bells and whistles including a webcam/video camera built in so you never know what you might find next time you log on.
Other than that awful experience which I never thought would ever happen (lived in a big city my whole life and never got robbed til we moved here) things are pretty much the same as usual.
We went off island in September for a couple weeks to England and Wales which was a great holiday, although a bit stressful for us as hubby drove and I did the navigating which as we all know is not one of my skills! England makes me crazy as you will see a sign for your intended destination and then you have to count where on the roundabout you are supposed to get off or my personal pet peeve is the sign says straight but you can never go straight as first you have to go around............ We put over a thousand miles on the car and saw a lot of the country.
Right now Bermuda is all excited over the PGA Grand Slam event that is taking place this week- thousands of spectators including us are headed to Mid Ocean Club to watch the winners of the majors although to every ones disappointment, Tiger Woods declined to participate this year and so Jim Furyk is here in his place. It will be a nice day of golf and also get to spend some time in our corporate hospitality tent which is always fun- free food and drinks and corporate gifts!.
Keeping this post short but will get back into posting on a regular basis including new photos etc. Might even post some video as the new computer has a lot of bells and whistles including a webcam/video camera built in so you never know what you might find next time you log on.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
More Summer fun
We have been tremendously enjoying the summer so far. Gorgeous hot sunny days and all is quiet so far on the hurricane front. Spent Canada Day at Chaplins Bay- The Association of Canadians in Bermuda hold several events throughout the year and this one was a lot of fun- couple thousand Canucks showed up to party on the beach. The sound system was blaring out Canadian tunes, tug of war (East vs. West), barbeque and free drinks. Could not have asked for a nicer day although it was kind of weird to sing the national anthem while wearing a bathing suit! It will stand out as one of the more memorable Canada Days in recent memory. Check out the video of O Canada that I downloaded from YouTube as we did not bring our camera with us.
We went out on a dinner cruise the other night courtesy of work on the Lady Tamera. Every year they have an annual dinner and dancing cruise for 3 hours and about 250 people showed up for it.The food was pretty good considering it all had to be brought aboard just before the ship sailed. What made it even nicer was the fact that the following day the office was closed for Fourth of July ( not a holiday in Bermuda but the international companies close up for the day)so could stay out late and not have to worry about dragging my butt at work the next day.
Still have 2 more summer work related events to attend- the nice thing is that the company opens them up to your entire family to attend at no cost and they spare no expense to show everyone a really good time. Making plans to attend the Bermuda Music Festival later this fall - they announced the headliners today to include Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie and Natasha Bedingfeld. Also the PGA Grand Slam is coming here in October and we have tickets for that. Hoping that Tiger Woods ends up coming as would really like to see him in person.
We went out on a dinner cruise the other night courtesy of work on the Lady Tamera. Every year they have an annual dinner and dancing cruise for 3 hours and about 250 people showed up for it.The food was pretty good considering it all had to be brought aboard just before the ship sailed. What made it even nicer was the fact that the following day the office was closed for Fourth of July ( not a holiday in Bermuda but the international companies close up for the day)so could stay out late and not have to worry about dragging my butt at work the next day.
Still have 2 more summer work related events to attend- the nice thing is that the company opens them up to your entire family to attend at no cost and they spare no expense to show everyone a really good time. Making plans to attend the Bermuda Music Festival later this fall - they announced the headliners today to include Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie and Natasha Bedingfeld. Also the PGA Grand Slam is coming here in October and we have tickets for that. Hoping that Tiger Woods ends up coming as would really like to see him in person.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Summers Here
Well summer has definitely arrived here with hot humid days being the norm. We are having trouble adjusting to the humidity and its going to get a lot worse before the summer is out. I love the heat, the humidity not so much (although I must say that my skin has never been so nice in my whole life, that would be the upside of humidity!) Thank goodness for air conditioning and having a swimming pool. Nothing feels better than a quick dip in the pool to cool things off and not feel so sticky, especially after the walk home from the ferry. My summer routine seems to be to walk through the door,get out of my work clothes and within 5 minutes be splashing around in the pool to cool off.
It's also officially now hurricane season and while traditionally the most active month is September, we make sure to check the weather reports here everyday. When we talk to people who have lived here all their lives, they are very nonchalant about hurricanes- they even have hurricane parties! Maybe we will be able to be relaxed enough to go to one but I kind of doubt it!
Each week we add to to the hurricane survival kit ( bottled water, candles, canned food etc. Hopefully by the time a hurricane arrives we will have more than we need to cope with power outages and whatever else mother nature throws our way)
Although May 24 officially kicks off the summer season here, for me it just started on Friday as I have spent most of the last 12 weeks inside doing homework.I
( Actually it just feels that way as most of the time I actually was out on the deck Even had to drag the laptop along on my vacation as 50% of my mark comes from online participation in group casework. Wrote my exam on Thursday and this weekend has been all about relaxation.
Have done nothing but golf and hanging out at the beach this weekend. It was wonderful. I am taking a semester off so that can enjoy my first Bermuda summer- going to Harbor Nights, Destination Dockyard and Happy Hour Fridays at the Lemon Tree, Fairmont or the Botanical Gardens ( there are all kinds of happy hour Friday events but those ones are my favorites so far) Also planning to start golfing a bit more by getting in a few holes after work . The nice thing about being a member of a golf club is that if you only want to play a few holes you can and you don't feel guilty about walking off before you play 18. It is getting too hot to play and our club had its end of season cocktail and awards party at the beginning of the month. It seems odd that the official season is over as back in Canada its just starting to get underway but here it runs from September to the end of May. June,July and August hardly anyone plays ( although hubby is still playing 4 days a week, just starts his games earlier in the morning before it gets unbearable)
We had a nice week off island and went to Newport Rhode Island, Marthas Vineyard, Cape Cod, Cambridge and Boston. We drove from New York City and it was nice to be behind the wheel of a car doing 75 miles an hour on the interstate in a car that can actually climb hills! Would like to have had more time to spend in all the places we visited- we basically just got a taste of each and it was time to move on. Next vacation we are off to the UK for 2 weeks this September and hopefully there will be a business trip to get us off the island between now and then.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
Today we had the good fortune to go out on a charter trip aboard the Spirit of Bermuda( With the exception of 2 of the photos which are from the Bermuda Sloop website, the rest are shots we took today.
Normally Spirit is used as a training vessel for Bermuda youth and takes part in tall ship festivals and the like but once in a while they offer 3 hour sailing trips that the general public can go out on. She is a 112 foot sloop and one of the most gorgeous boats I have been on with teak and cedar everywhere. It is the most stable boat I have ever been on either including much larger cruise ships and we could not have asked for a more beautiful day. Sunny and windy- perfect conditions.
The training vessel is based on civilian Bermudian-type schooners built from 1810 to 1840. Bermudians, enslaved and free, built the schooners in the period spanning the Emancipation of Slavery in the British Empire (August 1, 1834). The original hull shape was adapted from fast dispatch / patrol vessels that ran from Bermuda northwest to Halifax and southwest to Jamaica to contain rebel colonies.
She made her maiden voyage September 30th and we were lucky enough to be able to attend the welcome ceremonies that day but never thought we would have the opportunity to go out sailing on her.)
Also wanted to upload some pictures from Good Friday which is the day Bermudians head out in droves to fly kites- the weather was poor so the skies were not as full as we had hoped they would be (traditional Bermuda kites are hand made with tissue paper as this incredible example from the Royal Gazette shows and so do not hold up to foul weather like the plastic kites from my childhood)
Horseshoe Bay is the place to be on Good Friday with live entertainment,tons of people and a festive atmosphere. We went to Riddells Bay Golf Club for our Good Friday celebrations which was a BBQ and kite flying, partly because we didn't know about the event at Horseshoe Beach til after we had bought our tickets for Riddells. We drove by Horseshoe on the way home and it was jam packed with people. Normally at this time of year the beaches are empty aside from the guest workers and tourists who go all year round. ( Bermudians don't go to the beach normally until Bermuda Day ( May 24th) and even though they go at Easter they do not swim in the ocean til it gets warmer out.
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Whale Watching Trip
We went whale watching off the south shore on Sunday and it was absolutely fabulous- even if we hadn't seen any whales,spending 6 hours on the ocean was a great way to spend the day. We came across 3 different pods of whales- one with three, the others were in pairs. Apparently more than 8,000 humpback whales make their way past Bermuda between March and April but unfortunately they do not seem to travel in packs and finding them seemed like it was going to be as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack. After about 3.5 hours we had our first sign of the elusive whales- the geyser like spray in the distance that comes from the blowhole. After we found the first pair, finding more of them was relatively easy. Taking good pictures of them was a whole other story. Between the rocking motion of the boat and the amazing speed that these whales move makes it pretty hard to capture good images, Thank goodness for digital as we had a ton of pictures that eneded up with just ocean or the sky, no sign of the whales we thought we were getting pictures of. They were quite playful and hung around the boat for quite some time. These things are huge- our boat was 50 feet long and these whales are between 40 and 45 feet long. We managed to get quite close on several occasions and it really was a thrill of a lifetime. We also saw our first signs of spring on the island which is the return of the longtail to Bermuda shores, turtles all over the place and the flying fish put on a pretty good show for most of the day as well.
This Friday being Good Friday is a holiday here with a twist. Everyone flies a kite and so we are going to go down to Horseshoe Bay where the skies will be full of color and also enjoy festivities including live bands and food. Before that we are going to a similar function at Riddells Bay ( kite flying and BBQ) so should have some neat pictures to share later in the week.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
BLAST OF WINTER AND REALITY CHECK!
Just got back from another business trip to NY and if I have my way I will never go again in the winter. Will do a conference call instead!
After thinking we were cold here when the temperature falls down into the mid 50's, I had a good reminder of how good we have it here and how there is no way in hell we will ever live anywhere but a warm climate. Landed in NY on Sunday and it was cold but not too windy, probably around 20 degrees F. Then Monday and Tuesday it was snowing and 1 degree F with the wind chill and it was bitterly cold. I think that because of the humidity 1 degree is a lot colder in NY than it ever was on the prairies. Of course, the winter coat I have now is not a real winter coat- I had gleefully donated all my winter clothes to the Salvation Army and the Women's Shelter. This ones more like something you would wear to go from the car to the house, looks pretty but with one button, shawl collar was not made to walk the streets of NY which is what we did on Monday and Tuesday. Our meetings were on Pine Street, Williams Street, Wall Street and Water Street, all of which are relatively close to each other but felt like they were miles apart as my ears turned purple and my coat kept flying open in the wind. Carrying my briefcase in one hand made it hard to hold the damn coat shut!
Enough about the weather- gotta tell you about the room I ended up with- the one time that hubby did not travel with me I ended up in the presidential suite on the 55th floor of the Hilton which overlooks ground zero and has also got incredible water views of the city- I could see the Statue of Liberty and all the ferries running back and forth as well. I did not bring my camera with me as it was just a business trip but went out and bought a disposable camera to take pictures of this suite as it was unbelievable- It is bigger than my condo and had a full kitchen with funky cappuccino machine, a dining room that seats 10 comfortably, a huge living room, 2 bathrooms, full bar, bedroom, 2 42 inch TVs, monster jacuzzi tub and on the list goes. If I actually ever develop the pictures I will post some here. I ended up in this room as when I went to check in, my room was not ready and it was after 5:00- Check in is supposed to be at 3:00. I was offered a non smoking room but declined as in NY there is no where else to smoke except your room. After I declined, next thing you know I am advised I have been upgraded and handed my keys. Not a word was said about the room and it wasn't til I got on the elevator that I realized I was going to the top floor. Stepped off the elevator and have my own personal security (actually its for the 4 suites on the floor) It was such a nice room that I ended up ordering room service one night as I thought the likelihood of ever being in such a nice room again is slim to none and having been dreaming of having a good steak order a 16 ounce sirloin steak which I ate every bite. I actually had serious thoughts about ordering a second one having decided that the problem with beef in Bermuda is not that it is US beef as this steak was fantastic! If it wasn't 11:00 at night I might have done it but it was time for a serious bubble bath in my six foot jacuzzi. Had some other fabulous meals while I was there- I think its hard to get a bad meal in NY.The first night I went out with one of my bosses for Chinese up on Lexington and 3rd- Shun Low or something like that- quite upscale for a Chinese restaurant and very tasty. Had a fabulous lunch at Harrys Cafe in the financial district and my appetizer of sirloin beef kabobs even came with its own little grill with hot charcoals.
Found a bit of time to shop on Tuesday afternoon- went up to West 34th which is where
Macys is but actually did most of my shopping at the boutique shops as while Macys has everything, its all organized by brand- If you don't know what brand you want its annoying!After living in Bermuda the choices seemed overwhelming too. I was on a mission to find pants that fit as I have lost a lot of weight and need a 4 or 6 depending on the cut with a 34 inseam and my favorite jeans have been discontinued- Macys used to sell them which is why I went there in the first place. Did find a few pairs that I liked at Ann Taylor, picked up a bunch of shoes at Century 21 and Steve Madden and then the other mission was to hit the drugstore- things like shampoo, vitamins, cosmetics etc. are all a fortune in BDA so its so much cheaper to buy them in the states, even after you add the 25% duty on top. (Example- Listerine Whitening is 14USD in Bermuda, at Duane Reids I picked up the large bottle for 5.40- after the duty its 6.75 which is still less than half price) I have to go back in May again for 4 days so hopefully will have more time to shop and it will be warm then too. Could have shopped more this trip but NY is a walking city and I am too wussy now to walk in the cold if I don't really have too! Had my Starbucks fix too while I was there. Did not think I had really missed it until I had my first cup of dark roast with my lemon pound cake- now that I am back I am dreaming of that and the steak I had the other day!-
Things back on island are same as usual- Hubby is so tanned already from golfing all the time-even with the crappy February we had he still went out in the rain and the high winds and now March is gorgeous weather so far.Not sure if I mentioned it before or not but Micheal Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones are members at our club. I have not seen them myself but hubby has run into Micheal a few times as he seems to like to tee off around the same time)
I am kinda pasty as I lost my tan around end mid January and every weekend in February it was rainy out- I only golfed once in February as I can only go on the weekends and we usually save golf for Sundays when everything else is closed
Hopefully I will soon be brown again myself although I start back to school next week so that means a lot of time on the computer. I wasn't too thrilled about having to enrol in a class already but its been a year since I registered in my last course and to keep my place in the MBA program I have to do at least one a year so this is the the one- it will end in mid June and then we will be off to Europe for a vacation. There was no way I was going to enrol in a class here over the summer as want to be outside all the time but if this class goes well, I might do a winter class and then only have 2 more to go after that!
We are going whale watching April 1st- the humpback whales start their migration mid March and it should be a nice day- the boat goes out at 10 and comes back around 5 so even if we don't see a lot of whales it will be a nice day on the water.
After thinking we were cold here when the temperature falls down into the mid 50's, I had a good reminder of how good we have it here and how there is no way in hell we will ever live anywhere but a warm climate. Landed in NY on Sunday and it was cold but not too windy, probably around 20 degrees F. Then Monday and Tuesday it was snowing and 1 degree F with the wind chill and it was bitterly cold. I think that because of the humidity 1 degree is a lot colder in NY than it ever was on the prairies. Of course, the winter coat I have now is not a real winter coat- I had gleefully donated all my winter clothes to the Salvation Army and the Women's Shelter. This ones more like something you would wear to go from the car to the house, looks pretty but with one button, shawl collar was not made to walk the streets of NY which is what we did on Monday and Tuesday. Our meetings were on Pine Street, Williams Street, Wall Street and Water Street, all of which are relatively close to each other but felt like they were miles apart as my ears turned purple and my coat kept flying open in the wind. Carrying my briefcase in one hand made it hard to hold the damn coat shut!
Enough about the weather- gotta tell you about the room I ended up with- the one time that hubby did not travel with me I ended up in the presidential suite on the 55th floor of the Hilton which overlooks ground zero and has also got incredible water views of the city- I could see the Statue of Liberty and all the ferries running back and forth as well. I did not bring my camera with me as it was just a business trip but went out and bought a disposable camera to take pictures of this suite as it was unbelievable- It is bigger than my condo and had a full kitchen with funky cappuccino machine, a dining room that seats 10 comfortably, a huge living room, 2 bathrooms, full bar, bedroom, 2 42 inch TVs, monster jacuzzi tub and on the list goes. If I actually ever develop the pictures I will post some here. I ended up in this room as when I went to check in, my room was not ready and it was after 5:00- Check in is supposed to be at 3:00. I was offered a non smoking room but declined as in NY there is no where else to smoke except your room. After I declined, next thing you know I am advised I have been upgraded and handed my keys. Not a word was said about the room and it wasn't til I got on the elevator that I realized I was going to the top floor. Stepped off the elevator and have my own personal security (actually its for the 4 suites on the floor) It was such a nice room that I ended up ordering room service one night as I thought the likelihood of ever being in such a nice room again is slim to none and having been dreaming of having a good steak order a 16 ounce sirloin steak which I ate every bite. I actually had serious thoughts about ordering a second one having decided that the problem with beef in Bermuda is not that it is US beef as this steak was fantastic! If it wasn't 11:00 at night I might have done it but it was time for a serious bubble bath in my six foot jacuzzi. Had some other fabulous meals while I was there- I think its hard to get a bad meal in NY.The first night I went out with one of my bosses for Chinese up on Lexington and 3rd- Shun Low or something like that- quite upscale for a Chinese restaurant and very tasty. Had a fabulous lunch at Harrys Cafe in the financial district and my appetizer of sirloin beef kabobs even came with its own little grill with hot charcoals.
Found a bit of time to shop on Tuesday afternoon- went up to West 34th which is where
Macys is but actually did most of my shopping at the boutique shops as while Macys has everything, its all organized by brand- If you don't know what brand you want its annoying!After living in Bermuda the choices seemed overwhelming too. I was on a mission to find pants that fit as I have lost a lot of weight and need a 4 or 6 depending on the cut with a 34 inseam and my favorite jeans have been discontinued- Macys used to sell them which is why I went there in the first place. Did find a few pairs that I liked at Ann Taylor, picked up a bunch of shoes at Century 21 and Steve Madden and then the other mission was to hit the drugstore- things like shampoo, vitamins, cosmetics etc. are all a fortune in BDA so its so much cheaper to buy them in the states, even after you add the 25% duty on top. (Example- Listerine Whitening is 14USD in Bermuda, at Duane Reids I picked up the large bottle for 5.40- after the duty its 6.75 which is still less than half price) I have to go back in May again for 4 days so hopefully will have more time to shop and it will be warm then too. Could have shopped more this trip but NY is a walking city and I am too wussy now to walk in the cold if I don't really have too! Had my Starbucks fix too while I was there. Did not think I had really missed it until I had my first cup of dark roast with my lemon pound cake- now that I am back I am dreaming of that and the steak I had the other day!-
Things back on island are same as usual- Hubby is so tanned already from golfing all the time-even with the crappy February we had he still went out in the rain and the high winds and now March is gorgeous weather so far.Not sure if I mentioned it before or not but Micheal Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones are members at our club. I have not seen them myself but hubby has run into Micheal a few times as he seems to like to tee off around the same time)
I am kinda pasty as I lost my tan around end mid January and every weekend in February it was rainy out- I only golfed once in February as I can only go on the weekends and we usually save golf for Sundays when everything else is closed
Hopefully I will soon be brown again myself although I start back to school next week so that means a lot of time on the computer. I wasn't too thrilled about having to enrol in a class already but its been a year since I registered in my last course and to keep my place in the MBA program I have to do at least one a year so this is the the one- it will end in mid June and then we will be off to Europe for a vacation. There was no way I was going to enrol in a class here over the summer as want to be outside all the time but if this class goes well, I might do a winter class and then only have 2 more to go after that!
We are going whale watching April 1st- the humpback whales start their migration mid March and it should be a nice day- the boat goes out at 10 and comes back around 5 so even if we don't see a lot of whales it will be a nice day on the water.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
DOCKYARDS & DOLPHINS
We went up to the Dockyards yesterday to have a bite to eat and decided to check out the Maritime Museum and the fort which is absolutely enormous and totally amazing. It was well worth the 10 bucks it cost to get in as in addition to the museum you get to see the Commissioners house (very grand!)and to see the dolphins at Dolphin Quest. While we were watching the dolphins, the trainer came out to chat and upon learning that we live here asked if I would be interested in doing some volunteer work over the next couple of months. Turns out 3 of the dolphins are pregnant and they need people to record anything and everything about how the pregnancy is coming along and then once the babies are born, to assist with the record keeping on how often they are nursing, how long etc. All volunteers will be called when the dolphins go into labour so that we can be there to watch them being born. (Apparently it takes about 2 hours to deliver a dolphin so the staff indicate they will call all the volunteers up and should have enough time to get there to watch.)
All of the dolphins are due in May. I will likely do a couple hours a week either after work or on the weekends as they need people to monitor the dolphins 24 hours a day. )
I of course think this is the coolest thing ever and quite possibly a once in a lifetime experience so I signed up on the spot. Certainly would not be able to do something like this living on the prairies! I was actually on a website the other day checking out all the different volunteer opportunities that exist here in Bermuda and was thinking of doing something at the aquarium as they need turtle scrubbers
(apparently sea turtles need to be scrubbed once a month!) as well as people to help feed the seals and that kind of thing which I might still sign up for once my time is over with the dolphins) One thing that I really like about Dolphin Quest here is that while they allow you to swim with the dolphins, you are not permitted to "ride them" like you are allowed to do at other dolphin attractions. The trainer indicated that the dorsal fin is all cartilage and they feel it would be like having a hundred people a day pulling on your ears- not very pleasant!
Friday, January 26, 2007
WINTER HAS ARRIVED
[Darryls Wharf ( my ferry stop)- No ferry service today as sea is too rough!-picture is from the Royal Gazette]
Well we got our first real taste of Bermuda winter today and I have no idea how I made it through 42 Canadian winters as we are freezing here today.( We have even turned on the heat in our house for the first time as it is bone chilling damp between the wind and the rain. Its 52 degrees out and we are having storm force winds which makes it bloody cold!. The things you learn that you never needed to know. I never knew that storm force winds were more serious than gale force winds or that there are 12 levels of wind from level 1 to 12, 12 being hurricane force winds. Today we are at level 10 which means that the winds are in excess of 45 miles an hour and the seas are high(outside the reef the waves are about 28-30 feet high). At the dockyards they are experiencing hurricane force winds but apparently once you reach hurricane force there is another rating system that comes into play and these would be the low end of the hurricane scale)
They closed the causeway at noon due to the high winds and then about half an hour later the schools were closed as well. Ferries are not running due to the high seas and it was a bit scary for me, not having experienced such high winds before. I am sure to be petrified when hurricane season rolls around as I was nervous today wondering if the windows at the office were going to blow out! I almost got knocked over by a big gust of wind while I was waiting to cross the road and am now tucked away nice and safe at home. We are heading off to our golf club for a theme night tonight ( English pub night- pub grub, darts and trivia- hope its fun) so time to log off and get cleaned up to go.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Housing Prices in Bermuda
I am so busy with year end right now that don't really have any time to post any updates, however I did find this article from todays Royal Gazette to be quite interesting on the price of housing here in Bermuda. Readers should note that the article is referring only to the price of housing for BERMUDIANS as foreigners are limited to purchasing homes in excess of 2 MILLION and must also pay a 22.5% stamp tax on the purchase price ( there are no recurring property taxes here, the stamp tax is a one time tax) so if you were able to buy a home for 2MM,it will cost you 2,450,000 before legal fees.
Article published Jan 10, 2007
HOUSING
Average cost of houses hits $1.6m
Middle income Bermudians turning more to condominiums – which average $900,000
The average price of a stand-alone Bermuda home soared to $1.6 million in 2006.
That translates into a 30-year mortgage of more than $11,400 a month at current interest rates – assuming the buyer has paid out a five percent deposit of $80,000.
The revelation came in end-of-year commentaries from two of the Island’s leading realtors, Coldwell Banker Bermuda Realty and Rego Sotheby’s International Realty.
And the $1.6 million figure was based on completed transactions recorded through the first 11 months of last year.
Better news for buyers is that the inventory of properties for sale is at an all-time high, giving home seekers a greater choice and shifting the market in the purchaser’s favour.
While the escalating price of free-standing homes is moving them further out of the reach of middle-income Bermudians, realtors say locals are showing increasing interest in condominiums as a more affordable option for a home.
Coldwell Banker’s “2006 Year End In Review”, written by agency manager Susan Thompson, concludes that prices of all types of property remained little changed in 2006. “The average condo will cost you just under $900,000, about the same as 2005,” Ms Thompson wrote.
“To purchase a single family home you will need approximately $1,325,000, depending on location, acreage, condition, etc., with little to no change from the previous year.
“Approximately a quarter/third acre of land will command $525,000 and up, once again with little change from 2005.”
Becky Paris, a sales associate at Rego Sotheby’s, writing in Island Property News, stated: “In the period of January to the end of November 2006, there were 291 (property) transactions recorded at the Registry General’s office, with a figure of almost $344 million traded.
“The average price of a free-standing home soared to $1.6 million and remains out of reach for many; consequently real estate was a hot topic at the sustainable development talks that dominated the media.”
St. George’s had the highest average property price of $1,492,203, said Coldwell Banker, adding the inclusion of Tucker’s Town – the Island’s “Billionaire’s Row” – skewed the figures for that parish.
In fact, a Tucker’s Town house known as Frick’s Point was the highest-priced property to be sold in 2006, at around $20 million.
Coldwell added that Sandys was by far the most affordable parish, with an average selling price for all properties of $728,333, while Hamilton Parish came a distant second at $902,110 and Warwick third at $952,370.
Apart from a significant slowdown in transactions during the second quarter, and then a rise in activity over the following three months, 2006 had been very much “business as usual” Ms Thompson concluded.
“The most noticeable change was more choices for the buying public and more flexibility by the sellers,” she added.
“Our forecast for 2007 would be an increased interest in real estate, particularly in the buoyant luxury market, continued purchase by multiple family members for investment and an ongoing trend towards buying condominiums, which Bermudians now seem to embrace.”
Ms Paris expressed Rego’s outlook for the year ahead: “With money still to be made in property, we are likely to witness the Planning Department working at full steam to deal with more applications to subdivide, build, go up and go out.
“The market seems to have shifted in favour of the purchaser so expect a better value to price ratio.”
Although not all property transactions for 2006 have yet been recorded in the Government archives, Coldwell Banker estimated that the total of closed deals would be down by around ten percent.
WHAT IT WOULD COST YOU
All figures based on a 95 percent mortgage, at an 8.25 percent interest rate and a 30-year amortisation period.
Property price Deposit (5%) Total borrowed Payment
Average price of a free-standing home in 2006
$1.6 million $80,000 $1,520,000 $11,419.25/month
Coldwell Banker’s estimated average price of a single family home
$1.32 million $66,250 $1,258,750 $9,456/month
Average price of a condominium
$900,000 $45,000 $855,000 $6,423.33/month
(Mortgage figures calculated by Butterfield Bank online mortagage calculator)
Article published Jan 10, 2007
HOUSING
Average cost of houses hits $1.6m
Middle income Bermudians turning more to condominiums – which average $900,000
The average price of a stand-alone Bermuda home soared to $1.6 million in 2006.
That translates into a 30-year mortgage of more than $11,400 a month at current interest rates – assuming the buyer has paid out a five percent deposit of $80,000.
The revelation came in end-of-year commentaries from two of the Island’s leading realtors, Coldwell Banker Bermuda Realty and Rego Sotheby’s International Realty.
And the $1.6 million figure was based on completed transactions recorded through the first 11 months of last year.
Better news for buyers is that the inventory of properties for sale is at an all-time high, giving home seekers a greater choice and shifting the market in the purchaser’s favour.
While the escalating price of free-standing homes is moving them further out of the reach of middle-income Bermudians, realtors say locals are showing increasing interest in condominiums as a more affordable option for a home.
Coldwell Banker’s “2006 Year End In Review”, written by agency manager Susan Thompson, concludes that prices of all types of property remained little changed in 2006. “The average condo will cost you just under $900,000, about the same as 2005,” Ms Thompson wrote.
“To purchase a single family home you will need approximately $1,325,000, depending on location, acreage, condition, etc., with little to no change from the previous year.
“Approximately a quarter/third acre of land will command $525,000 and up, once again with little change from 2005.”
Becky Paris, a sales associate at Rego Sotheby’s, writing in Island Property News, stated: “In the period of January to the end of November 2006, there were 291 (property) transactions recorded at the Registry General’s office, with a figure of almost $344 million traded.
“The average price of a free-standing home soared to $1.6 million and remains out of reach for many; consequently real estate was a hot topic at the sustainable development talks that dominated the media.”
St. George’s had the highest average property price of $1,492,203, said Coldwell Banker, adding the inclusion of Tucker’s Town – the Island’s “Billionaire’s Row” – skewed the figures for that parish.
In fact, a Tucker’s Town house known as Frick’s Point was the highest-priced property to be sold in 2006, at around $20 million.
Coldwell added that Sandys was by far the most affordable parish, with an average selling price for all properties of $728,333, while Hamilton Parish came a distant second at $902,110 and Warwick third at $952,370.
Apart from a significant slowdown in transactions during the second quarter, and then a rise in activity over the following three months, 2006 had been very much “business as usual” Ms Thompson concluded.
“The most noticeable change was more choices for the buying public and more flexibility by the sellers,” she added.
“Our forecast for 2007 would be an increased interest in real estate, particularly in the buoyant luxury market, continued purchase by multiple family members for investment and an ongoing trend towards buying condominiums, which Bermudians now seem to embrace.”
Ms Paris expressed Rego’s outlook for the year ahead: “With money still to be made in property, we are likely to witness the Planning Department working at full steam to deal with more applications to subdivide, build, go up and go out.
“The market seems to have shifted in favour of the purchaser so expect a better value to price ratio.”
Although not all property transactions for 2006 have yet been recorded in the Government archives, Coldwell Banker estimated that the total of closed deals would be down by around ten percent.
WHAT IT WOULD COST YOU
All figures based on a 95 percent mortgage, at an 8.25 percent interest rate and a 30-year amortisation period.
Property price Deposit (5%) Total borrowed Payment
Average price of a free-standing home in 2006
$1.6 million $80,000 $1,520,000 $11,419.25/month
Coldwell Banker’s estimated average price of a single family home
$1.32 million $66,250 $1,258,750 $9,456/month
Average price of a condominium
$900,000 $45,000 $855,000 $6,423.33/month
(Mortgage figures calculated by Butterfield Bank online mortagage calculator)
Monday, January 1, 2007
NEW YEARS DAY
Well it just doesn't get any better than this! The first day of the year was spent at the ocean and playing a round of golf! The weather was outstanding- it looked like it might be a day for long pants and long sleeves when we ventured out today but by the second hole, the sun came out,the cotton sweater came off and it ended up being a gorgeous, warm afternoon for golf.
This was my second round at our new club and only my third round ever but I did see some improvement in my game and loved being out on the course. Many of the holes overlook the ocean and even those that don't are gorgeous- palm trees, cactus, tons of flowers and beautiful homes line the course. Its nice having a membership as we don't have to schlep our clubs back and forth when we play and the people are quite friendly. Its not snooty like I imagine some golf clubs would be and they have a lot of social events in addition to the golf so I think we will end up spending quite a bit of time there. One of the benefits of joining Riddells is their affiliation with the Fairmont Hotels. We get discounts at all the Fairmont restaurants and bars as well as the use of their private beach and the pool at the Southampton and Hamilton Princess. We have our own pool where we live but sometimes its nice to go to the private beach as they have the nice loungers and umbrellas plus facilities which a lot of the public beaches here do not have. I also like the spa discounts and am planning a spa day as soon as year end is over at the office.
Christmas and New Years were pretty quiet for us and it seems like everyone has gone off island for the holidays. Traffic has been really light with school out and not a lot of people working last week so it was a really easy commute last week- even on the bus it was only a 15 minute ride into town last week instead of the usual half hour. Spent Christmas Day at the beach as is tradition here in Bermuda, although we went to our favorite beach Chaplins Bay which is relatively deserted, especially as on XMAS Day all the Bermudians head to Elbow Beach. We could not believe how many people were headed there- cars and bikes were parked all up and down south shore road and southcote road and there were thousands of people there with champagne and picnic baskets. Even our little beach was busy (usually we have it all to ourselves) There was quite a bit of action at Horseshoe Beach too although only the tourists and expats seem to actually go swimming at this time of year. Boxing Day we wound up at the Dockyards on an errand to pick up our house sign and had lunch in Somerset at the Country Squire. We are on a mission to find the best pubs in Bermuda and have been to a number of them. So far Northrock Brewery is the best pub that we have found and while the food at the Country Squire was good,the atmosphere reminded me of being at a Nascar event- the owners love car racing and every surface is plastered with race car memorabilia- nothing wrong with it, just like my pubs to be more charming.
The rest of the holiday weekend we have been out exploring our little island. We still have not seen all of it which is hard to believe but there are tons of little side streets with charming names like Sleepy Hollow Drive or Happytalk Lane and so each weekend we just go off and drive around to check them all out. We went out to Spanish Point and the Ferrylands this weekend- the Ferrylands have some of the most amazing homes we have seen outside of Tuckers Town and each one seems more incredible than the last. Because it was so quiet in town this weekend, we even went into Hamilton for a couple of hours and had lunch at the Hog Penny which is still my favorite place to eat in Hamilton. They have the best Bermuda Onion Soup and their ribs are pretty good too. Didn't do any shopping except to go to Miles to pick up our NY dinner. We decided to stay in this new years and heard that we could get grain fed beef at Miles, Well they had it but its very pricey (Everything is very pricey at Miles-it would be like the difference between shopping at Superstore and Sunterra market. We paid 38.00 USD for 2 steaks (about a pound of beef in all) and sadly,they did not live up to our expectations, there is something about Alberta beef that no other beef compares to. We thought it was the difference between grain fed and corn fed but this beef was mushy too and it was organic American beef. Now we are thinking it must be the aging process that Alberta beef goes through. We are officially done with steak unless its from Alberta. We sure do miss the Cattle Baron!
We have a post Christmas party to attend Jan 12th which is being put on by the executive search firm that brought me to Bermuda. Won't know anyone but my recruiter at that event but its at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club and looks like its going to be a nice event, and the Just for Laughs festival is coming to Bermuda that weekend as well so looking forward to that. Always wanted to go to that when we lived in Canada and never did. Should be a fun night. Think the next two weeks will be quite busy at work with year end activities going into full swing tomorrow. Thats it for this update. Hope everyone has a prosperous, healthy and happy new year!!!
This was my second round at our new club and only my third round ever but I did see some improvement in my game and loved being out on the course. Many of the holes overlook the ocean and even those that don't are gorgeous- palm trees, cactus, tons of flowers and beautiful homes line the course. Its nice having a membership as we don't have to schlep our clubs back and forth when we play and the people are quite friendly. Its not snooty like I imagine some golf clubs would be and they have a lot of social events in addition to the golf so I think we will end up spending quite a bit of time there. One of the benefits of joining Riddells is their affiliation with the Fairmont Hotels. We get discounts at all the Fairmont restaurants and bars as well as the use of their private beach and the pool at the Southampton and Hamilton Princess. We have our own pool where we live but sometimes its nice to go to the private beach as they have the nice loungers and umbrellas plus facilities which a lot of the public beaches here do not have. I also like the spa discounts and am planning a spa day as soon as year end is over at the office.
Christmas and New Years were pretty quiet for us and it seems like everyone has gone off island for the holidays. Traffic has been really light with school out and not a lot of people working last week so it was a really easy commute last week- even on the bus it was only a 15 minute ride into town last week instead of the usual half hour. Spent Christmas Day at the beach as is tradition here in Bermuda, although we went to our favorite beach Chaplins Bay which is relatively deserted, especially as on XMAS Day all the Bermudians head to Elbow Beach. We could not believe how many people were headed there- cars and bikes were parked all up and down south shore road and southcote road and there were thousands of people there with champagne and picnic baskets. Even our little beach was busy (usually we have it all to ourselves) There was quite a bit of action at Horseshoe Beach too although only the tourists and expats seem to actually go swimming at this time of year. Boxing Day we wound up at the Dockyards on an errand to pick up our house sign and had lunch in Somerset at the Country Squire. We are on a mission to find the best pubs in Bermuda and have been to a number of them. So far Northrock Brewery is the best pub that we have found and while the food at the Country Squire was good,the atmosphere reminded me of being at a Nascar event- the owners love car racing and every surface is plastered with race car memorabilia- nothing wrong with it, just like my pubs to be more charming.
The rest of the holiday weekend we have been out exploring our little island. We still have not seen all of it which is hard to believe but there are tons of little side streets with charming names like Sleepy Hollow Drive or Happytalk Lane and so each weekend we just go off and drive around to check them all out. We went out to Spanish Point and the Ferrylands this weekend- the Ferrylands have some of the most amazing homes we have seen outside of Tuckers Town and each one seems more incredible than the last. Because it was so quiet in town this weekend, we even went into Hamilton for a couple of hours and had lunch at the Hog Penny which is still my favorite place to eat in Hamilton. They have the best Bermuda Onion Soup and their ribs are pretty good too. Didn't do any shopping except to go to Miles to pick up our NY dinner. We decided to stay in this new years and heard that we could get grain fed beef at Miles, Well they had it but its very pricey (Everything is very pricey at Miles-it would be like the difference between shopping at Superstore and Sunterra market. We paid 38.00 USD for 2 steaks (about a pound of beef in all) and sadly,they did not live up to our expectations, there is something about Alberta beef that no other beef compares to. We thought it was the difference between grain fed and corn fed but this beef was mushy too and it was organic American beef. Now we are thinking it must be the aging process that Alberta beef goes through. We are officially done with steak unless its from Alberta. We sure do miss the Cattle Baron!
We have a post Christmas party to attend Jan 12th which is being put on by the executive search firm that brought me to Bermuda. Won't know anyone but my recruiter at that event but its at the Royal Hamilton Amateur Dinghy Club and looks like its going to be a nice event, and the Just for Laughs festival is coming to Bermuda that weekend as well so looking forward to that. Always wanted to go to that when we lived in Canada and never did. Should be a fun night. Think the next two weeks will be quite busy at work with year end activities going into full swing tomorrow. Thats it for this update. Hope everyone has a prosperous, healthy and happy new year!!!
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