The Ledgelets — Hotel in Somerset Island

As an urbanite, this was just the spot for my annual solo retreat. I needed a private, chill space where I could work on my art, uninterrupted, and I'm picky. I like to find rental homes slightly off the grid and aesthetically full of inspo, à la Architecture Digest. My process includes meditation and yoga, writing, reading, watching films, slow cooking, good music, the best wine, massage, mani/pedis - anything that will bring out my highest vibe - in order to produce my most authentic work. I booked their cute AF Pool House, and was not disappointed. The owner/host, John, was charming, a delight to liaise with, is switched on and cool. He arranged for their driver, Uncle Kevin, to do my airport runs, and anything in between. When I arrived at this cluster of pink cottages - aka shangri la - hidden away just beyond the smallest drawbridge in the world, my brain went full bananas on the beauty, and then full on decompression mode.

It could have been the welcome rum punch called the "Swizzle". It could have been the lush, old-growth subtropical gardens and the tree frogs' song that begins at sunset. Perhaps it was the well-appointed, sustainable, modern vintage interiors that Alie mostly sourced from the Young's storage units filled with pieces left over from their luxury hotel days, mindfully restored on island, then added in her ridic sense of color, placement and perspective? Maybe it was the way the Pool House sits just above a Slim Aarons-style poolside situation, dotted with sculptures at dance-and-play, where morning salutations begin with some legit, mysteriously wonderful chakra calming bowls, bells and flutes (Alie advised this was a Tibetan album by Massage Tribe), and evenings are surrounded by twinkle lights and the clearest, unpolluted view of the stars? It was absolutely the way this poolside vibe is positioned just off a trail that cuts through ancient volcanic rock, where I took my daily walks, and the energy feels so immersive and healing, you can't help but be encouraged to conjure your best art. The Ledgelets is, fine art. Happy to get lost in this mystic part of the Bermuda...

William J. Galbraith III, Owner, The Wine & Spirit Co., Greenville, Delaware:

"I had been looking for an island destination for a family vacation with my two young daughters. We wanted one that was easy to get to from the east coast by direct flight (we live in Delaware, and flew through PHL), and a location where we didn't feel locked down on a huge, crowded, overpriced, touristy resort. I had been to Bermuda as a teenager, and I remembered it being a beautiful place. This trip, however, ended up being above and beyond better than my memories. A friend had recommended the Ledgelets, as it used to be part of a larger hotel called Lantana, and is still run by its third generation owners, John and Alison Young (who are awesome hosts with loads of experience). We stayed in Sunrise Cottage, which was plenty of space for my family and a couple friends. It has the ideal open kitchen/dining/living/patio space for hanging out. We grilled fresh wahoo in the evenings, direct from their fishermen cousins on their dock, on the house! Ledgelets is a poolside property, which was perfect when it was too hot to hang with kiddos on the beach, not to mention closer to a bathroom and the cold beer in our fridge. That said, we spent ample time on the beach as day guests of Coral Beach Club (15 min drive), and rented a boat from the watersports and diving shop at Somerset Bridge (10 min walk). The girls loved renting the crystal canoes, and paddling around Ely's Harbour watching the sea turtles and parrot fish swim below. Sadly, the girls were super bummed they couldn't catch any fish with their hands. Thus, we look forward to coming back to try again and again. Pro-tip: We were advised to try to visit again during the cooler, off-season months, as the rates are less $, and it's still sunny and warm. Overall a 5 star experience for Bermuda and...

WOW! We have just returned home from staying 4 nights at the Ledgelets Pool House and we were absolutely blown away. On booking the property we received an incredibly detailed email with anything we could wish to know about the property, area, transport, food recommendations. We have never stayed anywhere with such welcoming hosts! We arranged a taxi from the airport through John and I would highly recommend doing this "uncle" was amazing so friendly and gave us a tour of the island, his knowledge on Bermuda is SO vast and interesting. The Pool House has everything you could need and is just lovely! We had our 2 year old daughter with us and they provided toys and a teddy for her which was just absolutely above and beyond! A pack and play is also available. Our daughter had a lovely time watching the honeybees collecting nector around the property, eating the honey from said bees the next morning (this was in the kitchen and was another lovely touch), feeding Myrtle the Turtle and giving the resident kitty some breakfast treats! The property is so relaxing and we truly felt at home- our favorite part was sitting on the terrace looking out over the pool! Although we did a grocery shop (that was already put away for us on our arrival!!! what a dream!) I do wish we'd have got enough in to cook more food in, somerset is a quieter area, taxis aren't the easiest things to get hold of in Bermuda and with the property being so peaceful I would have loved to stay in and make use of the kitchen a little more. On the way back to the airport we were already looking into when we could return! A massive thank you to John and Alison for giving us the most wonderful long...