I spent last weekend in Bermuda celebrating my birthday — I do love birthdays — with a fabulous dinner at the Waterlot Inn at the Fairmont Southampton.

I’m a fan of Fairmont properties not just for the brand’s impeccable standards and service but also because the company makes a point of honoring each property’s individual history and heritage. Fairmont Southampton is no exception.

Built in 1670, the Waterlot Inn is housed in the ancestral home of Bermuda’s Darrell family, a private home passed from generation to generation for more than 300 years. Claudia Darrell (1869–1949), a Bermuda “character” described as “sociable, chatty, and blessed with a vigorous and gusty humor,” came into ownership in the early 20^th century and converted the home to an old-English-style tavern in the mid-1920s.

Today, the Waterlot Inn operates under the Fairmont umbrella, but the experience of dining here is reminiscent of an earlier time. Guests are escorted to the comfortable lounge for a pre-dinner cocktail before being seated for dinner in the expansive-yet-cozy dining room.

My husband, Kevin, and I tucked into succulent shrimp cocktails followed by melt-in-your-mouth filet mignon done to perfection. Heeding the advice of a local we met the previous day, we also tried the truffle mac-and-cheese: sinful, to say the least.

And as our server prepared strawberries flambé tableside, I could almost hear the gusty laughter of Claudia Darrell making her way through the dining room to greet her guests.

— Lisa Matte, editor and chief