Bermuda: One of National Geographic Traveler's Best Trips

Another great reason to pack your bags for Bermuda? National Geographic Traveler magazine calls it "a place brimming with personality" that should be at the top of your must-visit, go-now list. Among the things that appealed to the storied publication's editors:

The magazine calls spiny lobster season (September through March) "Bermuda's culinary equivalent to Christmas morning," and recommends trying the shellfish either stuffed or served in creamy tomato sauce at Wahoo's Bistro & Patio in the Town of St. George. The rest of the year, NGT says to order the wahoo. You can also find prime seafood at Hamilton's Barracuda Grill, where innovative preparations of local fare include hogfish with a yuzu (citrus) glaze and mushrooms or snapper with poblanos. At Coconuts Restaurant at The Reefs Resort & Club, you can tuck into rum-spiked Bermudian fish chowder or grilled local rockfish in an elegant setting with beach views.

Also on National Geographic's radar: shipwreck dives. "Submerged off the coast of Bermuda are more than 300 shipwrecks, including a Confederate blockade-runner. The side-paddle steamer was built in England and smuggled guns and other supplies into Wilmington, North Carolina." You can see this and other sunken vessels via scuba and snorkelling trips organized by outfitters like Blue Water Divers & Watersports or Fantasea Diving & Watersports. 

For overnight stays, the magazine mentions the Cambridge Beaches Resort & Spa, calling it "Bermuda's first and most famous cottage colony." Open since 1923, the resort features rooms and suites in intimate pink cottages. Other hotels with historic appeal include Aunt Nea's Inn, a B&B in a renovated 18th-century mansion in the Town of St. George, and the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, open since 1885 in a jumbo, rose-hued building now sporting a brand new $100+ million renovation.

The magazine also mentions shopping for souvenirs like rum cakes and cedar crafts at the Clocktower Mall in the Royal Naval Dockyard and dressing like a local in a pair of TABS Bermuda shorts.

See more from National Geographic Traveler's quick guide to Bermuda.