Golfers know the secret — Port Royal Golf Course has the sort of views for which Bermuda is famous. And from the club house, the scene ranges over the stubble-smoothed grassy hillside stippled with flowering hedges, falling into cream-flecked and crested ice-blue waters of Bermuda's south west shore.

“Unbelievable,” those most closely involved in Port Royal's new restaurant call these views, which have inspired its name — Bella Vista.

Livio Ferigo of Bone Fish Bar & Grill in the Royal Naval Dockyard, as well as Cafe Amici in the old dockyard's Clocktower Mall, along with Gordon Reid, who was an assistant manager with the group and is now responsible for Bella Vista, sat down to talk about their new restaurant — in comfortable, contemporary chairs in the bar area, and arrayed around a substantial, low table. They were joined by Greg Maybury, who is the director of operations at the Port Royal Golf Course.

Looking through large windows at golfers putting and driving in perfect conditions under perfectly blue skies, the two men said the new restaurant opened its doors for the first time immediately after the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, which was held at the Port Royal Golf Course in the middle of October. “Within 24 hours of the end of the PGA, we opened up,” said Mr Reid.

Mr Ferigo said: “We had a very quiet opening, because we wanted to make sure everything was 'up to par'.”

The restaurateur recalled first visiting the premises. “When I came to see it, I wasn't looking at doing something else — I have a young family and businesses,” he said.

But as soon as he saw the view, he was in. “It was a perfect fit,” he said. “I went home and talked about it with my wife, and she said: “If it is going to be as successful as Monte Carlo (a now-closed restaurant that was on Victoria Street in Hamilton), then it will be good for all of us.” It was as a result of his work as chef at the Monte Carlo restaurant that Mr Ferigo started to become the well known restaurateur that he now is.

And those Monte Carlo customers still ask him when he will open a restaurant featuring the French, Italian and Mediterranean cuisine they had enjoyed there.

Now, he says he has accomplished that at Bella Vista. “It's a good feeling here,” he said. “Because the feeling is good, I decided to go ahead.”

So far, the restaurant is open for lunch, although they hope to open for dinner in February, when customers will be able to watch the sunsets for which the property is also famous. “We've had nothing but good comments — Bella Vista is going to be well-known in Bermuda,” he predicted.

Unlike many restaurant proprietors, Mr Ferigo said he will be in the kitchen when he can.

Patrons can expect to see Mediterranean style food on the menu, with a lot of local infusion. “We buy from local farmers, create good home-made food by myself and the guys — and the prices will be average,” he promised.

Angus beef and fresh rockfish, tuna and wahoo are also among the ingredients which go into dishes like Bermuda lobster with asparagus, served with shrimp and fresh arugula.

A new entry on the menu is a Shrimp Extravaganza, with avocado, apple and curry sauce. There's also a sandwich featuring a cut of fish that has soaked in a special marinade before it is prepared. Hamburgers made with certified Angus beef with bacon and smoked Gouda are also on the menu. “It's not a big menu, but it changes all the time.”

Mr Reid explained: “Golf is a gentleman's sport, and they want good food and a good cold beer at the end of their round.”

Bella Vista is in the process of developing their wine cellar, which is a glass enclosed, temperature controlled room that can be seen from the dining room. A Bosc Moscado and a 2007 Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc are among the labels that have already found a home in the cellar.

At the bar, self-named 'intoxicologist' Adam Kirk, who was at Bone Fish, is in charge, and he enjoys creating such cocktails as the 19th Hole, which includes blue Curaçao with apple vodka to reflect the blues and greens of the golf course, with a splash of pineapple juice. Or there's the Adam Bomb, which is a combination of three rums, including a coconut variety, along with Cointreau and melon liqueur, a splash of pineapple juice and cherry juice.

“This could be one of the best restaurants on the Island — when you take into consideration the views, sitting on top of this hill, the golf course and the ocean. It's the best golf in Bermuda — and the course is kept in perfect condition all year round,” said Mr Reid. Couple that with Mr Ferigo and the team at Bella Vista — “restaurant people who know the business”, the future looks bright.

Mr Maybury, in his role as director of operations at the Port Royal Golf Course, added that this is a membership club of 240 golfing enthusiasts. “Our aim is get 300-plus members,” he said. “The restaurant was the missing link — (now) I think we can reach 300 quite easily.”

Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Government Golf Courses Clem Talbot said: “I was delighted to have Livio participate with us and take over the concessions, to operate the restaurant, as well as the Half Way House (where golfers can buy a light snack) and the Trolley which delivers food and beverages to golfers on the course.”

He said the Board of Trustees had received a few applicants, but it was Mr Ferigo's proven ability to withstand the economic difficulties of the last few years that made him stand out, together with the level of service that already is providing in his other restaurants.

As Mr Reid said: “Every golf course needs its 19th hole — somewhere to chill out and relax.” And Port Royal has that again.