Bermuda.

What a beautiful place! Pink sand, clear blue water, white roofed houses painted every color of the rainbow.

But, if you are looking for a good deal, you better sail right on by this stop. I can tell you right now that there are no budget deals on an island 600 miles from the nearest coast.

Every single thing on this stunning volcanic outcropping in the North Atlantic Ocean is imported from somewhere else. There are no crops grown on this rock. There is, we’ve been told, a dairy.

According to one local (and corroborated by several internet sites that track such things), a gallon of milk costs almost $16, a dozen eggs will set you back about $6 and a loaf of white bread is about $6.50.

Don’t think you can drown your troubles in a bottle. A moderately priced vino will run you about $24.

An Air B&B averages more than $100 a night, hotels are higher.

With gas at $9.50 a gallon, there are more small motorbikes than cars for personal transportation. Public transportation will run you $4.50 one way anywhere on the island…probably the best deal.

We boarded a public bus at the port and wound our way along the hairpin curves, hugging the coast to Horseshoe Bay Beach. A short hike down a tiered walkway from the main road brought us to the lovely beach.

Pink sand drizzled with rough volcanic rock both in and out of the azure water. Except for the hoards of other tourists (I always prefer having a beach to myself, thank you), the view will take your breath away.

On the advice of dermatologists we try to keep out of the sun as much as two outdoorsy people can. While seeking a shady spot, we found a shallow cave — a few hundred square feet with plenty of headroom for even a tall person — at the edge of the water, facing away from the crowds. We plopped our happy selves in the cave, ventured tentatively into the not quite 70° F water, and relaxed until it was time to hike back up to the road to catch the bus back to town.

Nine dollars each is about as inexpensive an adventure as you could have here, but it was well worth the price of admission.

Bermuda is a beautiful country. The people are friendly and hardworking. It it’s a spotlessly clean place with not so much as a speck of litter on the meticulously scrubbed sidewalks and perfectly paved roads.

If you’ve got money to burn — and you likely do not if you’re reading this blog — Bermuda is a lovely place to spend (pun intended) a week. But if you’re trying to do it on a budget, keep going.

Note: we found ourselves in Bermuda as a port of call on our transatlantic cruise (more on that in another post).