Warwick Parish, like the county of Warwickshire in England’s West Midlands, is properly pronounced WAH-rick, its silent, middle “W” usually proving confusing for American tongues. The parish was named for the Earl of Warwick, Sir Robert Rich, one of the original “adventurers” (London investors in the colony in the 1600s) and a key player in New World expansion during the Elizabethan Age.

Today, Warwick’s residential neighborhoods are heavily populated and have suffered from crime and occasional youth violence. Yet the parish also contains beautiful national parks and rambling historic estates, often located cheek by jowl with lower-income areas. Perhaps as a result, there are no areas considered truly off-limits; aside from telltale groups of wall-sitters and graffiti in some places, a visitor would be barely aware of social problems beneath the pretty facade.

Warwick’s key draws for visitors, like Southampton’s, are its beaches (arguably Bermuda’s best) and its wide assortment of walking-distance accommodations. For anyone whose chief aim is to relax, swim, and get a tan, there’s no better area of the island. If you’re staying here, the 20-minute drive into Hamilton for shopping and entertainment is hardly arduous, either.

Getting to Warwick Parish

Buses are a convenient way to get up and down the South Shore Road between resorts and beaches (No. 7, every 15 minutes), and along Middle Road (No. 8, every 15 minutes), though bus routes do not include the parish’s pretty Harbour Road. The three-zone tariff for both routes is $3 (exact change, or tokens, tickets, or passes required).

Ferries crisscross Hamilton Harbour throughout the day from the main Ferry Terminal in town to two stops in Warwick—Darrell’s Wharf and Belmont Wharf. The scenic Paget–Warwick ferry route has kept its chugging, iron-clad veterans, Corona, Georgia, and Coralita, quaint throwbacks to the days before the advent of speedy, air-conditioned, quieter vessels now used on longer routes such as Hamilton–Dockyard. The Paget–Warwick ferries provide service every half hour at commuter times on weekdays, or every 45 minutes at other times, including weekends. Fares are $5 round-trip, $2.50 one-way. For information, call Sea Express (tel. 441/295-4506, www.seaexpress.bm).

Taxi stands are located at the major hotels, and most guest properties can quickly arrange for taxi transport. Hailing cabs from the roadside is less successful, since most are run via central dispatch and are usually en route somewhere and averse to extra pick-ups. Taxi tours and wheelchair-accessible taxi services are also available.