Bermuda
Business meetings in Bermuda tend to be formal by regional standards with lightweight suits or shirt and tie are acceptable. Calling cards and occasionally letters of introduction are used. Office hours are usually 0900-1700 Monday to Friday.
Bermuda has a moderate crime rate driven in part by drugs.
Confrontational crime is rare. Serious incidents, including use of weapons, do occur, although the use of firearms remains rare. The murder rate is extremely low. The most-recorded crime, as shown in police records, is breaking and entering.
There have been incidents of sexual assault. Chemical mace and pepper spray are illegal in Bermuda and it would be an offense for you to use it to defend yourself, even if attacked. Mace and pepper spray have been made illegal specifically to stop offenders from having access to it and from using it against their intended victims.
Examples of common crimes include theft of unattended baggage and items from rental motorbikes, purse snatchings (often by thieves riding motorbikes), muggings, and thefts from hotel rooms. Valuables left in hotel rooms (occupied and unoccupied) or left unattended in public areas are vulnerable to theft. There are regular reports of thefts of money, valuables, and passports from hotels and guest-houses; keep hotel windows and doors locked at all times. Check-forging is also a significant crime. Avoid writing checks, but also guard all credit-card information closely.
Particular caution should be exercised after dark, especially just after the bars close. Stick to well-lit parts of the island and avoid the quieter, dark streets. Outside the major urban areas there are few footpaths or street lighting.
Possession or importation of even small quantities of drugs attracts severe penalties; ensure that no one has access to your luggage.
The police force is professional and helpful. The emergency number is 911.
Hotels in Bermuda are all of a high standard and a number of international and business class hotels can be found.
Telephone IDD service is available. The country code is 441 and the outgoing international code is 011. The Bermuda Telephone Company operates the internal telephone system. Bermuda numbers dialed from within Bermuda should be prefixed with the last two digits of the country code (29 or 23) but there are no conventional area codes. Fax services are available from many hotels and offices.
Electricity is at 110 volts AC, 60Hz Using American (flat) 2-pin plugs.
110 volts AC, 60Hz. American (flat) two-pin plugs are standard.
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There is a vast variety of restaurants, cafes, bars and taverns to suit all pockets. Service will vary although generally table service can be expected. Hotel cooking is usually international with some Bermudan specialties. National specialties:
• Bermuda lobster (in season from September to mid-April).
• Mussel pie.
• Conch stew.
• Cassava pie.
• Wahoo steak.
• Hoppin' John (black-eyed peas and rice).
• Fish chowder laced with sherry, peppers, rum and shark.
• Other seafoods
include rockfish, red snapper, guinea chick (shiny lobster) and yellowtail.
• Peculiar to Bermuda is the Bermuda onion. Other fine home-grown products include pawpaw and strawberries in January and February, and a variety of local citrus fruit.
• Traditional Sunday breakfast is codfish and potatoes, which are served with red sauce, avocado and banana, while desserts include sweet potato pudding, bay grape jelly and loquat jam. National drinks:
• National drinks and cocktails have Golsing's Bermuda Black Seal rum as a base, and have colorful names such as Dark and Stormy (traditional local drink) and the famous Rum Swizzle.
• British, European and US beer is available. Tipping:
When not included in the bill, 15 per cent generally for most services. Hotels and guest houses add a set amount per person in lieu of tips to the bill.Nightlife
Most hotels offer a variety of entertainment. Dancing, barbecues, nightclubs and discos are all available. There are also island cruises such as the Hawkins Island Don't Stop the Carnival Party, which enables exclusive access to Hawkins Island (it is accessible only by boat) for entertainment - even the locals attend. Local music is a mixture of Calypso and Latin American, and steel band music is very popular. All the latest listings can be found in Preview Bermuda and This Week in Bermuda.
