The Pink-Sand Beaches

Bermuda, an isolated cluster of islands in the North Atlantic, is famous above all for its beautiful pink-sand beaches, whose soft, blush-pink hue comes from the crushed red shells of a tiny reef creature, the red foram, mixed with shell and coral fragments in the fine sand. Along the island's south shore lies a string of gorgeous beaches and coves, the most iconic being Horseshoe Bay, a stunning curving crescent of pink sand and clear turquoise water framed by dramatic craggy limestone outcrops. Nearby, a chain of smaller, secluded coves offers quieter swimming and snorkelling. Warm, clear and blush-pink, backed by a mild subtropical climate, Bermuda's beaches are genuinely distinctive and beautiful.

What you actually see

• Horseshoe Bay - the iconic curving pink-sand crescent.
• The secluded coves - the smaller quiet beaches nearby.
• The pink sand - the distinctive blush-tinged coral sand.
• The limestone rocks - the dramatic craggy outcrops.

When to go

May to October, the warm season, for the best beach weather and swimming, as Bermuda, lying far north in the Atlantic, is subtropical rather than tropical, with cooler winters unsuitable for beach days; the peak summer months are warmest, with a slight hurricane risk in late summer and autumn. The pink hue of the sand shows most beautifully in soft morning and evening light.

Honest expectations

Bermuda is subtropical, not tropical, so its beaches are a warm-season destination, cool and often unsuitable for swimming in winter, and the island is famously one of the most expensive in the world; the pink of the sand is subtle, most noticeable up close and in gentle light. For genuinely distinctive, beautiful blush-pink beaches with clear turquoise water and dramatic rock formations, though, in the warm months, Bermuda's south-shore beaches are lovely and unlike anywhere else.

Nearby

Hamilton, the town of St George and the Royal Naval Dockyard are within reach.