Spectacular ocean views, home-style luxury and even a seawater lap pool are all on offer at the newly completed Azura.

Being able to enjoy floor-to-ceiling views of the Atlantic Ocean while relishing a hot shower in the comfort of your hotel room is definitely one of life’s more enjoyable experiences. Being able to wander down the cliff from your room onto terraced, panoramic beach platforms or down to the saltwater lap pool is a pretty unique experience, too.

Occupying a prime cliff-top location but tucked away on the south shore in Warwick, the luxury boutique hotel and residential development that is Azura is finally complete, offering owners and hotel guests several very different swimming pool options, a private beach, gym and wellness facilities, as well as their recently upgraded pool-side restaurant, Vida.

  • Native Nature
  • Designed to blend into its cliff-top surroundings, Azura has almost a Mediterranean feel. The sand-like colour of the exterior with its grey-blue doors is softened by wooden slats and a mass of greenery—almost all of which is native or endemic to Bermuda. The pathways down to the beach and sand platforms are shaded by “bay grape tunnels” and there are even wooden benches so you can stop and rest on your way down or up, or while waiting for a land crab to move out of your way. One of the buildings even has a “green roof,” covered in plants, so the view from the pool and restaurant isn’t spoiled by too much white roof.
  • Home from Home
  • Unlike standard hotel rooms, Azura’s rooms are designed to feel like home, especially for families or longer-term visitors. Azura is also proudly Bermudian. The buildings were designed, inside and out, by Bermudian design group cTx. International Imports, The Chef Shop, supplied cooking equipment for the kitchen. Island Trading and Furniture Flair supplied some of the furnishings and Bermudian artwork adorns the walls. Ninety-five percent of the staff are Bermudian, and if you’ve forgotten any essential toiletries or just feel like buying a Bermudian gift, you can pop to Cassine’s online shop and they will deliver to your room.

From a practical perspective the kitchen and laundry rooms are a huge plus, and the kitchen doesn’t just carry the basics. There’s a KitchenAid mixer and blender, a huge fridge and freezer, a dishwasher and state-of-the art oven with all the equipment you need.

Despite the homely feel, however, you are still living, or staying, in a hotel and when you want to make the most of that fact, you can. As well as a rooftop swimming pool atop the Seascape building, there are rooftop terraces for drinks, yoga, Pilates or just relaxing at a great height. You can order spa services to your room. The Azura shuttle will take you into Hamilton or other beaches along south shore, and the concierge can arrange car or bike rentals and taxis, as well as tours and adventures.

  • Bringing the Outside In
  • Because of the spectacular ocean views and abundance of natural greenery outside, the designers very much took a “why use brick when glass will do” approach. The result is views from almost every part of your hotel room. There are floor-to-ceiling sliding doors leading out to the verandas, as many windows as they could get away with, and even the bathroom has a glass “wall,” albeit with an electric floor-to-ceiling blind for privacy, should you wish it.

Even outside, glass safety panels have been used instead of wood or brick walls at the cliff edge and around the pool area so as not to spoil the opportunity for a view.

  • Unique Model
  • The Azura model is a new one to Bermuda. Individuals buy the residences and then give them back to the hotel in full, or in part, for at least six months of the year, so they can be used as paying-guest accommodation. Both parties split the profit equally. The “in-part” aspect of the arrangement is possible because the residences are flexible in design. The two- and three-bedroom properties, for example, can be used in full or be divided up, with each room having its own front door and key.

The residences are available to international buyers and work-permit holders, as well as Bermudians, so it has proved a popular opportunity for those who love the island and travel here frequently to own a piece of the rock without all the stress of home ownership, such as landscaping, housekeeping, maintenance and the dreaded hurricane preparation.

  • More to Come—Nautilus
  • With Azura a sell-out success, real estate sales and construction have started at Nautilus, located right next door, and the two hotel residence developments will share all the amenities which include, or will include, the ocean pool, a larger natural beach area, an indoor restaurant, expanded wellness services and more rooftop spaces.

The piece de resistance of Nautilus is the three-bedroom hotel residence in Nautilus House. Formerly a private home, it has also been renovated in the cTx signature style and the interiors are magazine-worthy. It is located on one of the highest points of the property and the views from the very large patio, as well as through the many floor-to-ceiling windows, are breath-taking. Behind Nautilus House is a protected spa garden, which includes a plunge pool. Ideal for a hideaway on a windy day. The remainder of the Nautilus oceanfront hotel residences are due to be completed by 2025.

Driving down South Shore Road in Warwick, you would never know what lies behind the hill between the road and the ocean. Turn seaward at the Azura sign, however, and you might just be gobsmacked.